I've decided to break down and get a "real job" (my mom's words) while I'm growing my business out here in Portland and I'm finding the job hunt to be less than thrilling. I've never had to really look for a job before so I think I have a low annoyance level.

So my question is, when you're looking for a job, where/how do you look? Do you network? newspaper? Craigslist? Monster? All of the above?

Just curious to see what others do...

Mandy, this is a great question for the front page of the blog actually. Mind if I post it there?

go for it

I'm extremely dissatisfied with my job right now and don't see any potential for improvement, so I think I'm following right behind you in your job search. I was telling a friend the other day that I needed to update my resumé and prepare my "talking points" on what I've been doing here for the last 12 months- she practically went nuts on me, telling me that resumés are passé and that I needed to let a headhunter do all the work for me. Nothing I said would dissuade her from the opinion that all I needed to do was put up a profile on LinkedIn (and Facebook, Myspace, etc) and let the headhunters come to me.

Me: Yeah, but eventually someone's going to want to interview me. I want to be prepared from the get-go."
Her: That's so far down the road and the headhunter will have done all the work...

She's nuts. It's NOT that easy. I need a professional, up-to-date resumé and talking-points before I do any of that. I'll be using Monster and a few others, but there are some industry-specific boards/forums through which I want to network. I don't have much of a "human" network otherwise.

I tend to agree that it isn't quite that easy. Networking sites like LinkedIn are helpful, but they don't do all of the work. I'll be interested in hearing about your experience.... What are you looking for and what area are you in? I can keep my ears open. Also, if you (or anyone else) wants to connect via LinkedIn, my email is mandy(at)personalfinance101.org.

Maybe we should form a GRS Job-Hunting Support Group (GRSJHSG? sounds like choking)

I'm starting to look too. Well... starting to look a little more seriously anyway.

Hey-

Timely question as I'm also job hunting. I have been self-employed for the past 4 years (full time only for about 8 months) and have decided my aggressive debt-reduction plan was not aided by my erratic income.

I currently have offers from the two places I was able to get interviews (one I personally went in and introduced myself and the other is the company my best friend works for.) If there's any advice I can give, it's make a personal connection. I sent out about 25 resumes in 2 weeks and was only granted interviews at the companies I was able to get face time with.

Now it's a matter of choosing between the high-paying finance job with the looooong commute and long hours and the low-paying job down the street from my apartment that will allow me to keep putting some effort into my real passion...

Good luck!

Go for #2

I've gotten one job through networking, several by answering newspaper ads, and two jobs (including the best job I've ever had) by sending unsolicited resumes to organizations I wanted to work for.

The networking thing was really more a matter of me establishing a reputation in my field. I was freelancing and living in Vermont; a government contractor in Washington, DC was looking for a good writer who had experience in writing about global warming, and my name kept coming up so they called me. That turned into the job I've had for the last 11 years.

When I was first out of college, I sent about 200 unsolicited resumes to museums, nature centers, and other outdoor education organizations (my first career was in environmental education), and one of them invited me for an interview; I got that job. A few years later I sent an unsolicited resume to the Earthwatch Institute (in Boston) and by a stroke of luck my resume arrived on the day someone announced her resignation and they were just starting to look for a replacement. I got that job too.

If there's a company or organization that you really want to work for, I do think it's worth sending an unsolicited resume or even asking someone for an informational interview. Other than that, doing work that establishes a reputation for yourself, or producing tangible products or results that attract attention and that you can point to, should help.

My girlfriend is a paralegal and has been taking a few night courses to update her skills...that turns out to be an excellent job-networking opportunity as well. A few of her classmates work for big law firms downtown and have been telling her about job opportunities there; if she applies they would put in a good word for her. Part of the key there is that she's been studying hard and consistently gets the best grades in her classes, so it's natural that her classmates would think of her when a job opening occurs in their firms. That seems like a good strategy.

My brother spent 12 years moving pool tables for a living, a grueling dead-end job, but his passion was computer animation. He started entering online contests with his animations and started winning. That got the attention of a guy who writes some of the most popular plug-ins for Lightwave, a computer modeling, animation, and rendering program that is used by many Hollywood studios. The guy ended up hiring my brother to do animations that demonstrated what the plugins could accomplish, and then eventually hired him fulltime as an assistant.

This depends on your industry somewhat, but... Put your resume together and then focus entirely on networking. I've found that the best jobs are only advertised by word of mouth, and a public posting is the last resort. Companies rely on their employees' networks to bring in good people, and it's a win-win-win.

It's definitely possible to find good gigs through Monster or Craigslist (that's how I found my last job), but I've always had better luck through friends. It's especially helpful if you're changing careers, because you can pick up the vocab and get a feel for how things work, and maybe even get a mentor.

Good luck to all of you!

Hm,

An informational interview sounds interesting. There's a consulting company hiring...I saw the posting on LinkedIn and it sounds like it would be a great fit for me but I'm lacking the education requirement. I'm wondering if I could set up an informational interview as a foot in the door (once I talk to people the education requirement isn't an issue)...

Thanks that's a good suggestion.

PS: I've always wanted to go on an Earthwatch expedition. I've gotten their brochure for years. LOVE IT. Unfortunately I'm a cheapo.

Any good consulting firm should waive education requirements if the person and/or their experience is right!

And yes, Earthwatch is great. That is the place I was referring to as the best job I ever had. Plus I got to go on an expedition for free! I spent three weeks counting shorebirds along the western and northern coasts of Scotland, an unforgettable experience.

You would think. But sometimes the people in HR getting the initial resume can't get past the lack of a few letter so the person who can REALLY evaluate my experience never even sees my resume.

So I've been trying all day to find a way to network into this company. Frustrating!

Anyone know someone who works at Point B or who works in big consulting and might have a contact?

I think those of us who are job hunters should describe what we're looking for so we can keep eyes/ears open.

I'll start:

I'm looking for 2 things. 1 - I want to re-grow my business so I'm looking for individual and corporate clients for my personal finance coaching/consulting. I'm looking for public speaking opportunities (paid or not) and other ways to build that network.

2 - I'm looking for a consistent job to pay the bills. For this I'd really prefer to be with a consulting company focused on business operations. I'm a trouble-shooter and process developer and I get bored quickly which is why consulting works best for me. Get me in, let me fix it, get me out.

I'm looking for both in the Portland area.

So what are the other job-hunters looking for?

Mandy, I did end up posting your question to the blog, though the answers went in a much more general direction (because of how I worded things):

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/ ... ind-a-job/

my question is, when you're looking for a job, where/how do you look? Do you network? newspaper? Craigslist? Monster? All of the above?

In my experience the jobs I've liked the best and held the longest were ones I applied to after being told about them by someone. The jobs I've found via the classifieds, (electronic, newspaper or otherwise,) have been less positive.

So I'd say networking has been the most important for me. Talk to everyone you meet. Tell them all you are looking for work. Having met you they will be able to say "I think you might be a good fit at company X" and off you go. The cashier at the starbucks... tell her. Her sister might run a company staffed only by people with your exact shoe size... Who knows?!!?

good luck in your search though.