Module 23: Researching Jobs Flashcards
The first step in any job search is to
assess your own abilities and interests
The second step is to
establish and nourish contacts—digitally and in person, through acquaintances, friends, friends of friends, and family.
What Do I Need to Know About Myself to Job-Hunt?
You need to know your skills, abilities, interests, and values. Realistic self-assessment gives you an advantage throughout the process.
What Do I Need to Know About Companies That Might Hire Me?
Research to find out as much as you can.
How Do I Use Social Networking Sites?
Consider your purpose and audiences: post a specific profile on appropriate sites, keep it updated, nurture your contacts, and tend your digital tattoo.
What Is the Information Interview?
Information interviews are a sophisticated form of networking
information interview
you can talk face to face with someone who works in the area you hope to enter.
An information interview can
Establish a positive image of you in the mind of the person, so that he or she thinks of you when openings arise
Help you decide whether you’d like the job
Give you specific information that you can use to present yourself effectively in your resumé and application letter
What Is the “Hidden Job Market”? How Do I Tap In to It?
The hidden market—jobs that are never advertised—is open to those who know how to use networking techniques. Referral interviews and prospecting letters can help you find it.
Referral interviews
an organized method of networking, offer another way to tap into these jobs.
Remember the two truisms of job hunting:
(1) self-recruitment is still the number one way to get hired
(2) people hire people they know.
How Do I Present My Non-Traditional Experience?
Address the employer’s potential concerns positively.
Use social networking sites to expand your positive digital profile; network with peers, mentors, and prospective employers; and explore job opportunities. Use them for:
Contact information
At least four or five facts about the organization and what it does
In an information interview, you might ask
What are you working on right now?
How do you spend your typical day?
How does what you do make or save the organization time or money?
How have your duties changed since you first started working here?
What do you like best about your job? What do you like least?
What do you think the future holds for this kind of work?
How did you get this job?
What courses, activities, and/or jobs would you recommend to someone who wants to do this kind of work?
