The Best and Worst Ways to Look for a Job
In the February 1, 2010 issue of Business Insider, Marc Cenedella wrote "the more experienced, talented and educated you are, the longer the job hunt." Regardless of your desired job, the search does not mean just sending out resumes for every job ad you find. Finding a job requires as much effort as an actual job, and if you know the best and worst ways to do this, you might be successful sooner.
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Answering Job Ads
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At first glance, career websites seem the perfect place to submit your resume and look for a job. However, the University of Minnesota Law School Career Development Center asserts that only 4.1 percent of job seekers who use the Internet for 100 percent of their job search achieve success. Likewise, job seekers who answered ads in trade journals got the job only 7 percent of the time, and those who answered newspaper ads fared worse. Only 5.24 percent of job seekers got a job through a newspaper ad.
When companies place ads online, in trade journals or in the newspaper, they get flooded with applications and resumes. Your resume might compete with hundreds of other job seekers. Another problem with this method is that by the time the ad goes live -- especially in newsprint -- the position might already be filled.
Using an Employment Agency
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On the surface, an employment agency seems like a good idea for you to get your foot in the door at local businesses. This isn't always the case, however, and only between 5 and 28 percent of job seekers found a permanent position this way. Santa Rosa Junior College states that success rate of employment agencies are slightly better for women than for men. The higher the salary and more professional the position, the less successful this method is. What this means is, if you are seeking an entry-level position, you will have more success using an employment agency than you will if you are seeking a highly technical position that requires an advanced degree.
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Mailing Resumes vs. Knocking on Doors
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Only 7 percent of job seekers found a job by randomly mailing resumes, according to the University of Minnesota Law School. Contrast this with the 47 percent success rate of job seekers who knocked on the company's door and inquired about a job. Going door to door to companies works. If you have an aversion to taking this approach, you are shortchanging yourself out of using an effective job search technique. To overcome this, practice what you will say to the gatekeeper, who may be a front desk clerk, a receptionist or security guard. You may not get in the door right then, but you can get a feel for the company's atmosphere before making contact again.
Do Homework on Yourself
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Before you ever send out a resume or cover letter, take inventory of the skills that you love doing the most. Do not list every skill you're good at, but rather, just the ones you like. Decide where you want to use your skills and what kind of environment you feel most comfortable in. When you've done this, decide how you want to get there. Find the name of organizations that fit your goals, the names of people in these organizations who can help you and how you can approach the person who has the power to hire you or get you an interview. This method, according to Santa Rosa Junior College, has an 86 percent success rate, and therefore, should be the first job search activity you do.
Scour the Phone Book
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Dust off your phone book and identify fields and subjects that interest you. Call employers in these fields and ask if they are hiring for the kind of position you are looking for. According to the Santa Rosa Junior College, this method has a 69 percent success rate, making it nearly 10 times more successful than if you had just randomly sent out your resume. If you know other people who are seeking work, do this activity as a group. You will increase your chances of getting a job to 84 percent.
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References
- "The Business Insider"; The 49 Best Ways To Find A Job In Today's Horrible Economy; Marc Cenedella; 2010
- University of Minnesota Law School CPDC: The Five Worst & Best Ways to Find a Job
- Santa Rosa Junior College: Best and Worst Ways to Hunt for a Job
- Net Places; The Best and Worst Ways to Find Jobs; Dawn Rosenberg McKay
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
