Actions to Change Your Life

Plan and Conduct my Job Search

Plan My Job Search

Best Practices for Developing MY Job Search Plan:

These are some best practices to plan and conduct my job search plan. Maintain a “can do” positive attitude at all times.  Attitude is everything!

Have ready-to-go, my final resume in PDF format and cover letter draft to modify/use.

Start my plan by deciding how many total hours I will spend on my job search each week and make a firm commitment to do so (e.g., 30 hours per week).

DECIDE WHAT ACTIVITIES YOU’LL ENGAGE IN

Networking – time you will spend nurturing and expanding your network, talking with your contacts; asking for job leads, additional contacts, and suggestions.

Informational interviews – time you will spend identifying and reaching out to contacts in companies you have interest in; asking for a 30-minute opportunity to speak with them to learn about their career, job, and company.

Job websites (e.g., Indeed) – time you will spend reviewing advertised openings and applying for jobs.

Job postings on company websites – time you will spend identifying companies you would like to work for; applying for jobs online on their company website.

Training/education through free internet courses – time you will spend developing knowledge and skill to further improve your capabilities.

Volunteer work – time you will spend helping others while also building valuable skills and experience.

decide how you will allocate your time to the activities

Then determine approximately what percentage of time you will spend on each component each and every week.  Example: 30% or 9 hours networking, 20% or 6 hours training via free internet courses, 20% or 6 hours volunteering, 10% or 3 hours pursuing and participating in informational interviews, 10% or 3 hours searching job websites and applying, and 10% or 3 hours reviewing job postings on company websites and applying.

After a few weeks you may decide to adjust your percentage of time based on your progress and what you are experiencing with your search.

For each component, identify what you want to accomplish each week, how you will achieve it, and then evaluate your results/progress at the end of the week.

Use the template on page 87 in the Course Workbook to put together a plan each week and to evaluate your results/progress (Exercise 7.3 – Your Job Search Plan).

Evaluate your progress at the end of each week and make adjustments as needed.

Train/Educate Myself Using Free Online Resources

Explore: Many of the sites below have both “free” and “pay for” options.  Based on the skills you are trying to develop, search the sites and identify those classes that you can register for free.  Some sites will indicate that there is a fee if you want to receive credit for the class.  Since your objective is to further improve your skills, receiving credit by paying a fee is not necessary.

  • Coursera
  • EdX
  • GitHub
  • Khan Academy
  • Udemy
  • Codecademy
  • YouTube videos

I can also do a general internet search for free online courses.  I may identify many other sites to consider.

Best Ways to Hunt for a Job or Volunteer Opportunity

Here are some more best practices to plan and conduct my job search plan.

What do employers do first to hire someone? (from Parachute)
  • Hire someone whose work they have already seen.
  • Promote someone from within or hire a temp worker already there.
  • Hire someone who brings proof of what he can do.
  • Hire someone whose work an employee or trusted friend has seen.
  • Use a hiring agency they trust to test the employee before hiring.
  • Post the job opening on the Internet
  • Use an ad they’ve placed.
  • Use an unsolicited resume.
How should I hunt for a job or volunteer opportunity?

The methods above that employers use are the opposite of the methods many Job-Hunters use.

Search for job openings – Many websites will tell me whether there are any job openings locally that match my job objective.

  • Indeed.com, LinkedIn, Linkup.com, craigslist/easternct, snagajob.com, monster.com, simplyhired.com, jobs.net, sittercity.com, glassdoor.com, ziprecruiter.com., beyond.com
  • Linkup.com links directly to the job posting at the employer’s site.
  • Indeed.com sends an email when any new listing appears that matches your objective.
  • Some postings invite you to apply online from the posting.

Apply – Many employers require that I apply online. It’s helpful to have my resume both online and in hard copy, so I can make it part of my online application.

  • Call on the phone to follow up my online application.
Completing a Job or Volunteer Application
  • Many employers require the job application to be submitted or filled out online.
    • Some employers require the job application to be filled out at their location. Whenever I go to apply for a job, take my important personal information to fill out an application, such as education and employment records, references and phone numbers. Always carry my own pen.

You might want to go next to Job Interviews.