On the job hunt: Amanda’s List of Useful Tips

It’s hunting season here in Minnesota, but I’m not much of an outdoorsy kind of girl. I am, however, on the job hunt. While I’m no expert, I’ve found some activities are more useful than others, and I’d like to share that information with fellow job hunters.

There are millions of lists online – everything from finding a job, interviewing, writing thank you notes, etc. is available in someone’s list of skills, pointers, and myths. It can be argued that adding another list to the pile is just going to confuse the already overwhelmed job hunter. But I like to get different perspectives and judge which pieces of information are most useful for my own situation (you can’t expect one list to have every bit of information you ever wanted to know on it).

So here it goes… My list of useful tips for job hunters. I engage in some form of the following activities each time I approach a new job hunt (and some even when I’m not actively applying for jobs):

• I’ve already discussed setting up a job search schedule, so I won’t rehash that information here. Just know it’s important to research open positions, research your industry, network, use social media, do personal branding, and engage in personal activities (I cook and read almost every day) to varying degrees throughout your week.
• (Re)-evaluate my passions and career direction: using some of the tools mentioned below and some personal inventories of my interests and skills, I take a look at what I’m doing, what I want to be doing, and how I can make it all happen.
• Get in contact with my network: I have mentors and people in the industry that I go to when I’m in transition (a nice way to say unemployed). To some of these contacts I simply write a quick e-mail to let them know the situation and politely ask them to pass along any opportunities they might know of. The other contacts I meet-up with or engage in on-going e-mail conversation to get ideas and/or help in furthering my career. Past supervisors and professors love to hear how you’re doing and to help out where they can, so don’t hesitate to remain in contact with them.
• Research, research, research: Being that I’m towards the beginning of my career, I’m always looking for more information on the industry and companies in my metropolitan area. I have spreadsheets for different types of companies (agencies, non-profit, corporations) that list information like company size, major clients, values and mission statements, hiring process, and my connections to the company. I also set-up Google alerts on companies that I am interested in working for so I can stay on top of what’s going on with their businesses and/or clients. This is really helpful when you actually get an interview somewhere because you’ve been following the company and already have a base to work from when preparing questions for the interview. 
  
• Informational interviews: This step sort of combines the last two – reach out to your network and see if they have contacts who would be willing to meet with you and discuss the industry and their companies so you can build your research file (and your network). I love learning about people’s experiences because it gives a personal perspective on business. Googling informational interview questions turns up lots of results if you’re at a loss for things to ask. I like informational interviews over networking events because it’s one-on-one and you learn a lot more quality information. It’s my preference, but extroverts may find networking events better suit their personalities.

Finally, there’s the obvious applying for open positions, follow-up, interviewing, and writing thank-you notes. I won’t get in detail here because these are pretty basic activities, but my best advice is to be positive and gracious throughout the hiring process. Even if you’re not a good fit for the position or company, being friendly and leaving a good impression on people can help out in the future. Marketing communications communities are small (at least in markets outside of New York and LA), so chances are a good impression will carry itself into conversations down the road (and likewise so will a bad impression).

I’m going to tack the following links below because my list is neither comprehensive nor the be-all end-all of job-hunting lists. These are lists and resources I find useful in my own job hunt:

20 Steps to Successful Job Hunting: I just found this list today. I especially like the author’s advice to Recount Your Successes. Being unemployed is stressful and can be depressing, so be sure to think about the good things. Give yourself a pep talk! And do this early on in the hunt. Don’t wait until you’re feeling down to pump yourself up.

Six Steps for First-Time Job Hunters: An older list I referred to back when I first started job-hunting after graduation, this is pretty basic, practical information. It serves a nice reminder. I especially like that the first step is pinpointing your direction. It is important to focus and think outside your logical “I majored in X so I’m going to work in X industry as an X-er.” With most liberal arts degrees, you can major in X and end of working in B industry as an Z-er – it’s about matching your skills and your passion(s).

Going along with the last item, here is a useful start on finding a career direction. This is a very comprehensive exercise with really great, thought-provoking questions. Changed my career outlook.

Finally, Wet Feet has tons of lists for job hunters at all stages of their career lives. I reference information here all the time.

Take from this list what you find helpful, re-tool and integrate it to fit your own situation, and keep refining your search to make it successful.

Happy Job Hunting!