How to Organize Your Job Search

Looking for work can be a full-time job in itself. The longer you look,
the harder it is to stay positive and focused. To make it easier, organize
your search, make creative use of your time, and network,
network, network!

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Identify your job market by location, industry, company size and job description. Are you willing to move to a new city or state for a job? Are your skills transferable from one industry to another? If you're good at sales, for instance, you can probably sell anything from shoes to software.

2. Read 167 Prepare for a Career Change and research like crazy. Scour the online job boards at Web sites such as Jobs.com. Read professional journals in your field. Take full advantage of the many career guidance books available.

3. Keep careful records of everything, including contacts, dates, interviews and follow-ups. Web sites such as JobFiler.com offer tools to make your search easier. See 10 Set Up a Reminder System and 184 Conquer Your Paper Piles.

4. Post your re'sume' on job listings sites like Monster.com and in employment centers. Answer newspaper ads and apply for positions online.

5. Hire a professional career counselor to get you on the right path. He or she can help with everything from tuning up your re'sume' to mastering networking skills to refining goals and expectations (see 16 Set Goals). Ask your librarian or YMCA about free or lowcost career-counseling services or career fairs.

6. Join a job-search group. Members offer one another encouragement and practical tips about the job market.

7. Stay active in the community and keep your work skills sharp. If you're a nurse, volunteer in a neighborhood clinic; if you're a lawyer, help out at a legal aid office.

8. Create an elevator speech. Refine what you do and what you're looking for into a soundbite that you could communicate in the time it takes to ride an elevator. Practice it. Tell it to everyone you know and ask if they know someone you could talk to.

9. Turn everything you do into a networking event. (See 201 Make a Networking Plan.) Of course, you'll work the usual places-- professional meetings, for instance--but make church gatherings, PTA meetings and parties all work for you. The more people you talk to, the better your chances of making the contacts you need.

10. Create a daily schedule that includes making phone calls, surfing the Web, networking and interviewing. Make sure you get out of the house and see people each day so you don't get burned out.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're shy about networking at first, start with people you know well. As you feel more comfortable, you'll be able to chat with just about anyone. Who knows? The guy in front of you in the grocery store line could be your future boss.

• Expand your options. If you're a teacher, for instance, start tutoring or substituting, which may lead to a solid classroom job.

• To avoid paralysis and depression, reward yourself for completing tasks.