Kindle Edition
johneriksen.net
Category:
Careers / Job Hunting
Publisher: John Eriksen
Type: Non-Fiction
A short but detailed guide to job searching by a former reference librarian and career coach.
A quick guide to get up to speed and organize your job search. All the basics are covered, such as resumes, letter, and samples of interviewing questions. Discusses access to information on current job descriptions, and sources for company profile information, as well as how to find a definitive list of categorized employers in a specific area. Includes a list of 215 specialized job posting websites.
Excerpt
I. ASSESSING YOURSELF
This section and the next one on Researching Jobs & Employers work together to provide the building blocks that will help you create effective & unique cover letters and résumés.
Your goal should be to create a customized cover letter for each employer. Emphasize that each of their requirements can be satisfied by a skill or ability you possess. Generate interest!
Of course, this may not always be possible. The point is to find commonality between your skill set and the job description.
Your resume will provide important support for your letter and you will learn how to make it a persuasive tool to document your background. But before you can write, you must know your subject: You!
Reviewing the Three-Step Search
STEP 1: ASSESS YOURSELF
▪ Define objectives (review OOH – link above)
▪ Review accomplishments
▪ List Experience/Education by creating a resume worksheet with jobs & key accomplishments
▪ Determine Skills, Interests, Temperament
▪ Refer to Personality Inventory section below
▪ Make a master application form with all information needed to fill out any job application on the spot. Write down your jobs and duties (job descriptions), supervisor names, addresses, tel #, personal references, address, tel #, school addresses. (More on the ‘master application form’ under Resume Development below)
STEP 2: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
▪ Routinely search for career opportunities
▪ Locate employer directories
For example: type employer directory in your search engine.
Look at the example below. It’s exactly the information about the company that is needed to better prepare your resume and do well in your interview.
http://www.constructionexecutive.com/constructionemployers/GeneralContractors-Managers/66960/Wieck-Construction-Company-L.L.C-.html
At the Library
▪ Locate letter, resume, & interview books at your library’s 650.14 section (College libraries: HF 5353 to HF 5383)
▪ Also check the library’s 331 sections, both the regular shelve and the ‘reference' area shelf. The 331 section contains employer directories.
Tip: A library may also have a shelf just for career books. Ask! Also, check your library's "Reference area" in the same categories above for many more career books. Also, ask about videos, audio books, or DVDs on job search topics. Many libraries carry these, but they may not be easy to find.
STEP 3: MAKE CONTACT
▪ Request informational interview
▪ Mail letters & resumes
▪ Complete applications
▪ Interview
▪ Telephone follow up
▪ Send thank-you notes. Get out and do the tasks in step 3.
▪ Talk to people. Go to personnel offices. Visit the local
Employment Office in your city or county.
▪ Call or visit "Temp" agencies - these can be a real resource
Big & small companies use them.
▪ Create a Job Application Log to track your progress!
INVENTORY YOUR SKILLS & ACCOMPLISHMNETS
It is critical that you know your unique skills and accomplishments. Many will be found buried in your past jobs duties. You have probably forgotten half of them. Try to recall some by jotting down about a dozen past accomplishments that gave you a sense of satisfaction. Limit them to one sentence each. Do not let the opinions of others influence your choice of what you consider to be an important accomplishment. Next, rank the accomplishments in order of the most important to you. Those you are proudest of will be at the top. Now analyze each step that led to the accomplishment.
Your goal is to make a sub-list of specific tasks that lead to the achievement. Do this by asking: What were the exact steps that made it happen?
Further, define each step by asking:
▪ Did it increase self-development, mastery of new skills, or intellectual curiosity?
▪ What type of action was involved? e.g., helping others, business pursuits, troubleshooting, researching, organizing, or persuading others? Here’s how below:
Get a blank sheet of paper and make 3 columns like the one below. SAMPLE ONLY
Achievement #1 – “I Organized Inventory using MS Excel”
STEPS / TASKS
INCREASED SKILL?
TYPE OF ACTION?
Spreadsheet layout: planning column and row headings
Improved knowledge of MS Excel®
Developing; creating
Finding & labeling all PC equipment
Accurate accounting of all PC equipment; Learned LabelMaker application
Organizing
This is not a waste of time. Interviewers will be asking about your abilities and accomplishments! Do the same thing for each achievement you can recall. A full realization of the steps that make up each of your accomplishments will be a valuable help as you develop your resume and later when you interview.
In fact, knowing yourself well is the key to interviewing well. You will be asked about your strengths, weaknesses, and achievements. If you are asked to give an example, what will you say? A favorite question is “tell me about a time when you ____.” This exercise will create a strong foundation for your future responses. Summarize each major accomplishment.
RESUME DEVELOPMENT
Making a Master Application Form
You can begin drafting your resume with pen and paper. Get ideas for resume layout online, or from the 650.14 section of the library. You should go to your local library at least once to check out the 650.14 section and any special “Careers” bookshelf they may maintain. Keep your achievements in mind as you outline your duties on each former job.
As an alternate or supplement to creating a Resume Worksheet, go to an office where you plan to apply (or visit their website). Get their application form and fill it out. This will become your master worksheet containing all the information you'll need during your job search activities. Here is a sample form that gives you a general idea:
http://jobs.alaska.gov/forms/genapp.pdf
Below is a link to a customizable job application form. The document can be edited if you open it in MS Word. It is in the .docx format.
Caution: If you download it, as any file you might download, it is best to choose the SAVE AS option, then go to your ‘downloads’ folder (or wherever the default download folder is located) and then right-click and scan the downloaded file with your anti-virus software.
https://www.betterteam.com/downloads/job-application-form-download-standard-20170814.docx
You will save yourself grief in the future by gathering all this data now. Find a blank application form (as above) and fill it in completely.
Some employers will not accept resumes. There are some that will accept them, but only as a supplement to a completed application form. Each company is different. Make copies of your master application and keep them in your car. This master application form will allow you to fill out future applications on the spot. You will save lots of time down the road if you do this!
Make sure the form has every single job you have ever done, paid and unpaid. It should have your driver license number, addresses and tel. numbers, and supervisor names. Also include certification numbers and other minute details such as addresses of schools and colleges. It’s hard to believe, but some employers will want this and more, even the name and address of your elementary school, even though you may have a PhD.
As soon as possible, transcribe all the written data into digital form, using MS Word or other office software. You won't need all the little details on this form for your resume, but
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