some thoughts on finding a job
Wake up on Sunday morning and haul that huge paper to the kitchen table, pour yourself a cuppa and get out the magic marker. It’s Job Search Day. Then spend the week keeping an eye on all the on-line job listings, at the newspaper, Monster.com, your local head-hunters and placement agencies. Spend your evenings filling out online applications and devise some ingenious method whereby you somehow, through nearly mystical means, keep track of everything you’ve applied for, heard back about, and missed out on.
Sound fun?
It’s the job search dance, and you’d better get used to the steps. But there are a few little extras you can put in there to make it all a little spicier, a little more exciting. Interested?
First, go to a stationary store and buy yourself some Crane stationary for your resume, and big, 8.5 x 11 envelopes to match. Find elegant, simple thank you cards. Harder than it sounds — I’ve been to five stores in the city and haven’t found anything like what I want, but finally had to settle for something Interesting. Make the post office your next stop and get an elegant stamp, something politic neutral. Put it all neatly in your desk where you can find it, and the kids don’t use it for art projects.
Next, talk to all your friends, and ask your family to talk to their friends. Sort of like that shampoo commercial, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on… Don’t be shy about passing your resume around. Take advice from people who know what they are talking about when it comes to interviewing and resume writing. If you have a contact in a Human Resources position, see if you can schedule an ‘informational’ interview, to discuss your skills and how best to present yourself to the market–an essential step if you’ve been out of the game for a while. It will build your confidence levels and get you back into the rhythm of corporate life.
Tailor your resume and cover letter to the job for which you are applying. Try to find out the name of the interviewer, or the person doing the hiring, or the person who will be your superior, and address your cover letter to that person. If you can’t find that information out, To Whom It May Concern seems to be the business form norm (though I miss the old-fashioned, “Dear Sirs and Madams:”)
If you’re looking for a short-cut to all that hunting around, why not target the companies YOU want to work for? How about starting with Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For ranking from 2006? Or how about hitting up some of the companies on Working Mother’s list of the family-friendliest companies in the US?
Good luck. Job searches are nerve-wracking, ego-wrenching ordeals, but oh so worth it in the end. We’ll talk about how to help your kids navigate the transition from full time mama to full-time worker another night. For now, wish me luck in my adventures and keep me posted on yours.
10 opinions for some thoughts on finding a job
Daisan
Jan 26, 2007 at 12:28 pm
It makes a difference to have something nice to write on, doesn’t it? I think the art of personalized notes is worth holding on to.
My favorite stationery consists of lovely cream-colored, medium vellum folded notes with a stylized M and my name printed on the front in periwinkle. Blank inside. Crane & Co.
They were expensive, but perfect for anything professional. I can buy little cat or ducky thank you notes for my friends and family. These I reserve for special things when I want to impress.
christina
Jan 27, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Thanks, lady. I am going to order my own stationary soon soon! I love writing, and my fountain pens are dying for nice paper.
Des Walsh
Jan 28, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Have you tried using LinkedIn? Do belong to it? Basic membership is free. After co-authoring a book on it last year I believe it is a very underutized resource.
christina
Jan 28, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Des, thanks. I can’t remember if I joined it at one time or no. I’ll definitely go back and look at it again… why don’t you post your link to your LinkedIn book here so others can scope it?
Thanks very much for the tip!
Eric Eggertson
Jan 28, 2007 at 10:53 pm
People should also check with organizations where they have volunteered or worked in the past. Sometimes there is a short-term vacancy or a small body of work that needs doing, and the organization can’t be bothered going through a hiring process for it.
Online job sites are also worth checking out, but don’t pin your hopes on them.
Des Walsh
Jan 29, 2007 at 5:00 am
Christina
Thanks for the invitation to provide a link to the book. It was written for recruiters but I believe there is a lot of info there - and in the recorded interviews that are part of the package - which could be helpful for job seekers too. The book (with audios of interviews, is Happy About LinkedIn for Recruiting http://www.linkedin4recruiting.com/thebook
Also, I recommend our b5media colleague Scott Allen’s excellent LinkedIntelligence site - http://www.linkedintelligence.com - and you don’t have to pay for that! :)
Christina
Jan 29, 2007 at 11:05 am
Eric, thanks! It hadn’t even occurred to me to go back to old employers, but that’s smart. The dot com bubble burst many of my former employers, but I’m sure folks in a more traditional line of work will have a network to fall back on. Great advice.
angel
Jan 29, 2007 at 3:38 pm
now THAT was interesting- i wonder how many people go to that much trouble and planning!
best of luck to you girl!
Eric Berlin
Jan 30, 2007 at 1:48 am
As my dear old moms used to say: when you don’t have a job, finding a job is your job.
But it ain’t an easy one! I got laid off three times in two years during the downward spiral of the dot com bomb Bay Area of the early ’00s and spent many dozens of hours refreshing sites like Craig’s List hoping against hope for some hope to shine through.
Best of luck!
christina
Jan 30, 2007 at 1:52 am
Thanks, Eric. The DotCom bust is what had me scrambling to diversify my abilities… and now I look like a total maverick on paper. Sigh. I wish some one would just hire me to be me. Wouldn’t that be a dream job? “No, no, dear, just be yourself, and we’ll pay you to do it.”
I think I need to go to sleep. Waiting to hear on a dream job, actually. It’s driving me nuts. I’m not a patient person by nature.
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