Job Search News

In His Own Words: Story of a Successful Job Search

A recruiter, Drew Tewell  knows how to find a job when he needs one.  Here’s how he went from fired to hired in 3 steps.  How Drew describes his job search -

Have you ever been fired from your job?  It doesn’t really boost your confidence level, if you know what I mean.

What happens when you get fired a second time?  I can tell you.  It happened to me.

Over eight years ago, I was fired from a job I didn’t like.  What happened next? Unemployment.

Over five months ago, I was fired from a job that wasn’t the best fit.  What happened next? Unemployment.

Do you see the pattern?  When you get fired, not only do you lose your job, but you also become unemployed.

Fired + Job Loss + Unemployment = Tough Times

Having been through Tough Times University more than once, I can tell you, it is not easy.

You may find yourself in the same situation that I was in.  You were recently fired.  Or, maybe you lost your job for some other reason.

If you are currently unemployed and looking for work, I want to share with you what I did to find a new job.  I used this strategy both times in my own life, and it worked each time.

This strategy will also work for you if you are currently employed, but don’t like your job and are ready to make a change.

The strategy I used was connecting directly with employers.

By “connecting directly with employers,” I mean that I contacted the employers UNRELATED TO ANY JOB POSTING.

How to Connect Directly with Employers

Here’s how to connect directly with employers, step-by-step.

Step # 1 Figure out what you want to do.

The first step to connecting directly with employers is to figure out what you want to do.  What job or career do you want to pursue?  Both of the times I was unemployed, I figured out what I wanted to do next.

Step # 2 Target specific companies and organizations that do what you want to do.

Now that you know what it is that you want to do, target specific companies and organizations that do it.  Both of the times I was unemployed, I targeted specific places that, in some way, did what I wanted to do.

Step # 3 Contact the places where you want to work

Once you know what you want to do (Step # 1) and find the places where you want to work (Step # 2), contact those employers.

Both of the times I was unemployed, I contacted the places where I wanted to work, and asked if they were hiring. 

How did I contact them? I picked up the phone, and called them.

The first time I did it, I started calling a group of my targeted employers (the ones which did what I wanted to do). 

One of the organizations I called was hiring.  I ended up landing the job.

The second time I did it, I used LinkedIn to find companies that were doing what I wanted to do.

One of the companies that I called invited me in to interview.  They were thinking about hiring someone, but were not in a hurry.

Almost two months later they called me out of the blue, and asked if I was still looking for work.  Of course, I said “Yes,” and they ended up hiring me.

So, both of the times I was unemployed, this strategy worked.  I found my next job. 

You may be thinking, this all seems so simple, it can’t really be that effective. Let me tell you, it is simple, and it is effective.

It worked for me. Twice.  It will work for you.  Don’t believe me? Try it! 

About This Author

Recruiter Drew Tewell is the author of the book, The Dream Job Program: Get the Job You Want. You can purchase it on Amazon, or get it for free when you subscribe to his blog.  You can also connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.

Using associations as a job source surprises people.  But, they are a great, somewhat hidden treasure for job seekers.

Many (if not most) professional and industry associations offer job postings as a service to members and, often, also to non-members.  Since professional associations exist for most industries and careers, they are often very effective “niche” job boards for their fields.

Of course, in addition to job postings, professional and industry associations often serve as excellent venues for making networking connections since many have local meetings as well as national conferences.  They may also manage related LinkedIn Groups and offer other social networking opportunities.  And, as we all know, networking is THE BEST way to connect with a new job.

Job-Hunt has a large directory of professional associations, organized by industry or profession.  In it, we link to the association’s home page, give you a summary of what is available on the site (like a directory of members and/or a career center), and then a link to the job postings, if there are any.  Just click on the link subtly labeled “JOBS” to find the job postings.  Click on the association’s name to go to the association’s home page.

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Most employers have websites that support their businesses or their mission/work.  Often, the websites include job postings.  It is not effective or rational to chase the jobs on every employer’s website.

A smarter approach to a job search is to pick the employers that are the best employers for you.  This requires research, initially, but it enables you to focus your efforts and to avoid ending up in a dead end job or working for an employer you don’t like or respect.

So, Choose Your Target Employers

A better strategy is to target the employers (20, 50, or more, depending on your preferences) which look like places you would like to work.  Having target employers is a very big advantage in a tough job market for several reasons:

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Although anything shared publicly in a tweet, Facebook post, or other public social media activity, can still get people into trouble, “private” social media information is gradually, state-by-state, gaining protection.

While 14 states introduced this type of legislation, it has become law in only 6 states so far.  Employers, potential employers, and, in some cases, schools, cannot require that employees, job applicants, and/or students share their social media passwords: California, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, and New Jersey.

Several other states are considering similar legislation, and I expect that other states will join this movement in 2013.

The laws and the protections they provide are not identitcal.  So, if you live in any of those states, learn how your state’s laws work.  If you live in other states, several other states are considering similar legislation, so let your state representative know your preferences on the issue.

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If you hate your job, and want to leave, go for it.  But, job hunt VERY carefully!  I have spoken with many job seekers who were in that position, and made the mistake of not keeping their intentions a secret at work.  It cost them their jobs!

If your job hunting activities become public, you may find yourself on a very fast, one-way trip out the door, with no more paychecks from that employer.  In the USA, most of us are employees “at will” which means our employer can fire us for any reason or for no reason.  Tough to be without an income but with the need to explain to potential employers why you were fired.  Not easy or fun. (more…)

Click on the job title to see the current high-priority job postings in Ohio for the business services professions – administration, customer service, human resources (HR), information technology (IT), and marketing, advertising, and public relations (PR) – job postings for 119 different job titles.

How to use this page.

• Scroll down the list of categories, OR click on one of these links – Administrative Jobs, Customer Service Jobs, Human Resources Jobs, Information Technology Jobs, and Marketing, Advertising, and PR Jobs.
• Within each category, you will find several job titles.  Click on the  job title that interests you.
• Check out the job postings that interest you.  If you don’t find what you want today, check back tomorrow or next week.  Availability is dependent on what jobs employers have posted, so the list varies from day to day.
• Narrow the search to jobs in your target towns by adding the city name in front of the state name in the “Where” field, like “Dayton, Ohio” for jobs in Dayton.

Come back tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year, and check them again – these job postings will be updated automatically every day (or more often).

Click on the job title to see the current high-priority jobs in Ohio for the engineering, construction, transportation and logistics, and manufacturing fields – job postings for 122 different job titles.

How to use this page.

• Scroll down the list of categories, OR click on one of these links – Engineering and Science Jobs, Construction and Facilities Jobs, Transportation and Logistics Jobs, and Manufacturing and Mechanical Jobs.
• Within each category, you will find several job titles.  Click on the  job titles that interest you.
• Check out the job postings to see what is available.
• Narrow the search to jobs in your target towns by adding the city name in front of the state name in the “Where” field, like “Dayton, Ohio” for jobs in Dayton.

Come back tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year, and check them again – these job postings will be updated automatically every day (or more often).

In the list below, click on the job title to see the current high-priority job postings in Ohio for the healthcare, medical, and pharmaceutical fields plus “assistant” jobs – job postings for 127 different job titles in all.

Come back tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year, and check them again – these job postings will be updated automatically every day (or more often).

In the lists below, click on the job title to see the current high-priority jobs in Ohio for the fields of accounting, finance, banking, and law – 77 different job titles.

How to use this page.

• Scroll down the list of categories, OR click on one of these links - Accounting/Finance Jobs, Banking Jobs, Law and Legal Jobs, and Insurance Jobs.
• Within each category, you will find several job titles.  Click on the  job title that interests you.
• Check out the job postings that interest you.
• Narrow the search to jobs in your target towns by adding the city name in front of the state name in the “Where” field, like “Dayton, Ohio” for jobs in Dayton.

Come back tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year, and check them again. These job postings will be updated automatically every day (or more often).

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