Preparing for the Job Search:
Job Search Sources
Personal Contacts
- Family
- Friends/neighbors
- Professors/coordinators
- People you use as
references
- Mentors, senior level contacts
- Group members, church,
sports teams, etc.
Conscientiously develop these as you socialize, work and study, with the
intent to ask their assistance when you begin your job search. They may
hear of positions you may be interested in or put you in contact with
other people who can help you. (And you may be able to help them in a
similar fashion another time.)
Employment-Related Contacts
- Fellow
employees
- Former employers
- Bulletin board postings
- People
you have worked with on past jobs
In all your work -- past, present, or future; volunteer or paid -- you
develop professional relationships with individuals who may be of
assistance as you begin your job search. These people can inform you of
openings in their organization or department or of openings they hear
about in other organizations because of their professional contacts. By
the way, if you want to stay with your present employer, be sure to
check to see if and where full-time job listings are posted.
Specialized Reference Books, Periodicals and Data Base
- Planning Job Choices 2000
- National
Business Employment Weekly
- The National Job Bank
- Directories in Print
- Hoover Directories (in print
and on the Internet)
Reference books give you names and addresses of organizations you can
contact directly to inquire about job openings. These reference books
and periodicals are in libraries and places such as VCU's Career Center.
Periodicals, including the Federal Jobs Digest and professional
journals, often have listings of actual job openings.
Direct Contact with Employers
- Unsolicited
letters of application and resumes
- Walk-in contacts
- Campus
interviews
- Telephone job search
- Job fairs and employer open
houses
- Volunteer, unpaid, and temporary or part-time work (to get a
foot in the door)
- Email
Direct inquiry is contacting an employer yourself to inquire about
openings. Send a letter of application or inquiry along with your
resume. Job fairs and campus interviews are ways of meeting recruiters
without your having to contact the employers personally to arrange for
the meeting.
Services That Provide Job Leads and Referrals
- Online job banks (www.monster.com,
www.CareerPath.com,
www.hotjobs.com)
- Career services
- ALEX
- Executive search firms
- Women's centers
- Professional association services
- Job banks
- Federal job centers
- Private employment agencies
- Telephone
job information lines
- Professional networking associations (e.g.
Richmond Professional Women's Network)
- Alumni
These are services that can put you in contact with organizations that
have openings or even refer you to the organization. The services of
public employment agencies are generally free; private employment
agencies often charge for services.
Published Sources of Employer Information
- Chamber of Commerce directories
- Newspaper articles
The Chamber of Commerce publishes directories of industries in a given
area. These directories give mailing addresses for direct inquiries.
Newspaper classified ads give you a listing of jobs currently available.
When looking for a job in a certain area, a good start includes writing
to the Chamber of Commerce for information and subscribing to the local
newspaper.
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