              BEST  AVAILABLE  JOB  SEARCH  METHODS

Best Job Search Methods:
Once an individual has decided what job he or she will seek, the
actual search process can begin.  The best search approach is
personal recommendations, the next is direct employer contact, and
the poorest is want ads and agencies.

Personal Recommendations:
Eighty percent of personal recommendations come from acquaintances
who are normally seen once a year or less, and 20% come from friends
and relatives.  Recommended job seekers typically are paid more for
the same job than someone who is not recommended.  When a person is
highly recommended, a company may even create a new position for him
or her.

There is no question that person-to-person exchanges of information
are regularly found at the heart of the employment process.
Information from friends and acquaintances plays a major role,
especially in obtaining desirable and well-paid positions.  Talk to
friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, former employers, and
members of groups, associations and professional organizations.  Let
the world know that you are looking for work.

When the job you desire is very specialized, you should identify the
companies that have this specialized position and the people in
these companies who have hiring authority.  Direct your attention
toward these people.

If you know of a company for which you would like to work, ask
around for the name or names of those individuals working for the
company who might supply you with information about its hiring
practices.  Try to talk with them and request permission to use
their names as a recommendation for an appointment, or if they could
recommend you for an appointment.  Find out the personnel manager's
name and try to get any other pertinent information about the
company's operation.

The Informational Interview:
Informational interviews are interviews in which you are seeking
information about a career, company, or industry.  Normally these
interviews will result in either a job offer from the interviewer,
help from the interviewer in setting up an appointment with someone
who can offer you a job, information leading to a job interview, or
will provide help and/or information in setting up additional
informational interviews.

The informational interview serves two very important functions:
1.  To learn about new careers.
2.  To generate leads for job interviews.

The information interview path is started by contacting those you
list on the "Starter Contact List".  You then ask those you
interview with for three more contacts.  In this way, your contact
list quickly grows until you find a position.

You can learn who is already in the same or similar careers by:
1. Contacting the public library; it has many lists.
2. Checking the Yellow Pages.  They list almost all local companies.
3. Checking the Chamber of Commerce for their free employer
   directory.
4. Calling community organizations; they often have member lists.
5. Investigating trade associations and trade journals.
6. Using College Counseling Centers; they often have information.
7. Contacting unions.  Talk to the business representative if you
   are not a member.
8. Asking friends, relatives, and associates for people you could
   contact.

People are normally happy to talk about their job.  After developing
a list of people to call, call them.  Explain who you are and why
you are calling.  Ex: "Mr. Jackson, John Smith has told me that you
are extremely knowledgeable about the ___ industry.  Could I have
twenty minutes of your time on Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock to
discuss the industry and my experience and background?"  If they say
they cannot see you, ask if there is a time when you may call back
for a phone interview.

A few rules:
1.  The informational interview is not a job interview.  Its purpose
    is to acquire information.  Never ask for a job.  If you do, you
    will appear dishonest, as you had originally asked to see them
    to collect information.   However, if they offer you a job, then
    you are free to talk about that aspect.
2.  Have a list of questions ready to ask, such as:
    a.  What is a typical day like?
    b.  What is the future outlook of this profession?
    c.  What are the promotional opportunities with this company?
    d.  What do you think are the most important qualities that a
        person should have for this job?
    e.  Does the company offer in-service training?
    f.  What do you like about the job?  What do you dislike?
    g.  Who could I contact if I wanted to be considered for
        employment with this company.
3.  Be on time for the interview.  Get them to tell you as much as
    possible in the requested 20 minutes.  Do not stay one minute
    longer unless asked to stay.  Tell them you asked for only 20
    minutes and like to honor your commitment.
4.  The last two questions you always want to ask are:
    a.  "Who else can I contact to find out more about this
         kind of work?"  Ask for at least 3 names.
    b.  "May I use your name when calling the referrals".
5.  Send a thank you note.  It's the polite thing to do, and reminds
    the interviewer of you if they hear of an opening.

You can learn a lot from these interviews.
1.  You will learn more about the job from someone in a similar job.
2.  You will gain interview experience.
3.  You will be meeting people and making contacts.  They can be a
    great help in leading you to a job interview.
4.  You will learn who in the area is hiring.

The informational interview can be very productive, and will
eventually lead you to someone who will have a job opening.

Direct Contact:
This is the second most productive approach, but a difficult
approach requiring motivation in the face of obstacles, rejection
and disappointment.  Many get discouraged and quit, but the
statistical odds are that sooner or later you will find a company
that will interview and hire you.  One way to speed up the process
is by calling companies in the yellow pages.  This approach works
best with smaller companies.

The fastest, best, and most effective approach to direct contact is
to send company owners or presidents a direct introductory executive
(sales) letter.  The names of company owners or presidents can be
researched at the library, although this is very time consuming.

Surprisingly, one-third of the time the personnel departments do
not know of an opening within their own company until after it has
been filled.  Personnel is normally a gateway to the supervisor or
manager who actually makes the hiring decision.

Those job seekers making direct contact are normally preferred by
employers over those sent by agencies.  They are considered to have
more gumption, while those sent by agencies are considered more
passive with less drive.

Mailing Resumes:
Mailing unsolicited resumes offers little hope.  On the average, over
1,480 unsolicited resumes are mailed for each job offer a person
receives.  This figure will increase or decrease with the market
demand for individual skills.

Want ads:
Want ads are generally used by employers when the pay is low, when
they are small and have few contacts, or when the skills desired are
hard to find.  In a San Francisco study, 85% of the companies, in a
typical year, did not hire any employees through the want ads.

Want ads are primarily ads for clerical or hard-to-fill jobs.  Only
approximately 40% are actual local job listings.  The rest are for
jobs outside of the local area, employment agencies seeking
customers, self-employed earning opportunities, and employers trying
to check on their competition by interviewing competitor's employees.

Want ads openly broadcast a job and an applicant must realize
he/she will face stiff competition.  On the average, for every 245
resumes that are mailed in response to a want ad, one interview will
be granted.  Educational requirements are often overstated to
prevent too many applicants.

Try calling a company two weeks after they placed their ad.  If they
did not find someone, they may be dreading  placing another ad and
may be more favorable to interviewing a qualified phone applicant.

If a person is willing to relocate, major news stands carry the Wall
Street Journal, National Business Employment Weekly (listing jobs
from the previous week from all 4 regions of the Wall Street
Journal), National Ad Search (800-992-2832), Jobs & Careers Magazine
(415/367-6885), and the National Job Market.  For jobs overseas,
contact International Employment Hotline, Box 6170, McLean, VA
22106.

Placing Want Ads:
Placing "job wanted" ads in the classified is normally a total waste
of money.  However, offering a reward in the classified for
information leading to employment can sometimes be quite effective.

Employment Agencies:
Employment agencies typically charge either the employer or employee
10% or more of the employee's first year earnings.  Employers use
employment agencies for hard-to-fill jobs or when they need someone
fast.

Some agencies specialize in filling temporary job openings.
Temporary work can be an effective way to get exposure to different
companies and to get a feel for different career possibilities.  A
temporary job might also lead to a job offer from the company you
are assigned to.

Employment agencies place ads (up to 15% of the classified) to get a
large volume of applicants.  They quickly screen them and dismiss
all but the few they believe they have the best chance to market.
Seventy percent of the agencies' placements come from marketing
people to employers by phone solicitation.  Employment agents work
on commission and are of most help to those with whom they can make
a profit.  Employment agencies almost never handle people entering
the job market, those with poor job records, or those changing
careers.

Search Firms (also called "head hunters"):
They concentrate on finding specialized occupations and upper
management positions.  They almost exclusively search for persons
among those who are already employed.  In a typical week, they will
be trying to fill 5 to 8 positions and will receive 200 to 300
unsolicited resumes.  Hence, your chances of securing a job through
a search firm are minimal.

College Placement Agencies:
They are primarily geared to help their own graduates find jobs.
They place about 10% of their graduates.  As companies downsize, less
companies are sending recruiters to college campuses.

Community colleges are a little more willing to help the public, but
they primarily handle technical jobs requiring two years of college
or a certificate of training.

Public Employment Service:
They primarily handle low-wage and blue-collar positions; however,
quality of job search assistance varies from office to office.  The
offices are now computerized and Federal law requires those jobs
created by a government contract to be listed with the public
employment service.

Career Counselors:
In this connotation, career counselors are not those who help via
testing and counseling, but those who claim they can get you a top
rate job for a fee, and they will do all the work for you.  The fee
is often $2,000 to $5,000 (whatever they can get).  In reality, most
firms provide little help.  One company investigated by the Attorney
General's office helped only 38 out of 550 clients find positions.

Summary:
Should you then only use the informal approach to job hunting?  No,
use all the approaches that are appropriate for you.  The important
thing to remember is to use your time wisely, allocating the most
time to those efforts that offer the greatest potential of producing
the best job for you.  A job search campaign is a 40 hour a week
occupation that may prove to be the hardest work you will ever do.
But, by aggressively following your plan of attack, you will be
successful, and in less time than the typical job seeker.

Secrets To Success:
1.  Success favors the person who knows what he or she wants.
2.  Success favors the person who is working hardest at the job
    hunt.
3.  Success favors the person who has told the largest number of
    people clearly what he or she is looking for.
4.  Success favors the person who has used the largest number of
    appropriate job search methods.


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