Help Me Find a Job!

"I would like someone or something to help me find a job." Does this phrase ring a bell? If you are here, then I assume you are seeking employment also. It has been many years since I have been without a job. In fact, I have held a job of some type or another for the last 22 years including college. Consequently, when I suddenly found myself without a job, I was a bit rusty when it came to job searching. In addition, times have changed quite a bit. The last time I had to search for employment, not counting my current situation, the best options were to look in the newspaper, word of mouth, or to simply go out and hit the pavement. Now, of course, the internet is by far the best place to look for a job and you can very conveniently fill out most applications online. While this makes the job search much easier and much faster, there are so many job websites out there that it is easy to miss many of the sites that may not be as well-known as others.

During my search to find a job, I have come across many websites that I believe were worth registering on in order to help me find a job. Unfortunately, these sites are widely scattered and I came across most of them purely by chance. I thought it would be nice to have them all in one place and therein lies the purpose of this blog. Most of these are all sites that I have registered on and they are all free. Hopefully, this compilation will be of help to anyone else who may be utilizing the internet to find a job. Feel free to post other sites that I may have missed and I will add them to the list. Certainly one of these sites will eventually help me find a job and I hope you find employment as well.

Resume Writing Tips

Although I had not conducted a full-blown job search in a long time, one thing that went without saying was the fact that I needed a resume in order to help me find a job. Luckily, I already had one on file but it left a lot to be desired. I discovered, however, that just as job search methods had changed with the times so had preferred resume styles and some of the preferred content. Of course what information is preferred and what information should be excluded will probably depend on who you ask. Really, you just need to be aware of different options and choose the one that you feel is best for you. A terrific example of this is whether or not to include your salary history. One article I read suggested that this information should be included in your resume while another article suggested that it should not. In the end, I decided not to include it because the argument against including it made more sense to me. The article against including this information suggested that to include it would be an open invitation to disaster as potential employers may be prepared to offer you a higher salary until they see your salary history and realize that they could get away with offering you a lower salary or they decided not to offer you a job a all because they determine that there was no way they could come close to matching the salary you are used to getting and you are most likely looking for temporary employment and will leave them as soon as you find a job with a salary that's more in line with what you are used to getting.

In addition, I found that while you can have a generic resume on hand for general purposes, it is probably best to adapt it to fit the job for which you are applying. For example, there's no need to go into great detail about your job duties as a cook when you are applying for a job as a used car salesman or vice versa. However, it is important to list each job if they are both within the time-frame that you are using for your job history. Simply avoid elaborating on the details of the unrelated job. Include the minimum job duty information and move on to the next job.

Another good tip I received involved listing multiple positions held at different times while employed with the same company. Personally, I worked for my last employer for over ten years and, during that time, I held about six different positions. Initially, I had a start and end date listed for each position along with the corresponding job details. Someone was kind enough to point out to me that even though I had the positions listed sequentially and indicated that each one was with the same company, at first glance it looked as if I had been jumping from job to job over the last ten years which made my job history appear unstable when really it was not. To remedy the situation, I adjusted my resume by creating a single time-frame to represent the entire ten years of employment and used bullets and line breaks to separate the different positions and the related job duties. I also listed the amount of time I spent in each position rather than listing a start and end date for each one. This gave the clear indication that I spent ten years with the same company but in different positions.

These are just a few of the resume improvements I have been fortunate enough to learn about. I hope this information is of help to you but I suggest that you don't stop here. Continue searching for ways to improve your resume. There are professional resume writing services available for a price and then there are some free tips available as well. If you can afford the professional services, then I say go for it but if you are on a tight budget, then look for the free stuff and do your own modifications. Initially, I didn't put a lot of effort into my resume but very quickly realized just how tough the task of landing a good job is these days. Shortly thereafter I began to improve my resume, because I knew that I would need every advantage I can get in order to help me find a job.

The Resume Cover Letter

Once my job search skills were honed and my resume was polished, it was on to the next item designed to help me find a job. That item was a quality cover letter. Once again, I found myself at a disadvantage due to the fact that it had been so long since I had engaged in job hunting. Not only did I not have a cover letter but I was under the impression that it really was not that important. However, after doing some research as a part of my search for employment, I discovered that a cover letter can be the difference between getting an interview and having your resume tossed aside without ever being reviewed. Your resume cover letter effectively serves as an introduction of you to potential employers and they may choose to only interview those to whom they have been properly introduced. Of course if you don't get an interview, then it stands to reason that you don't get the job.

Just having a cover letter is a start but if it is of low quality, then you may be better off not using it. I'd rather not have a cover letter than to have one that does a poor job of representing me. In my opinion, a bad cover letter can do more damage than good. A poorly constructed cover letter tells a story about you just as a high quality cover letter does except in a negative manner. There are obvious things that you need to pay attention to such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation but there are many more things to consider in order to really make a positive impression.

First of all, it is a good idea to customize your resume cover letter to suit each position for which you apply. A "one size fits all' approach will probably make you seem lazy and will definitely sound boring. Work in the name of the company and the title associated with the position for which you are applying. If you were referred by someone, make sure you include this fact along with the name of that person in the first paragraph.

Next, demonstrate to your potential employer that you have taken the time and initiative to learn enough about the company and the open position to focus your cover letter appropriately. Tell them why you would be a good fit for that specific position and for the company in general. Perhaps you can mention something related to the company's mission statement and explain how it aligns with your beliefs or background. Back up these declarations with pertinent facts about your accomplishments, skills, education, and job history that may not have been detailed in your resume. Keep in mind that the cover letter is intended to be a complement to your resume and not a mere duplication.

In the concluding paragraph, set expectations. If it is a situation where it would be appropriate to follow up, then indicate that you will do so and how you will do it (i.e. letter, phone call, email, etc.). Don't forget to thank whoever is reading your letter for taking the time to do so and for considering you for the position. Also let them know how to contact you for an interview and include your contact information.

Finally, don't make your cover letter too long. Just get to the point and include the necessary information as discussed above. Remember that the ultimate goal of your letter--combined with your resume--is to get you an interview. This is simply another tool designed to help you along that path. Don't try to make your resume cover letter your interview. I also want you to understand that these are just a few basic tips about creating a quality resume cover letter. There are many resources available online that go into more detail but this should be enough to get you started, but, as always, I encourage you to do more research to increase the quality of your final product. In fact, I am still in the process of perfecting my cover letter because I know that when it comes to doing things designed to help me find a job, I can't over do it. Hopefully you are of the same mindset.