Job Hunting: Employ Your Resources

Let?s face it, job hunting sucks. If you’re not independently wealthy or satisfied with squatting, then guess what? It?s time to hit it and bring in some steady income. It?s time to get a job.

Networking

Get a job, kids

Ok, so you don?t have any family or friends, right? Sure you do, so why not employ them to give you a heads-up on a new job? If you have peeps that are working already then you can tap them to keep their eyes and ears open for you. They can also slide your resume to the top of the slush pile. Having someone on the inside that can push your name to management to fill an opening will help more than you think. Never underestimate this job hunting resource. It may very well your ticket to employment.

Online Resources

There are countless tools online to help you with your job hunting and preparation. The question is finding the best spots from the wasted spaces that just suck up your time. You?ll need to surf yourself and see what fits your needs or floats your imagination but steer clear of those ?something for money? sites. Money driven sites are more interested in the next recruit than helping you obtain employment. If you want a hint, consider job-hunt.org, careerbuilder.com and monster.com. These are three great places to begin your online search.

Recruiters

Maybe you?ve heard horror stories about recruiters or headhunters. Well, they very well may be your best option for obtaining employment. These are professionals that are trained to place you in a job that meets your skill level and aspirations. They will take your resume and a brief interview to help you land a job. The beauty is that you don?t pay them, the company that hires you does. Similar to a recruiter are temporary employment agencies. Don?t shy away from this opportunity as temporary employment often leads to permanent employment. A ?temp agency? allows an employer to get surge help in quickly without the mass amount of corporate paperwork.

Hit the Streets

You know, like your dad did back in the 80s. There is nothing wrong with stepping away from the laptop you have set up at Starbucks so you can virtually apply for a job while you sip on a latte. There is nothing wrong with setting your Blackberry Tour aside either. Sitting in a club while you troll for Betties isn?t job hunting no matter what your friends tell you. Toss The Happy Problem into your MP3 player and jam out while you pound the asphalt the old-fashioned way. There is nothing like showing your face at an establishment and asking for an application or dropping off a resume.

Follow-up

Regardless of what you do, you always want to follow-up with an email or letter thanking whomever for their time and attention. You need to be selling yourself and to do so your prospective employer has to know who you are.