Where to begin a Job Search?
Find a Strategy that Works for You

To me, job boards and career employment agencies were endless. I spent more time researching how to find a job than actively looking for one.

The good news is, I did find a new career and now realize there is much more to a job search than just jumping on one of the "biggie" employment finder websites and browsing hundreds of job listings.

Which tool is the best? Which site will provide the best help? In general, it depends on your situation. Don't worry, I will provide my recommendations on where to start.

Let's begin with networking. Probably one of the best ways to find a job is through a referral from someone in your network.

What exactly is networking? In a nutshell, networking is nothing more than having a bunch of contacts that you can go to for assistance. Simply put..."knowing somebody".

Look at it this way. If you were the boss and you wanted to hire someone, who would you consider first?

A person whose resume you grabbed online? Or a person who was referred to you by a trusted colleague? Referrals can be a huge advantage when it comes to finding a job.

Having contacts and developing a contact list is part of the networking process. A valuable tool for me was to create a spreadsheet with all my contacts. This included family and friends, business associates, people I knew in school and whoever else I could think of.

The contact list will help you track who you talked to during your active career development process; when you last heard from them; and what was said.

Seeking a job on a company's career employment site can be a valuable tool as well.

A company will often post their available jobs directly onto their main business website in order for potential candidates to apply for and locate an opportunity.

Let's not forget the countless number of employment search engines out there.

I wish I could get back some of the time I spent looking for a job on the internet.

But they are a good career search tool, and should not be avoided.

Overall, I would say that career postings, whether they come from the Monster employment search engines (pun intended), or from the thousands of smaller job vacancy websites, do provide some information of value. 

Just don't rely on them completely during your job hunting process.

And where would we be without the wonderful job fairs? There are two primary reasons I go to job fairs. To gather business cards and to get free pens and other cool stuff. Use this opportunity as a way to develop yournetwork and contact lists and to gather some valuable employment tips.

Online job opportunities are also a potential resource to consider. I am referring to jobs you may hear about while online. This can come from a variety of sources such as newsgroups, chat rooms, blogs and discussion forums. This can be a very useful tool. Just remember to "consider the source".

Once again, online job opportunities are a means of growing your network and developing your contact list. If you have close relationships in this area, go for it. It's all about making contact.

Networking is "King"

You need to be careful when using newspapers as your only job search strategy. I would not rule them out, but based on my experience, they often don't provide the results you expect.

Be cautious of newspaper ads that don't have a way to verify if it is a scam or not. One tip is to watch out for those ads that have only a P.O Box address for contact information. If it appears as they are hiding how to reach them...that might be a signal to stay away.

Key Job Search Advice and Tips:

• Use multiple job search methods. Don’t rely on just one.

• Cast a wide net.
• The more you search, the more you will find a job for you.

• Always take the personal touch route.
• You will have much more success making contact with a person (email, phone number, letter, etc.) than with machines (e.g. search engines and career websites with no contact information provided).

The job hunting advice I mentioned above are things you can do on your own.  Consider the following:

• Search Engine
• Networking
• Contact List
• Career Employment
• Job Fair
• Online Jobs

If you find that you are struggling with the job search strategies listed, you might want to consider finding a headhunter, professional recruiter or employment agency for additional help.

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