Job Search Check Out What Works!

According to some sources 85% of jobs for recent college graduates are not advertised. The effective job seeker spends most of their time uncovering these types of "hidden" job openings. That means talking to people and identifying and approaching employers of interest. While it is important to check out advertised openings, more time should be spent cultivating your contacts (see Networking) and conducting informational interviews with potential employers. Use the internet not just to look for openings, but to network, research industries and organizations, and access employer directories such as Career Search. Join a professional organization to meet people in your field as well as to keep current on industry trends. Most jobs never hit the newspaper or internet, so be a proactive rather than a reactive job seeker. Focus your energy on meeting people and contacting organizations that you have researched.

Remember - think creatively about how you can make contact with employers, and how to best construct your job search. The successful job seeker uses a variety of job searching methods with most of their time and effort devoted to cultivating relationships with people!

The following checklist should help you identify and organize some of the job search tasks you will need to complete.

CLARIFY YOUR JOB TARGET

• Determine where your interests, abilities, and values fit best in the world of work.
• Use the CDC Career Information Center to learn about career opportunities.
• Conduct informational interviews with professionals in your field. The CDC's Connect with a Mentor Program, found in ORCA, may be useful in identifying potential interviewees.
• Complete an internship in your field of interest. The conversion rate of interns being hired by the organization where they interned is 31.9% (NACE).
• Select preferred geographic location(s) and determine your starting salaries in your field.

PREPARE YOUR JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE:

• Attend resume and cover letter writing workshops offered by the CDC.
• Set up an appointment with a counselor to review your printed resume or cover letter.
• Use the CDC's books on resume/cover letter writing.
• Pick up the Resume/Cover Letter handouts in the CDC or view them here.

GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH:

• Start networking now! Let friends, relatives, supervisors, teachers, and former employers know you are looking.
• Pick up the Networking handout in the CDC or view it on our website.
• Use the CDC books on job searching.
• Join and become active in a professional organization in your field.
• Read local newspapers or, if relocating, read out-of-town newspapers on the web.
• Shop for your interview suit.
• Pick up a Reference File Packet or view it on the CDC website.

IDENTIFY UNADVERTISED OPENINGS:

• Research potential employers using CareerSearch, an online directory of over 1.7 million employers available through ORCA.
• Begin contacting potential employers with phone calls, visits, and letters of inquiry with resumes.
• Start keeping records on employer contacts and follow up periodically.
• Continue to increase your networking activities.

CHECK OUT ADVERTISED OPENINGS:

• View job openings using ORCA on the CDC website.
• Upload your resume to ORCA.
• Visit popular links to other job listing sites on the CDC website.
• Identify publications or websites related to your field that list current openings.
• Visit organization websites for employment listings.
• Check out all upcoming events on the CDC website to find out about employers visiting campus and all upcoming job fairs.

DEVELOP GOOD INTERVIEW SKILLS:

• Attend the CDC's interviewing workshop.
• Refer to books on interviewing in the CDC library.
• Pick up the Interviewing handout in the CDC or view it on our website.
• Practice interviewing in a videotaped mock interview session with a CDC counselor.
• Use the CDC's employer resources, or the web, to learn more about organizations.

FOLLOW UP:

• Check with the CDC or on ORCA to make sure all references requested have been submitted.
• Follow-up with organizations that you have not heard back from.
• Send thank you letters after interviews.