Insanity? (Part 1--- Job Search Tips)

Apparently the fact I have applied to over 30 jobs so far is insane. I don't think so. I think I am just extremely good at finding jobs and I have a very organized system so I can apply to EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. It's called my "No Job Left Behind" Act.

Since there are tons of job seekers out there... I figured I'd share my secrets on how to find new job postings and how to stay organized when applying for them.

THE SEARCH

Get your feet wet with the basics: I start out using sites like Craigslist, Idealist (for non-profit opps), Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed and Simply Hired.

• Craigslist: Craigslist is where I start when I am looking to see what is going on for jobs in different cities. It's mostly a time passer when I am at work... plus you can find lots of random local part-time opportunities from smaller business. For instance, I found a marketing assistant job (designing posters) for a local food restaurant/ market. Those are the types of opportunities that are a hidden gem on this site--- you probably won't find your next big career opportunity on this site, but you might find some good networking opportunities or basic administrative jobs to pass the time for now.

• Idealist: I signed up to recieve the daily alerts. You can select the states you want to be alerted about (right now mine are MA, CA, NY, and Washington DC) and they email you all of the new job postings. This is alot easier than checking Idealist daily. I set it up so my email account automatically filters all emails from Idealist into its own folder so I don't feel like I am cluttering up my inbox. Not only do I receive job postings from them, but I also ask for local Events and Volunteer opportunities. Sometimes the events are job fairs or interesting (and free) workshops that you can attend. And the volunteer opportunities are good to see because you might find a new organization you are interested in (which during your free time you can volunteer at) and maybe get a paying job from there.

• Monster and Careerbuilder: I find these sites mostly useless, but I consider them my "back pocket" sites. I have my resume posted on both of these and get alerts from them about new openings that I can pretty much take or leave. It's mostly recruiters from large corporations that will contact you, but it is still good to know what may or may not be out there (watch out for scams). I figure, if I am desperate down the road, I will use this more.

• Indeed & SimplyHired: Both of these search engines have the same general idea that you can search all job boards at once. I started out using Indeed, but SimplyHired has more filter options which are very handy when you want to narrow it down. For instance, if you search SimplyHired for jobs in publishing, then you can narrow it down by job title, salary, full time, experience level, degrees required, etc. I usually start out with a broad search and then narrow it down accordingly. You don't want to start too small, and a job posting might ask for a certain experience level but also think a combination of experience and education is okay. So don't sell yourself short by searching for only the opportunities you are qualified for-- you want to have stretch opportunities, too.

Branching out: Once you've done your basic search, you've hopefully found some jobs to apply for and gotten ideas for new searches you might want to do.

• From SimplyHired & Indeed: Since these sites are directing you to new job boards... take the time to search those as well. For example, I went on a publishing kick the other day and searched these sites for Editorial Assistant jobs across the US. One of the postings was listed on a website called journalismjobs.com. I then did a search on that website to see what else was out there (I started out very broad just to see what types of jobs were on there). From there I was able to see what other entry-level and mid-level job openings tend to be available in the field of journalism. Obviously, Editorial Assistant isn't the only way you can get your foot in the door in that field. If you have background in Marketing, that could be the way to go. Even Sales-- every publication needs people with Sales background and if that is the experience you have that is the way you can more readily transition to a new field.

• Local Job Boards: It's important to move beyond Craigslist when you are looking for local jobs. One of my favorite local boards is hireculture.com, which focuses on jobs in the Arts. It's updated daily and covers all of MA. You might think-- why do I care about MA jobs? Even if that isn't your location or your interest... you'd be surprised what finding sites like that can lead you to. For example, almost every site like this has a Resources page (or Links, or Related Links, it could be called several different things). On the Mass hireculture site, I was able to tap into the New York Foundation for the Arts job board. That led me to my dream job (below) and all of the resources on that site, which led me to Americans for the Arts job board... as well as various Museum opening job boards. Then, I googled "Cultural Councils California" and found another job board. This is just the route I took. You might have done the same thing and ended up on a completely different trail of sites, but I promise you will find something new every day.

• Do research to find a company you'd actually want to work for: Job search engines are only going to take you so far. Yeah, you will find everything that has posted out into the world wide web... but, that is only a percent of the number of jobs that are available. A lot of companies have recruitment departments within their HR team that serve the purpose of scouting out new talent. This means they don't neccessarily wait for prospective employees to contact them, they spend more time looking for you. What if you are not on their radar? You have to go onto their website to find them. How do you find these companies? A lot of publications keep lists of the Best Companies to Work For, Top Growing Small Business, Top Non-Profits etc. You just need to find the list. So instead of hanging out on Job boards... google Top Business in your area, or Top Non-Profits, and I guarentee you will find a list. (Newsweek.com, Inc.com, FastCompany.com all have such lists, for starters). From that list, go ointo each site individually to see how they do recruitment at their corporation and apply.

• Recruiters/ Headhunters: It never hurts to go to a recruiter. Right now I have two people from different agencies who are working to find me a job. How do you find a recruiter? This is where Monster and CareerBuilder can actually help you. Take a second to do a search for a job you'd want. From those results, at least half of them will be posted by staffing agencies. I don't recommend applying for the job right then and there (think about how many people are replying to that ad, and what kind of email inbox is it really going to? This is just the way they generate new leads).... Instead, go to the staffing agency website and look up what their company is about, what kind of jobs they usually have in their database, and if it seems like they could help you with more than just what they have posted. If they seem like a good fit, contact them through their website (don't go through Monster or CareerBuilder, and honestly, you don't even need to mention the job that you found and are interested in unless you think it could help them see what what type of job you are looking for. Those posted jobs are usually just generalizations or examples of types of jobs they have available and aren't usually specific openings) OR ask your friends if they have ever used that staffing agency. If you can get a name of a recruiter and contact them directly, that is far better than going through the form on the website. They are 100% more likely to get in touch with in 24 hours and will be more helpful down the road because they know you will report back to your friend (who could need them again in the future) and pass on their names to someone else.

The next steps: If you are doing all of this, you are probably generating tons new leads of jobs a day. Searching for a job IS a full time job... and you don't want to get yourself overwhelmed or confused (although I can imagine the tips above are both of those things).

• Focus: If you are unsure of what your next career move will be (but have a few ideas in mind) start by keeping a running list of the types of jobs that interest you as you find them. Then, you can do focused job searches by referring to that list. Each day, pick a focus and pursue it to its fullest to find all of the opportunities out there. Once you've gone through your full list, start from the beginning again and see what is new.

• Set up a schedule: Depending on the other things going on in your life, you will want to set up a schedule that you can stick to so you make sure you don't lose momentum. Maybe you are busy during the day, but have time to search while watching TV in the evenings. Maybe it makes sense for you to search for jobs during the day, keep a list, and then apply at night or the following morning. Maybe you can only commit to searching for jobs on the weekends, or a couple of times a week. You don't need to be strict, but definitely come up with some sort of a system or block of time that you can devote just to the job search. It will help in the long run.

• Be patient: Your dream job might not be out there today... but don't worry. Maybe you will find a good stepping stone job that will help you get to your dream job. Maybe in a few weeks your dream job will be posted somewhere. There is no sense in getting frustrated or upset during the search... you never know where life will lead you! Hang in there.

Those are all of the searching tips I can think of for now... Later on I will post more on how I keep organized when applying for all of these openings!