Job Hunting Techniques

Follow our list of tips and find the job you want.

Finding a job is a job in itself — with no pay. The payoff comes when you get the job you want.

Hard work and dedication are the best job hunting skills, but other hints might help you in your quest. Consider these tips:

Involve friends and family. They can offer encouragement and assistance in your job search.
Check job listings in the classified advertising sections of your local newspaper. Your state employment office may also be able to offer some job search assistance.
Know what you want. Don't accept a job just because someone offered it to you. Find out what you'll have to do once you're hired and make sure that's what you want to do. But don't be too picky. If this is your first job, you can't be the boss the first day. You will have to do what someone asks you to.
Don't be shy. Contact people and businesses in your area that hire people with your career interests. Ask to speak to someone in the employment office. Find out if they offer special summer programs, internships, or part-time opportunities for people with a desire to work hard. Such employment can be a great way to gain experience while trying out a career to see if it really is what you want to do.
Devote time to your job search. A thorough job search is hard work. Set aside a couple hours a day for hunting.
Allow a reasonable amount of time. Don't expect to find a job within a few days or weeks.
Be organized. Keep a record of all the places to which you applied, the name of the person with whom you spoke, and what response you received.
Meet with people in your field of interest. They might be able to tell you the best sources of job information or what you need to do before you can get a job.
Ask people who know you well to write letters of recommendation for you. Ask them to emphasize the skills you have that may seem missing because of a lack of formal experience. The best help is a letter designed to fit a particular position, not a general one that just talks about you separately from a specific job.
Have a back-up plan. If the first person or company you contact can't help you, try the next one on your list. Continue working to find a job even after you apply. You may need to apply for and even interview for several positions before finding the right one.