I got an e-mail yesterday from a teacher looking to change careers. We didn't have any openings, but I thought of a company in her home state that might be a good fit. She sent them an e-mail, and they referred her to another company that might be hiring. It's called networking. And the Web is a wonderful place to do it.
Job hunting is sales, and you're the product. As with any sales effort, you must find the right targets, capture their interest and communicate your points of differentiation quickly. You can employ a variety of tricks and tools in this process. Cold calls. Personal letters. And now, the Web.
Good salespeople do their homework. Your first assignment should be to evaluate your interests and strengths. The most cost-effective way of doing this is to site down with pencil and paper in a quiet room. If you need a little more guidance, the MAPP Assessment will identify your vocational strengths and help you determine what careers suit your personality for $29.95. Once you have some ideas, you can explore more than 12,000 detailed job descriptions at the International Assessment Network.
Success in the job hunting game has a lot to do with who you know. Consider the Web your matchmaker. If this medium can foster interstate marriages, it can land you a job. There are a number of ways to connect with potential employers. In many cases, you can go to a company's Web site, browse a company directory and e-mail the appropriate contact directly. Newsgroups and mailing lists do a fantastic job of linking like minds. The library-related mailing list I belong to posts several job openings daily. To locate a mailing list in your field, search CataList. To search newsgroups, head to DejaNews. You might also try contacting the alumni center of your alma mater. Many will give you the names and phone numbers of other alums working in your field. To locate your alma mater's Web site, check out the Web Universities by State.
The familiar process of searching the newspaper want ads has become a whole new ball game on the Web. Searching CareerPath is like browsing the want ads for dozens of cities at once. Another classifieds site, Classifieds2000, lists more than 100,000 jobs open nationwide. A number of sites have sprung up to match candidates with vacancies. The Monster Board, FlipDog and CareerWeb allow job hunters to search listings by geography or keyword. monsterTrak allows employers to target graduates of specific colleges. To search the listings, you'll need to access the site from a university computer or get a password from your alma mater's placement center.
So you've found the right contacts. Now you have to send them something. Your resume and cover letter condense a lifetime of achievements into a couple of pages. They will determine whether or not you get the interview, so they better be good. Fortunately, there's an abundance of help online. 1st-Impact has put together Resume Basics, offering pointers on constructing your resume. Many premier job hunting sites like careers.wsj.com (part of the Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition), offer excellent resume writing advice as well.
Secured an interview? Focus on the intersection of your talent and the company's strengths. Hoovers.com offers business profiles that can help you get up to speed on a company. When you're ready to make the trip, MapQuest can help you navigate a new town with customizable maps or door-to-door driving directions.
Once you've been offered the job, the tables turn. Now it's your turn to look for what you want. Salary and benefits will be up for discussion, so you may want to review EmploymentSpot's Salary Negotiation feature. If you land the job and relocation is in the works, Moving.com will help out with the details. Congratulations! You found yourself a job!
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