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It's not only impossible to escape the news of the bad economy and the daily loss of jobs, it's becoming equally impossible to avoid all the advice out there, this blog included. Much of the advice is common sense: write a good resume, prepare for an interview, research the company, blah blah blah.
I've spent much of my career in careers, so to speak. I've been studying or providing career guidance for over twenty years, and am well aware that I'm not practicing rocket science. On the other hand, it's amazing how many people ignore even the basic, obvious advice above. Maybe it's because we hear something so many times we just become numb to it. Or maybe we think it isn't really true-or it doesn't apply to us. Sure, it's a given that we should research a company, but, hey, does it really matter?
It does. Want to know the #1 complaint by employers at job fairs? It's the failure of job seekers to research their company. Hmm... Isn't that kind of a basic? Research the company? But, many seekers willfully ignore that advice and walk up to an employer saying things like, "So what does your company do?" or "What jobs do you have?" Not the best way to approach a company in the best of times, much less now.
Job seekers sometimes approach job fairs like they're at a buffet: I'll try this item (this company)-see if I like it. The buffet approach might work for some, but the focused job seeker who has looked up the participating companies before arriving and knows something about their mission and their products has a much better chance of speaking on point with the recruiter than the person at the buffet sampling an unknown food item.
All the advice you need is out there. You're the one who has to focus, read it, and take advantage of it. Even if it hurts a little.
See, that's the stumbling block in all the advice: it isn't as quick and easy as it sounds. That little list of "5 steps to finding a job" is deceptively simple and arguably misleading. I'm reminded of a time I purchased an excellent set of cassette tapes (yes, this was awhile ago) promising to teach me to play the banjo quickly and easily. Six tapes, I thought, how hard can it be? I'll finish these in a week or two. I quickly discovered that it was going to take me a week to master what the instructor demonstrated in 5 quick minutes on the first tape. It was probably going to take me six months to learn all the material on the tapes. The instructions for the job search are surprisingly similar. Writing a great targeted resume takes a lot longer than writing a general resume. And researching employers takes longer than walking up to a recruiter and asking for a job.
The good news? It probably won't take six months to develop your job-seeking skills, your fingers won't get sore, and you won't have to endure your friends' banjo jokes.
Most job-seekers find that looking for a job is a full-time job. And it's a job that never ends because in this economy even those who aren't currently looking for a job need to keep in mind that they might be, and would do well to make sure their resume is up-to-date, their responses to interview questions well-honed, etc.
So given that career advice is ubiquitous and often little more than common sense, what career resources are particularly valuable? We've already figured out it won't be quick and easy, but where is the most efficient advice?
I promise not to overwhelm you with a reading list that will take six months to get through. Just start with these basics below:
Almost any career book by Kate Wendleton. Ms.Wendleton's books are comprehensive guides to virtually everything you need to know about the job search. Affiliated with the excellent Five O'Clock Club and website.
Fortune magazine
April 13, 2009: "How to Find a Job" by Jia Lynn Yang.
Buy it at your local newsstand or check it out at a library-as of this posting, the article is not online. In the sea of current articles about the job search, this is an excellent summary of key job-finding advice.
Ask Annie column on CNN/Money
This column by Anne Fisher regularly deals with current workplace and job-finding issues. Send questions or suggestions for topics-- you just might get your answer.
Quintessential Careers
I've mentioned this site in previous posts; I continue to push it because it is one of the most comprehensive sites around.
The Riley Guide
Pretty much a one-stop career search center. Invaluable guidance for many years.
Indeed.com
This is a very cool site despite its rather spare front page-- just type in the career you're interested in and a geographic area and- voila- lots of job leads.
This is just a starting point to finding the best advice, the first five minutes of the cassette, so to speak. I'll include more refined search information in future posts.
In the meantime, I'll mention one upcoming source of career and job-search advice for college students and recent graduates: my new book "You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career" available April 30. Sorry, no "quick and easy" fixes here either. Just valuable information for making your degree work in whatever career you're pursuing. Banjo playing strictly optional.
