Job Hunting

Many of the people in my life, including myself, have been in situations where we realized we have to find a new job. Either stemming from the end of a contract of getting fired or layed off, job search seems to be quite common in today's economy. I am no expert in looking for jobs but I have collected some very good advice over the years, and I wanted to share some of them in this blog.

1) Netowrk, network, network. I can't stress how important this is when you are looking for a new job. People always prefer to hire the person they've seen or heard or heard of over the one they have no idea about. So get your name out there. Perhaps I will write another blog later about how to network. But the basic idea is to let everyone around you know that you are looking for a job. Try and meet as many new people as you can, even if they don't have important jobs. You never know who they are related to.

2) Apply to jobs. This sounds pretty redundant but it is important. A new job will not land on your lap when you least expect it. You will have to work for it. As my friends always say: Looking for a job is a full time job. Apply to whatever comes up in your field of interest. Depending on the type of job you are looking for, you should probably expand your search a bit wider than what you are willing to accept. That way you might end up interviewing for a job which is at a lower level but the company realizes your potential and gives you a better position, or at least keeps you in mind if something better comes up.

3) Keep a positive attitude. If you've been applying to jobs for a while and you have no job, it is easy to lose hope. But try to look at the positive side. You can use the time you have effectively by learning a new skill that will help you find a job sooner. Or you can volunteer at an organization that you want to work for. Either way, it will help you increase your network and beef up your resume. Keeping yourself busy will also help you from feeling down because you will know you are doing something positive that will take you closer to your goals.

That's what I have for now. Hope it's helpful.