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Wow! It’s less than 25 days
before the 1st Quarter of 2002 is completed!
The new year is whipping by us quicker than … Well, I could
give lots of analogies here, but the bottom line is… You’re
still looking for a job! Right?
Your New Year’s Resolution is probably long forgotten too!
Right? And
you’ve joined the ranks of thousands of others who carried their
job search over from 2001. Hmmmm…
Let’s look at some suggestions as we begin to move our way to
wrapping up 1st Quarter 2002.
How much
time do you spend looking for jobs on the Internet?
One hour, two hours, or more, per day, per week?
I recently had several job seekers tell me they were (each)
spending 6-8 hrs a day online – every day.
Gee, I think the Internet has value, but… Seriously, if you
are spending more than one – two hours a day, five days a week on
the Internet, you’re probably spending too much time – online
and on the job search.
Think back
to your last job. How did you spend your workday?
Ask yourself these questions:
- What
projects did you work on?
- How
did you use your time management skills to get the job done –
quickly, efficiently and accurately?
- What
tools did you use as part of your job?
- How
did you handle deadlines?
- What
did you like best and least about the job?
- How
did you work (and communicate) with co-workers, bosses, senior
management, customers, vendors, etc. as part of your job?
You see,
whether you realize it or not, your job now is looking for a job!
And it definitely IS a full time job.
It also is a pain in the you know what because we don’t
quite know what to do, when and where, etc.
So… If you’re still looking for a
job, ask yourself these questions:
- How
long have you been seriously looking?
By serious, I mean, at this full time, on a weekly basis?
Or Part time – on a weekly basis.
And, I’m asking about consistency of the process?
- How
many resumes have you sent per week since you started looking?
Please include: Classified ads, Internet postings, walk
– in applications only?
- How
many of those have you followed up on?
- How
many resumes have you sent each week from a networking contact
requesting one?
- How
many resumes have you followed up on from a networking contact?
Statistics
recently indicated that today the average online job search
continues to be very frustrating because less than 2% of the people
looking for a job online actually get their job from applying
online. Yet the hours
spent online looking and applying are not the best use of your time.
I’m a BIG FAN of the Internet. I find it very valuable for searches, information, shopping,
even a great resource for job search.
Personally, I don’t know how we lived without it.
Like anything in life, “it’s a good thing – but in
moderation.” So, my
suggestion…
- Target
your searches. Pick
three websites that are good resources for you in your field. Depending on your occupation, www.monster.com
may or may not be one of those resources.
Monster is generally the #1 job site I’ll recommend,
then sites relevant to your profession.
- Schedule
your time online. When
it is an off time for your job search – early morning or late
evening? But
definitely don’t recommend using the Internet during your
prime time – during the day – when you could be talking or
meeting with contacts, hiring managers or prospective employers.
- Monitor
you time online. Keep
your time online to one hour at a time.
Guaranteed you will be freshest during the first hour.
like any project, the longer you spend on it – without
a break – you will be less efficient at it.
- Maximizing
your time is critical in the job search.
So how are you spending your time these days – looking
for a job? Hopefully,
balancing your time between, networking with your contacts,
meeting and following up with hiring managers, and going after
your target market. A
typical job search runs about 25 hours a week.
And for some it may goes as high as 35 hours.
The ratio of time spent is still the
same:
75% on Networking – still the #1 way to find a job!
10%
on Internet and Classified Ads – you are one of thousands - for
the same job!
5%
on Walk-ins, Job Fairs, Job Lines – has worked for some
10%
on Recruiters – they don’t work for you – they work for the
company you’re getting placed into.
Well there is
100% of your time right there.
You may adjust here and there, but the adjustments are
generally NOT to networking. How
are you spending your time?
Networking
is STILL the #1 way to find a job today.
And, especially in today’s volatile and recession-filled
job market. Networking
is recession proof. But,
hey, that’s another newsletter.
Good Luck in your job search!
Warmest Regards,
Rosemary Augustine
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