Posts Tagged ‘local job search’

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Find a Specific Employment Listing

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Finding an employment listing is as simple as calling up the company, asking for the human resources department and asking someone where the company posts its employment listing.

They will happily tell you where to find their job web sites because companies these days hate hard copies of resumes and cover letters. Wouldn’t you if you have to sift through hundreds or thousands of applicants and then store them for future use?

Or, if the company doesn’t store them, they throw them away in the garbage, which makes for a giant waste of paper.

But instead of searching for one specific listing, it is probably best to simply find a great job search engine and let it do the searching for you. Otherwise, it could take a very long time to get nowhere in your job hunt.

In fact, most companies don’t even post their job opportunities on their own site anymore, because this may look tacky to its customers. Instead, they choose a site or multiple sites to advertise their employment needs on.

When choosing a job site that works best for you, don’t automatically assume that you prefer the sites that are most well-known or advertised on television. The truth is that much, if not all, of the job listings on the big, popular sites will also be listed on the smaller, more concentrated sites.

The smaller sites monitor the bigger sites and make sure that they have everything that the big sites have.

The only difference is that the smaller sites will try to make the information more concentrated and specific, so you get exactly what you searched for instead of listings for a hundred jobs that might fit a vague job description. Smaller sites are also great for local job searches and often include local job listings that the bigger sites won’t have.

Smaller sites also often have a niche, that is good for you and that companies in that industry prefer to post their listings on in order to get a better qualified and concentrated response of applicants.

For example, if someone is looking for a job in journalism, the local newspaper is more likely to post a job on a journalism job site than it is on a big all-inclusive job site.

The sample that they receive back will be smaller, but it will have a better concentration of the quality candidates the newspaper is specifically looking for.

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Job Web Sites Are Preferred Hard Copies

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Job web sites are the best and only way to apply for jobs these days.

Unless you have the privilege of meeting the hiring manager or owner of the company in person for any reason, in which case you should print out your resume and cover letter ahead of time (and I recommend using a slightly heavier and possibly lightly tinted paper instead of regular computer paper) and present it in a manila envelope. Other than this special and rare instance, you should be applying for jobs on job web sites for the best and most effective results.

Web sites offer a great way to quickly find jobs that you are interested in applying for. They are fast and easy, often providing step by step directions on how to apply. Be sure to read the job description carefully, because in some cases the person who made the listing says that he/she prefers emails over suing the web site.

In such case, they will provide the contact information and you should reply to the posting via email. But be sure to list which web site you found the job posting on, because the employers are always curious in which web site is working best for them and yielding back the best job candidate results.

Remember to always include a short cover letter with your resume, whether you apply on a site or via email. In some cases, a job site is tricky because it makes it so easy to zoom through the job listings and send out resumes in such a short amount of time and call it a day.

But if you really want the full consideration of the hiring manager and if you want an easy way to stick out from the rest of the resumes include a short, to-the-point cover letter. Start off with the hiring manager’s name, if it is given, and then list in the opening paragraph the position you are applying for with the company’s name and the job web sites on which you found the listing.

You are basically writing in the letter what skills and qualities you possess that would be an asset to the company that can’t be found on your resume or that is in the bottom half of your resume and has a chance of being overlooked.

But remember to keep it as brief as possible, maybe two to three short paragraphs, because the hiring manager does not and will not read through a long essay of your life’s story.

That simply shows that you do not know how to select and highlight the important facts and that you don’t appreciate the employer’s time.

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Always Use Employment Websites

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Employment websites are the preferred way to apply for jobs these days. In these times of the fast paced Internet, it is outdated and not appreciated to go into a company, ask if they are hiring and then ask for an application.

Some think the fact that you took time out to go to the company and the personal touch of a face-to-face conversation will give you an advantage in the candidate picking process. The truth is that you are wasting your time and theirs.

First off, the only person you’ll probably talk to is the secretary or front desk person. When you ask them the golden question, “Are you hiring?” they will simply tell you to either visit their job search site for a list of career opportunities or to visit the employment websites that they chose to post to their job opportunities on.

Even in the rare case that they let you speak with the person who does the hiring, they will do the same thing.

And, although it’s always a good thing when the hiring manager sees your face and knows your name, chances are they will not remember your name when sifting through the hundreds of resumes received. And they obviously will not get a chance to see your face.

Furthermore, since all resumes are electronic now, employee seekers don’t even have to bother with looking at names. They can enter key words and skills that they want to see in resume into a software program that searches through all those resumes for them to deliver the ones that are most pertinent to the employer’s requests.

So you can see why a face-to-face or over-the-phone meet and greet is most advantageous only after they have already asked you in for an interview. Until then, it doesn’t serve much purpose.

If you insist on visiting the companies in person, you will soon find that it is a real time waster that does go very unappreciated. It may even have the opposite effect, with employers thinking that you don’t know how to use the Internet or employment websites or that you are stuck in old-fashioned ways, which is definitely not a good quality for today’s ever evolving technologies and methods.

If anything, you want to look quick, sleek and ahead of the times. Your parents may tell you to go in anyways and introduce yourself, but remember that they grew up in a completely different era, without the amazing advantage of the Internet, and, as much as you hate to disagree with them, they are wrong.

They may think you’re an unmotivated bum, but the truth is that the best thing that you can do for yourself right now is spend your days at your computer.

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Benefits of a Local Job Search

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

A local job search via job search websites is probably the best way to start your job search, since employers often prefer employees who live close by, as opposed to a long commute or someone who has to move from out of state.

First, the company doesn’t want to pay for relocation costs and, secondly, they often are looking for someone to start immediately, instead of waiting for them to sell their home and move.

Think of a local job search as your home court advantage. Let the employer know in your cover letter, or over the phone when it is time to set up an interview, that you know the area well and you live close by.

Another advantage is that, depending on how local your search is, you may very well know people who know people who work in the company you are applying for. Contacts are always good and they can mean the difference of one candidate getting the job over another.

If you do know someone who is working at the company for which you are applying, send them an email saying that you are applying for a job in their company, don’t forget to mention what the job position is, and ask them if they have any advice for you.

If you know the person well enough, you can also ask if they could give you some details about the hiring manager.

I wouldn’t recommend asking someone right off the bat if they could put in a good word for you. First of all, it is presumptuous to think that they would want to put their reputation on the line for you and, secondly, the email may feel pressuring to the recipient.

If you are comfortable with the person enough, you may want to go ahead and ask them to drop a good word for you.

But it is more than likely that the recipient of your email will offer to drop a good word for you anyway, without your provoking, or at least let their manager know that a friend or former colleague of theirs is applying for a job.

The manager may even use that person for a reference to the type of employee that you are, so make sure you are on good terms with the person you emailed.

So, that is my advice for this blog and I wish you all good luck with you local job search.

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Be Patient With Job Search Sites

Monday, October 12th, 2009

There are plenty of job search sites out there in cyber land and it is important to choose the one or ones that work for you. The only way you’re going to know which job search sites you like the best is by getting started with your local job search. So here are some tips to help you with your hunt.

It may take weeks to months for a response from an employer and it may take months to a year to find the right job for you. In the meantime, it is a good idea to get a short internship or part time job until that perfect offer comes along.

Or you may decide to take the first offer that comes to you, which is also a noble move since you never know when the ideal job will happen. You may want to take a job to get your feet wet and, who knows, it may turn out that the job is perfect for you.

Also, although companies don’t appreciate it, you can always quit your job when a better offer comes along. Never tell this to anyone.

Instead, simply say it wasn’t working out at your previous job or you didn’t agree with where the company was going or it wasn’t what you thought it would be while you were going into your job. On the same token, sometimes we take jobs and it turns out that we truly are not happy with what it turned out to be.

It is perfectly acceptable to go back to the job hunting board, so to speak, and try again. But never leave a job until you have another job lined up. Or else you may be stuck with no paycheck for a while.

When you’re using a job search site, you can search for many different kinds of jobs in different locations. It is a good idea to record what keywords you are searching for in those search fields so you can be consistent and search for the same words the next day, since different jobs are posted daily.

Some job search engines actually save your searches for you, but I still recommend writing them down for your own records. Remember to think out of the box when it comes to deciding which jobs to search for.

More often than not, a particular degree or training that one has received comes with skill sets that are valuable in a wide variety of business areas.

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Benefit from a Local Job Search

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

One of the biggest complaints I hear from people who are dissatisfied with their current jobs is the commute or the location. And I can definitely relate. I drive a pretty lengthy distance to get to my job, and it’s not the most fun commute. It’s hard enough to find a decent-paying job, let alone a job that is convenient for you to get to!

I have plenty of friends and colleagues that travel more than an hour to and from work. That can be a drag, spending eight hours at the office and an additional two hours of your day spent on the road or on a train, bus, etc. It’s tiresome and ridiculously time-consuming. It can also become costly, if you’re driving a car and forced to fill your tank multiple times a week. It’s no surprise employees’ biggest complaint is commute-related.

So for you job seekers out there, how can you try to avoid this problem? Well the obvious answer is to try out a local job search. It sounds simple enough right? You want a job close to home, so find a job close to home! It’s easier said than done, but can be done a variety of ways.

First, if you’re already using some of the big search engines, they should have a distance search available. They try to make it easy for users to perform a local job search, so you can specify what distance you’re willing to travel. Unfortunately, if you live in a big city, those parameters can be a bit out of whack. And some employers aren’t always completely honest about their location, especially if they have offices in various cities.

You may also want to try websites that are based in your region. There are plenty of job search engines that specialize in one geographic area so job seekers can more easily do a local job search. And they are already familiar with the struggle of finding a job close to home, so their tools are tailored to fit your needs and preferences.

You may also want to go the old-fashioned route and check local newspapers and local job boards. Although print classifieds are not as common as they used to be, some local businesses still prefer to post jobs this way. And it doesn’t hurt to pick up the paper and browse.

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Choosing a Job Site for You

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

There is a plethora of job search sites available on the web these days. It can almost be overwhelming. You definitely don’t want, and don’t have the time, to perform job searches and post your resume on all of them. So you have to choose which ones work best for you and your needs.

First, use your common sense. If you come across a site that you’ve never heard of, do some research before you progress any further. Obviously, there are the big names, and they are reputable. And perhaps there are some lesser-known job search sites that you’re interested in. Just be wary of the ones that appear out of nowhere, the ones you know absolutely nothing about, the ones that don’t even have much information posted on their home page.

You should also look into the site’s privacy statement. You don’t want to post any personal information on a site that doesn’t ensure your information will not be shared with anyone. And read these privacy policies very carefully! Some websites sell users’ personal information to sponsors and advertisers. And if you’re not a fan of spam mail, I suggest you stay as far away from these sites as possible.

Also, just think about your personal preferences. Is the site easy to navigate? Do the search criteria make sense? Does it even include the types of jobs you want? Some websites specialize in certain industries or only allow you to search certain areas. Make sure the site appeals to you and potential employers.

Along with that, you might want to see if the job listings are posted by employers themselves or agencies. For the most part, I think most job seekers prefer to find job listings that are posted by employers directly. But also remember that some employers prefer to work through agencies because they want keep the job search confidential. Just like you want your personal information safe, they do too.

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Make the Most of Your Job Search

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Now that most hiring is initiated with the internet, it’s extremely important to be able to brand yourself while performing an online job search. There was a time when the majority of the hiring process was done in-person, face to face. Those times are over an, with that, comes advantages and disadvantages. Thankfully, it’s easy to use those disadvantages to improve your job hunting skills.

When you apply for a job using an online job search, you will mostly likely email a resume and maybe even a cover letter. That’s fairly standard and easy. Keep in mind, though, everyone else is doing the exact same thing. And right now, it’s extremely important to differentiate yourself from the rest.

The good thing about applying for jobs online is that it’s very streamlined since it can all be done right there in front of your computer. However, the downside is that so much is lost through impersonal means of communication.

The potential employer can’t see you; he can’t get a feel for your personality. This can be very problematic; You can tell a lot about a person based on physical connections, and unfortunately, this is unattainable via email.

To tackle this problem, job seekers really need to brand themselves online. I’ll give you a personal example. I recently underwent my own online job search, and I was very unsuccessful when I just submitted my standard resume and cover letter. I got very few responses.

I started thinking and decided I should give employers more material to work with to figure out if I was a good fit for their company. The first step was creating a professional profile on various networking websites. I posted my professional experience as well as personal interests and a photo.

Next, I began writing a blog about the particular industry in which I was applying. It was both fun and work-related. Blogs are a good tool because you can document your journey, but with a casual voice. It doesn’t have to be 100-percent professional, although you don’t want to be careless on there either.

I also created a free website where I could post all my professional work in detail. It was like my online portfolio.

After all these projects were complete, I was able to refer potential employers to all these websites and profiles. It gave them a closer glimpse into me and my work. And sure enough, more and more employers contacted me and I finally found a job that suits me perfectly.

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Search Nationally for a Job Locally.

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Ready to start a new career though not at the expense of moving across the country to get it?  Looking for a job within a limited region can make things difficult when seeking employment, but it shouldn’t discourage the job hunter from finding the perfect local job. Search online classifieds and national websites to discover these gems. It may take a little more work but with the right attitude and a little know-how the pursuit of your dream job close to home can be an exciting and very rewarding quest.

It may seem foolish to use a large job search engine when hunting locally but the fact is that many large corporations only post on these sites. The larger the company, the greater their personnel requirements and they simply won’t be able to fill their needs locally. By posting on national or international sites these companies expose themselves to millions of job seekers from which they can choose the most qualified. This practice is common among the larger businesses and you may never find a mention of their openings in local classifieds.

Moreover, doing a local job search online could reveal some opportunities that you simply weren’t aware of.  You never know what kinds of skills are needed throughout a company and don’t sell yourself short on your ability to cross industry lines, limiting your results to the exact job you currently have or lost.  Filtering a national job website for jobs in your area may turn up opportunities just down the street or across town, in places you didn’t realize were places of business.  Maybe the company doesn’t have a large marketing budget and can’t afford to advertise all over town, yet their need for a quality staff remains crucial.

Don’t let the seemingly narrow prospects of finding a quality local job deter your efforts.  The fact is many of us work to provide for a family, to enjoy a safe and secure life, and spend time with those we love.  The cost of giving up friends and family in the name of a new job often times can be too much to sacrifice.  There is no reason for this to be such a traumatic event in one’s life.  By employing job websites, one can search locally and utilize the tools available to job seekers nationwide.  While it’s true that it may take more patience, the diligent job hunter just might have their cake and eat it too.

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Finding Local Jobs Online

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Are you having trouble finding local jobs that are available in your area? Sometimes performing a local job search online can yield you little or no results. Depending upon the location that you live in and the type of job that you are looking for, some of the popular job search engines will be unable to assist you in your search. You will need to use a website that can provide you with a number of tools and resources that you can turn to in order to find a local job that matches your search criteria.

There are a lot of people out there that have personal restrictions limiting them to a specific area that they are available to work in. These restrictions may be because of transportation concerns or various other reasons. Did you know that there are actual databases available that list open positions by your city and state? You can find job postings currently available in your area. However, these databases can not be accessed by doing a regular web search; you will have to use a thorough job search site in order to search through these helpful databases. There are sites available for small towns and large metropolises.

If you have had little success by performing a local job search on some of the websites out there, do not give up. You can find one that will provide you with many more opportunities and avenues to explore in your search. There are a number of helpful databases that can provide you with current job postings in your area. And even if you perform a local search and do not find any open positions that meet your searching criteria, do not give up. You can try a number of other search options to help you find a position.

All jobs are not listed on one database. In order for a website to have the most comprehensive list of available jobs they will have to compile a number of resources that can link you to jobs. You can do a search within a specific industry that you are looking to find employment in and then perform a local job search within that industry. Once you find a website that has all of the necessary information to get your search going you can explore a number of options to access jobs that you will be unable to find on many other job search sites.

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