As mentioned on a previous page, the job search is essentially a series of planned conversations. You can't rely on just the want ads or an online source like Monster to provide you with opportunities. You must generate your own leads. One of your first steps in the job search is to make a list of people you want to talk to, people who might help you.
Sound simple? You’d be surprised how easy it is to become disorganized during a job search. By keeping a list in a single document of potential jobs, contacts, sources of information, want ads and so forth, you can track and make notes of your progress with each one.
Start by creating a Word document you can save to your computer, or even a manila folder with a list of your contacts.
And here are just a few ideas for where you might find those contacts:
A. Family, friends, parents of friends, NEC alumni, faculty
B. Want ads, both current and past (you’ll at least have contact information from organizations, if not current jobs)
C. Chambers of Commerce (just type “chamber of commerce [town name]” in your search engine). Search for something like “membership list” or “business directory” in the Chamber’s website.
D. The YELLOW PAGES! Hardcopy, or weblink to www.superpages.com
E. Google. Don’t search for “jobs.” Search for areas of interest. If you’re looking for jobs in graphic design, type in “graphic design new jersey (or wherever)”, and see what comes up. Or if you’re looking for a lab position, type “biotechnology connecticut” and see what you find. This can be an effective way to find organizations that hire.
H. Professional associations (regional braches of national societies, e.g., the American Physical Therapists Association, Boston Women Communicators, Ad Club of New Hampshire, etc.)
I. State and federal employment services and job information centers
J. The CLP website. See “Weblinks to career resources,” where you’ll find a list of web sites organized by career field (NEC > Academics > Pathways > Career and Life Planning > Weblinks)
