Job hunting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Golden Girls episode of the same name, see Job Hunting (Golden Girls episode).
"Job hunting" is the act of looking for employment, possibly due to unemployment. It is also known as job seeking. The immediate goal of job seeking is usually to obtain a job interview with an employer which may lead to getting hired. The job hunter or seeker typically first looks for job vacancies or employment opportunities. Common methods of job hunting are:
- using a job search engine
- looking through the classifieds in newspapers
- using an employment agency, unemployment benefit or recruiter
- finding a job through a friend or an extended business network
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[edit] Overview
[edit] Interests
One too often overlooked aspect of the job hunting process is finding a career to be passionate about. The first step in this process is to identify the activities that one enjoys, disregarding compensation or job availability at this point. Brainstorming and a process called mind mapping are both effective ways to uncover buried passions. Once one has a list of activities that they enjoy the next step is to identify potential jobs that incorporate those activities. Again brainstorming or mind mapping can be used in this process.
The key here is to start with a desire and a passion then pursue positions that fulfill that desire and passion, not the other way around.
A worker very interested in work activity is likely to be better than an indifferent worker or one who loathes the job. An interested worker, likely a happier worker, should not need to job hunt as frequently as someone who takes little care in assuring that the job is a "good fit" for them.
A job seeker uncertain about interests could maybe disagree with the Princeton Review Career Quiz. Goaded by disagreement, the job seeker may assess small (and maybe large) personal triumphs which were very engaging before preparing a résumé. Although this list isn't easy to make, personal accomplishments indicate work activity which fascinates, and can also furnish a good starting point toward a functional résumé.
[edit] Knowing the employers
It is expected the job seekers will have done a reasonable amount of research into the employers. Some basic information about an employer should be collected first before applying the organization's positions, including full name, locations, web site, business description, year established, revenues, number of employees, stock price if public, name of chief executive officer, major products or services, major competitors, strength as well as challenges.
With all of the resources available on the Internet, expand the research into the employer to discover if the employer's operation is healthy and likely to continue to prosper. If an employer's financial situation is shaky, new employees are often the first one out the door when a cut back occurs. Employers that are companies with publicly traded equities are good subjects for pre-employment research and enable the job hunter to avoid being the last one hired before the reductions and layoffs begin.
[edit] Applying
One can also go and hand out résumés or Curriculum Vitae to prospective employers. Another recommended method of job hunting is to use cold calling to companies that one desires to work for and inquire to whether there are any job vacancies.
After finding a desirable job, they would then apply for the job by responding to the advertisement. This may mean emailing or mailing in a hard copy of your résumé to a prospective employer. There is no one correct way to write a résumé but it is generally recommended that it be brief, organized, concise, and targeted to the position being sought. With certain occupations, such as graphic design or writing portfolios of a job seeker's previous work are essential and are evaluated as much, if not more than the person's résumé. With most other occupations, the résumé should focus on past accomplishments, expressed in terms as concretely as possible (e.g. number of people managed, amount of increased sales or improved customer satisfaction).
[edit] Interviewing
Once an employer has received your résumé, they will make a short list of potential employees to be interviewed based on the resume and any other information contributed. During the interview process, interviewers generally look for persons who they believe will be best for the job and work environment. The interview may occur in several rounds until the interviewer is satisfied and offers the job to the applicant of their choice.
