Be a Smarter, More Effective Job Seeker

Often when I facilitate workshops at the St. Paul WorkForce Center, I’ll introduce myself as a “professional job seeker,” because I’ve changed jobs many times over the years between layoffs and planned moves. All of this practical experience keeps me current in sharing with job seekers what works in getting a job. In this post I want to discuss the two most important concepts I’ve learned: how to network and how to target a job search.

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Networking: By The Seasons

Networking is important part of the job search process.  It can help you learn inside information about jobs that are being created or not advertised.  Everybody networks — at school, church, social activities, work, and online. Remember that networking is not the same as asking for a job, so you can do it anywhere. Usually your networking contacts will not be potential employers, but the connections you make with others with shared interests just might lead to an opportunity tomorrow. Since it’s starting to feel like spring – and soon summer – it made me think: what are some examples of Spring and Summer networking opportunities?

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Raising the Curtain on the Hidden Job Market

It’s frequently reported that the majority (70 to 80 percent) of job openings are never advertised by employers. This is referred to as the hidden job market, suggesting that these jobs would be “hidden” from a job seeker who is only looking for opportunities posted online or in printed help-wanted ads. These figures are often cited as a reason why job seekers should engage in networking activities. But what evidence is there on how many job openings in the Twin Cities labor market are not posted online? To answer this question, we can compare the number of job openings with the number of new hires at firms.

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Build Trust and the Rest Will Follow

“A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”

–The Scout Law

My career as a Boy Scout was, frankly, unremarkable. But memorizing the Scout Law has been a great life compass. Looking at it now with fresh eyes (40 plus years later) I see a lot of wisdom packed into those 16 words – even wisdom I can apply to job hunting.

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Vets and Networking – It’s a Natural

People use many methods to find jobs. Some apply for job postings on the Internet or use  social media sites. Some will try cold calls to potential employers with resume in hand. Some job seekers will simply mail out dozens or hundreds of resumes to businesses hoping to land a job. Although sometimes these methods work, studies have shown that the most successful strategy for job seeking is networking. But where do you start?

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Five Tips to Uncover Job Leads

Do you need a jumpstart on your job search? Check out these five tips to uncover job leads.

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