No Secret to Getting a Job

By Helen Nafziger, NCCC
Career Services Director
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg , Virginia  

“ Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Maya Angelou, poet

 

Does it feel like everyone else has a job, knows just what to do to get one. The secret is out, knowing how get a job is no secret. It may seem like it because getting a job was never this important to you before or you may not have actually had to look for a job before.

Consider these questions.

· Where do you want to live? B ig city/small town, cold or warm climate, international or domestic, near what support network - parents, church, special friend.

 

· What do you want to do? The name of your major may influence that decision but forget the name of your major and think about what you would do if success (however you define it) were assured. What are you or would you like to get good at doing?

· Which work environment is good for you ? High pressure, laid back, mentor relationship, business, non-profit, tech directed, people directed, weekend work, nine to five work.

· What helps you to be the best you?

 

Once you decide on where and what to do, the next question is,

Who or what organization does that?

Perhaps you want to work with kids. The questions becomes, “In what way do people work with kids?” Stretch your mind beyond the immediate answer. Some possibilities include: pediatricians, teachers, teaching aides, after school programs, recreation departments, early intervention programs for physically and mentally delayed children, tutoring, lessons of all types from skiing to dance to basketball, camps, day care, researchers in childhood diseases, residential homes for special needs, school guidance, child prevention services, social services, church education director. You get the idea. People often limit their possibilities.

Research is the heart of the job search and can begin semesters ahead of graduation time.

If you have this much time to look for work spend this much of the time doing your research and the rest, such as sending out a resume and cover letter, is the easy part.

When you are ready to send a resume you will already have found some agencies that do what you want to do in a way the sounds good to you and you have uncovered some skills that would be useful to that agency. Your enthusiasm will come through in your letter. Your resume will talk to their specific needs. You will convey energy and passion in your interview that says, “Yes! This is just what I would like to do!”

Wouldn't you rather hire someone who wants to do what you need to have done instead of someone who has sent a resume to you and 500 other companies basically asking for a job and not having a clue what your agency does?

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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