Being unemployed is no picnic. Having to perform a job search is rarely at the top of a list of “fun” ways to spend your time. It is generally regarded as dreary, depressing, scary, tedious, and lonely. Unfortunately, this drives some job seekers to desperation. But desperation in job searching, like desperation in dating, can only lead to a bad end.

To add to the difficulties, the job search process is almost always done independently: Scrutinizing the want ads, making calls to companies, getting turned down for a job, and wondering why all are done independently.

When you first start looking for a new job—after a lay-off, downsizing, or underemployment—a number of predictable yet normal emotions may surface: fear, a sense of loss, loneliness, relief, and excitement. Many of us define ourselves in terms of employment, job role, and job identity, and job loss can catapult us into a state of intensely complicated emotions. After all, you're leaving a terrain that is familiar and known, and venturing into terra incognita—that place where anything can happen. While the unknown may be frightening at first, think of all the possibilities waiting for you out there. This is YOUR time and your chance to explore other avenues, other opportunities, and other fruitful career potentialities.

Job searching is a numbers game. In order to successfully find employment, job seekers need to target a wide range of employers. The more résumés you distribute and the more you network, the better chance you have of landing interviews and a job.

But the one thing you shouldn’t do is panic. Here are…

Six Things Not to Do In Desperation

1. Don’t use the big job boards. Replying to want ads in the newspaper offers less than a one in a thousand chance of getting a job. Instead, track down the company name and the name of the boss of the department. Then locate someone who can introduce you to the boss—this way you go in as a “known factor” instead of an anonymous piece of paper.

2. Don’t send your résumé unannounced to a company. A piece of paper generally will not get you a job. Spend time doing real networking and use your résumé as a sales brochure after you’ve met with a real person.

3. Don’t lie about your qualifications. What works instead is selling the sizzle, not the dazzle. Let potential employers know that you are willing to learn and that you can get the job done.

4. Avoid spending hours on the Internet. Don’t get caught up in the dark hole of cyberspace. Limit yourself to one hour a day and get with people, not with your computer.

5. Avoid calling dozens of headhunters and expecting them to help you. Remember: Headhunters hold a mere two percent of the jobs and don’t work for candidates; they work for the client company.

6. Don’t pay someone big bucks to find you a job. It won’t happen. Those companies that advertise the “inside source of the hidden job market” generally take your money and run. They keep you busy with tasks galore but don’t provide valuable experience.

It is a pipe dream to believe that someone other than yourself is going to get you a job. A reputable organization, such as Alumni Career Services, will teach you the skills to improve your chance of finding work and shorten the search time. Our program never claims that we will find you a job, but we will help you learn how to do it.

Locating and Targeting Companies
How can you find the right employers to target for your search? The Inc.com 500 list is a great starting point. You can access the entire list online. The list is searchable by state or key word, and each listing includes the growth in revenues and in employees over the past five years. Changes in company fortunes may have occurred since the data was last compiled, so you will need to do research on or contact the companies to determine if the growth pattern has continued into 2006.

Vault.com is another excellent tool and is included in membership for job seekers in the Alumni Career Services program. To generate a list of potential employers, job seekers can look up a company by name or search by industry, city, state, country, and number of employers and revenue. There may even be message boards where you can get the inside scoop on the company culture and other happenings. Other resources for identifying small emerging companies include local chambers of commerce, local business newspapers, and other business publications. Information on new companies and updates on local businesses are typically published on a regular basis.

Another favorite tool that we offer participants in the Alumni Career Services program is CareerSearch. This amazing Internet tool will provide detailed employer information in any industry and any state. You can find HR departments, key names, phone numbers, and more.

In short, Alumni Career Services can help you or a family member in a job search. Give me a call!

Julie Swaner, Program Manager for Alumni Career Services,
(801) 585-5036