Secrets of the Job Hunt

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Looking for a Job Is Different than it was Last Time

What I saw the other night in a room of over 20 people was that more than half of them had not had to look for a job in over 5 years. Think about how our lives have changed in just 10 years.

A gallon of gas cost a little over $1.00
The Euro was first established
You could fly on an airplane without worrying
Airline reservations were mostly made over the phone
VOIP didn't exist to the public (no digital phone)
You may not have had email then, you must have it now
iPod's didn't exist
Social networking sites were just beginning
You wouldn't have considered buying anything on-line
Life is different. How you look for a job HAS to be different too.

Peter Weddle at one point said there were over 40,000 job boards. Good luck finding a job on one. What about Indeed? If you have to use on-line boards, this search engine is for you.

Most of the time you apply for jobs today it will be done on-line. You will have to create a profile, then complete an on-line application and submit your resume electronically. If you have never done this before, it is time consuming.

If you don't know about LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or the other social networking tools, and yes, I'll call them tools, you need to understand how they work. See this earlier post

Your resume will fall into a black hole and you will never know if they received it. Even after an interview, you will be lucky to get a call back unless you are the selected candidate.

All these changes (and more) will frustrate you. You can get angry or depressed or both. This is why you need help and need to learn how to do a job search in 2009. It isn't the same.

Check out your local One-stop. Previously known as the Unemployment office, these vary from state to state, but have FREE resources. Go to the library and bookstores. Only read books published within the last few years. Read websites, look in the newspapers for local events. Find groups dedicated to helping job seekers. Don't think you can do your job search alone, please.

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Tags: boards, career, job, linkedin, management, search

Comment by Laura Smith-Proulx Resume Writer on February 5, 2009 at 11:28pm
Hannah,

That is a fascinating perspective, especially when we think about the impact of social networking and post-9/11 life.

The executives that I coach nearly always say that this is the first time they've had to "look" for a job. They either didn't need a resume, or their network was much more cohesive and yielded some fast leads. Now, the network isn't as tight, and the opportunities are fewer.

Were it not for the advent of LinkedIn, Facebook, Ryze, et al, networking would be much more difficult from the standpoint of speed.

I'd second your comment about tapping job search resources published in the last few years. Many of the resume books you see at the local library are from the dot-com era, or shortly thereafter. How times have changed!

A website search for resumes in a particular field can produce more relevant samples... depending upon the source, that is.

Great post!


Laura
Comment by Allison on February 6, 2009 at 1:44am
Thank you for your tips. I have been through online application hell for a few months now and feel like my applications go directly into a black hole. I can see why local events can be good networking opportunties, and I can see why recent literature can keep me up to date on trends in my fields of interest. Can you explain, however, how I have a better chance of getting an interview by visiting the unemployment office? I've avoided going there because I understand them to be overcrowded, depressing places full of long lines and stocked with computers that access the same sites I have been applying to all this time. I have an MA and am halfway through a Ph.D in social sciences. Would an unemployment office be a better bet for me at this time?
Comment by Hannah Morgan on February 6, 2009 at 5:02pm
Laura,
Thanks so much! I see hundreds of "first time job seekers" well, their first time in 15+ years. It is hard for them because they don't know where to start. Asking for help is the best advice I can give them. Just make sure the help being offered makes sense, even that can be difficult.

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