Job Search Tips

First Impressions

Getting the Most from your Job Search Efforts

Thank You Notes in Job Search

Practice makes Perfect

The Hardest Step

Job Search THANKSgiving

Filling the Gaps in Your Employment Record

Attitude

Planning - To Succeed

Tune up Your Resume

Preparing for the Interview

Open Ended Questions  Online Job Hunting

 

 Finding the Right Employer                           

 Let’s explore a few ideas on how to locate employers that need your skills, that ‘Right’ employer for you.

A most important first step is to identify the skills you have.  If you haven’t created a resume, that’s the place to start.  Think about the tasks you were responsible for in your previous jobs.  Listing the job title is fine, but be clear on what you actually did, and what your responsibilities were.  Skill-based resumes are particularly good if you are young, have a brief work history, or are re-entering the job market after a number of years.

If you need help identifying your skills, you can speak with a Career Counselor at the One-Stop Job center, or check one of many internet–based programs that list core job responsibilities and skills required for most jobs.  One such site is: http://online.onetcenter.org/   This will bring up the  “O*NET” website, which can be used to:

  • Find out which jobs fit with your interests, skills, and experience;
  • Explore career fields, using the latest available labor market data;
  • Research what it will take to get your dream job; and/or
  • Find out what it will take in experience, education and training to be competitive in over 950 occupations.

 

The “Snapshot” feature on this website will help you to identify the skills you may have, based upon the jobs you have held.  After reviewing this feature, you may want to search for occupations that use the skills you already posses.  Use the “Skills Search” to do this.

Once you have determined several occupations that use the skills you possess, it’s time to look for employers who hire in those occupations.  You can look in the Yellow Pages” if the occupation is fairly focused such as auto mechanics, painters or plumbers.  If your skills can be used in multiple occupations, such as clerical skills, sales, counseling or maintenance, you may want to identify employers that hire in these occupations.  A good website to explore is http://www.usworks.com/centralvalley/   Click on the JTO logo to find employers in Kings County.    On the next screen, click on the circle for “Employers.  (This will save you from unnecessary registration steps.)  Simply select an occupation, and then search for ‘Employers’.   You can select a particular City or expand your search to surrounding Counties or the Central Valley if you wish. What you will find is a listing of employers that hire in that occupation, their address, phone number, and even driving directions.  Use this tool to expand the list of employers that need your skills.  Among those is likely to be the ‘Right’ employer for you.

There are several face-to-face as well as technology-based ways to identify skills that are transferable to other occupations and to find employers that need your skills.  The internet-savvy can explore from the comfort of their home. 

If you need more assistance, contact us, or call us at (559) 585-3532.

 

 

Job Search Tips

First Impressions

Finding the Right Employer

Getting the Most from your Job Search Efforts

Thank You Notes in Job Search

Practice makes Perfect

The Hardest Step

Job Search THANKSgiving

Filling the Gaps in Your Employment Record

Attitude

Planning - To Succeed

Tune up Your Resume

Preparing for the Interview

Open Ended Questions
Online Job Hunting

As the world becomes more digital with each passing day, you may run across employers who will only accept an electronically transmitted application or resume. You may even decide to supplement traditional face-to-face employer contact with electronic job search efforts.

Here are six things to think about if you become an online job seeker:

  1. First, you’ll need a professional résumé. Most word processing programs such as Microsoft Word make it easy by offering fill-in-the-blank templates designed by professionals. Simply type "Microsoft Office Template Gallery" into your web browser to gain access to 99 resume formats. You should find something there that suits your needs. If not, stop by the One-Stop Job Center at 124 N. Irwin Street in Downtown Hanford for free assistance. We can also offer an honest critique of your current resume. Professional resume writers will also develop your resume for around $100.00 or more. You can find them online.
  2. In transmitting your resume or cover letter, make sure to use the right file format. Do it incorrectly, and your résumé will end up in the electronic trashcan.

    3. For starters, don’t use a program like Winzip to compress your documents. There are people who can’t or won’t take the time to open a .zip file. Also, don’t use programs such as Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft PowerPoint. To be safe, send your resume as a Microsoft Word document. Nearly everyone in business uses Word. Attach your document to an email, which should also function as a cover letter, offering brief career information and skill highlights.

    In an attempt to prevent computer viruses, some companies will not accept resumes submitted as attachments. Here’s where you can run into problems. You may not be able to simply copy the resume’s text from Word and paste into an email. Formatting can be lost when you put it in the email body. Or, worse, the formatting can make it look jumbled. Always send a ‘trial version’ to yourself before sending it off to the employer. If simply pasting the documet into the email doesn’t work, copy it from Word and paste it into Notepad. Save it, then copy it from Notepad to your email program. Notepad will remove all formatting. Be sure it looks OK in the email. Email it to yourself again to double check before sending it to the prospective employer.

  3. You’ll also need a decent email address. If your email address is something like NothingButNet@aol.com, you will not make a good impression. There’s no need to buy your own domain, just get a free Web address from a provider like Yahoo or Hotmail. Use something like <YourName@yahoo.com>.

    4. Once you settle on a "Job Search" email address, don’t change it. How will the company reach you? This is another good reason to get a Web-based address. If you change Internet service providers, you can continue to use the Web address.

  4. Research. This is a two-part tip. The company will probably research you on the Internet. If you hang out on questionable message boards or have a personal Web site, the company will probably find that. It will find things that other people say about you too. Be prepared –those could come up in the interview.

    5. You should also do some online research.. Most companies have Web sites. Use them to learn about your prospective new employer. Information about public companies is available at Yahoo! Finance or the Securities and Exchange Commission. Easier yet, get the web address of the prospective employer or look for them on your browser.

  5. Job Listings. Internet job sites have tons of listings, but they are literally all over the world. If you want a job in San Diego, check the San Diego newspapers on the Web. Links to newspapers can be found at Newslink on the web. Also, if you’re interested in a particular company, check its website. Many companies post their openings online.
  6. Finally, don’t be tempted to add your photo, or get too creative with your documents. That will just make your document larger, and could be an annoyance to the employer who has to wait to download or print your resume. They’ll see you if you’re interviewed.

Your best bet is to use as many ways as possible to find that ideal job. Online job search may become the preferred method in the future. Why not explore it now? Particularly if the job you’re applying for requires the use of technology. Who knows, your next job may be waiting for you online.

If you need more assistance, contact us, or call us at (559) 585-3532.