Chapter 15 of Technical Communication Today outlines how to begin searching for future career positions as well as how to pursue and follow-up to any potential leads. I found it interesting, and perhaps a bit ironic, that one of the single most important skills to possess in locating a job is the ability to properly search for available positions. Although it is important to stress the skills one has acquired through experience, education, and application, it is not enough to enable he or she to sacrifice a thorough search by relying on those skills alone to attract potential employers. This is something many suffer from, and I am no exception. I have never pursued an intensive job search and this is surely why I’ve held but 2 positions in my time. On the other hand, it’s also not wise to simply distribute your resume to every business with a mailing address or contact’s email address. The key in beginning your search is to set goals. Recall the guidelines from the previous chapter, the 5-W’s and How questions. Take into consideration what your needs and desires are in any job you agree to, as well as who you would enjoy working for and where you would prefer to live. Furthermore, consider when do you need to be employed and why you chose the career path you did. Finally, decide how much is necessary as a starting salary, including vacation and benefits as well as the quality and standard of living that you desire. After you’ve assembled this list, you will have a more precise idea of where to begin your job hunt.
And where exactly should we begin our job hunt? Prior to coming to Purdue I solely relied on friends and family references for job leads. Interestingly enough, prior to Purdue I was never employed. According to chapter 15 in TCT, the Internet is the answer; more specifically, job-search engines. The Internet has revolutionized the ways in which individuals seek and research potential career opportunities. There are dozens of job-search engines out there, the majority of which not only list employers that are hiring but that also permit end-users to post their resumes for employers to seek out at will. Job-search engines also allow end-users to filter their search according to personal preferences, often including filtering by region, job title, and industry. Many professionals consider these search engines to be the single greatest option in finding available positions and some employers even turn exclusively to these sites in their mission to recruit.
Although job-search engines are nearly imperative to anyone seeking employment, they are not the only means. To date, I’ve not used an online search engine to either seek or post a resume to be sought. As I mentioned earlier, I rely primarily on family and friends for leads and following freshman year, this has proven successful. My sister was able to arrange my first position as an IT systems administrator at Lawson. While there, I proceeded to meet new leads and one of my supervisors, having left Lawson for ITaP, recruited me a little more than a year later. The point in all of this is simply do not limit your search to one method, but rather expand and intensify your search. In addition to the aforementioned options, consider some of the others presented in chapter 15 including online personal and professional networking, college placement offices, and classified ads.
The remainder of chapter 15 outlines creating and designing resumes, various types there of and touches on application letters and professional portfolios. Some of the concepts covered include preparation, formal design, formatting, and various attributes that will yield a professional set of documents that can be presented to potential employers in search of a job or career.
Connectionless
I too have held two positions in my lifetime. Unfortunately neither of them was in the line of work I am studying for. Both manual labor, nothing dealing with computers. I am very limited to my job searching. My family is known more for the food we bring to social gatherings than connections. It was very awesome for your sister to get your foot in the door. For myself I am left to search the series of tubes. I have not used those job search engines in awhile. It might be a good idea if I checked them out instead depending on Purdue and their job fairs.
Jeff
Connections
I think it's funny how chapter 15 states that social connections and networking are the most common methods of obtaining jobs in today's economy, and how that is exactly how you obtained both of your jobs. I got my first job in a similar fashion, and not through my own searching or effort. I think this really goes along way in stressing the importance, as states in the reading, of making it known to friends and family when you are available to work, or "on the market", because there is such a high likelihood that someone you know can assist you in the matter.
Connections
That's great that you have been able to find employment through your friends and family. As I've thought about it I've wondered if many of us have found jobs this way because it's the most common or if it's common among young people for a particular reason. In high school I had about three options: work at a summer camp, work for a fast food restaurant, or work for a motor repair company. I immediately chose the motor repair shop because it had the greatest potential for valuable experience and it paid the best wages. I found that job through my family though. My mom knew the owners through a community organization and it just so happened that they were looking for somebody to clean parts over the summer. Anyways, back then I didn't really have much to put on a resume. In other words, I wasn't marketable whatsoever. Most of us had nothing back in high school, so I think that our options were to find employment through a friend or family member, or end up at a fast food restaurant. Now that we have college experience, I feel that we have much more to offer. We can go out and find the job we want because we have an education, and we can apply these experiences in writing a resume and cover letter.
Connections
When I first read the section about people using connections being the most frequent means of obtaining a job, I found it hard to believe. I had a job in highschool and one in college, and just recently a second in college. I obtained my first two jobs by applying to many many jobs and getting lucky with a couple, I was not offered jobs by any family or friends. But when I thought about it more, after working for these companies, I was able to also get my brother a job at the same company as well as multiple friends, through my own connections. Then I thought about my most recent job with Purdue that I obtained through a friend that knew some higher-up people at Purdue. Suddenly I realized that it actually makes alot of sense that most people obtain jobs through their connections. After reading alot of the responses to posts this week I only realize it even more.
Reply
I am constantly amazed at how many people get jobs through the people they know. My first job in college I got because I just mentioned needing a job to a classmate in a casual discussion, and the next day she told me there was an opening where she worked and could set up an interview with her boss if I wanted too.
However the internet is also very important to finding and applying for jobs in today's world. My most recent summer internship I found using the online search engines and applying through Purdue's CCO.
Patrick Griffin
pgriffin@purdue.edu
Social Networking
I too have only held a few positions, and those positions I didn't get from sending out resumes, or viewing classifieds, or searching online job searches. Instead, I happened to know people, and they secured me employment. With the other comments on your blog, I'm beginning to think this is a very important way to get hired in the professional world. As the internet continues to grow and evolve, I wonder how social networking sites such as Facebook, and even online virtual worlds such as Second Life, will play a role in job searches. I've already heard stories from a professor in a computer technology class that some people have gotten interviews at big technology companies from meeting people in the digital world of Second Life. Will this type of social networking create a paradigm shift in job searching?
Job Search Engines
I do believe that online job searching may be the way of the future, along with personal networking of course. I think it's a great way to get your resume out to companies, especially ones that you aren't even aware of. Searching online also allows the user to see a list of companies that are hiring. I really do not enjoy the idea of scannable resumes though, but it seems like it would be required due to the amount of resumes companies must go through. However, Chapter 15 did have a section on how to prepare a resume for this situation, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Online Searching
I personally have not done job searching online before. I found this part of the chapter interesting. I do however agree with you that the online job hunting may be the way of the future. It makes it really easy to see what is available. With the ability to sort the jobs it also makes your hunting quicker and a little easier. I agree that by using the online job searching you are exposed to a lot more companies than you would have thought about. I think that having a large number of sites to search also helps since there are some different companies on each site.
-Chris
Instructor Feedback
Justin,
I thought the following line was both funny and informative (with respect to focused job searches: "Prior to coming to Purdue I solely relied on friends and family references for job leads. Interestingly enough, prior to Purdue I was never employed." Keep up the good work!