Job search

Industrial & Organisational : Introduction : Personnel : Organizational psychology : Occupations: Work environment: Index : Outline

Job search or Job hunting or job seeking is the process of looking for employment, due to unemployment or discontent with a current position. The immediate goal of job seeking is usually to obtain a job interview with an employer which may lead to getting hired. The job hunter or seeker typically first looks for job vacancies or employment opportunities. Common methods of job hunting are:

using a job search engine
looking through the classified advertising in newspapers
using a private or public employment agency or recruiter
finding a job through a friend or an extended business network

Overview[]

Interests[]

One too often overlooked aspect of the job hunting process is finding a career to be passionate about. The first step in this process is to identify the activities that one enjoys, disregarding compensation or job availability at this point. Brainstorming and a process called mind mapping are both effective ways to uncover buried passions. Once one has a list of activities that they enjoy the next step is to identify potential jobs that incorporate those activities. Again brainstorming or mind mapping can be used in this process.

The key here is to start with a desire and a passion then pursue positions that fulfill that desire and passion, not the other way around.

A worker very interested in work activity is likely to be better than an indifferent worker or one who loathes the job. An interested worker, likely a happier worker, should not need to job hunt as frequently as someone who takes little care in assuring that the job is a "good fit" for them.

A job seeker uncertain about interests could maybe disagree with the Princeton Review Career Quiz. Goaded by disagreement, the job seeker may assess small (and maybe large) personal triumphs which were very engaging before preparing a résumé. Although this list isn't easy to make, personal accomplishments indicate work activity which fascinates, and can also furnish a good starting point toward a functional résumé.

Knowing the employers[]

It is expected the job seekers will have done a reasonable amount of research into the employers. Some basic information about an employer should be collected first before applying the organization's positions, including full name, locations, web site, business description, year established, revenues, number of employees, stock price if public, name of chief executive officer, major products or services, major competitors, strength as well as challenges.

With all of the resources available on the Internet, expand the research into the employer to discover if the employer's operation is healthy and likely to continue to prosper. If an employer's financial situation is shaky, new employees are often the first one out the door when a cut back occurs. Employers that are companies with publicly traded equities are good subjects for pre-employment research and enable the job hunter to avoid being the last one hired before the reductions and layoffs begin.

Applying[]

One can also go and hand out résumés or Curriculum Vitae to prospective employers. Another recommended method of job hunting is to use cold calling or emailing to companies that one desires to work for and inquire to whether there are any job vacancies.

After finding a desirable job, they would then apply for the job by responding to the advertisement. This may mean emailing or mailing in a hard copy of your résumé to a prospective employer. There is no one correct way to write a résumé but it is generally recommended that it be brief, organized, concise, and targeted to the position being sought. With certain occupations, such as graphic design or writing portfolios of a job seeker's previous work are essential and are evaluated as much, if not more than the person's résumé. With most other occupations, the résumé should focus on past accomplishments, expressed in terms as concretely as possible (e.g. number of people managed, amount of increased sales or improved customer satisfaction).

Interviewing[]

Main article: job interview

Once an employer has received your résumé, they will make a short list of potential employees to be interviewed based on the resume and any other information contributed. During the interview process, interviewers generally look for persons who they believe will be best for the job and work environment. The interview may occur in several rounds until the interviewer is satisfied and offers the job to the applicant of their choice.

Types of Jobs[]

There are several types of jobs, including full-time long-term regular jobs, internship, or contract jobs.

Job hunting in economic theory[]

Economists use the term 'frictional unemployment' to mean unemployment resulting from the time and effort that must be expended before an appropriate job is found. Search theory is the economic theory that studies the optimal decision of how much time and effort to spend searching, and which offers to accept or reject (in the context of a job hunt, or likewise in other contexts like searching for a low price).

Job Hunting Abroad[]

When looking for a job abroad, a job seeker should make sure first to try and find out what his/her true personal goals and drivers are: who are you, what does intrinsically drive you and what are your goals in both work and life. Find out what kind of jobs and industries suit you based on your skills, interests and experiences. Remember self-assessment is the starting point for a successful job hunt. This means getting a clear picture of oneself: Your strengths, weaknesses, talents, challenges, preferences, values, work habits and lifestyle. With these things identified, one can then start job searching and find out how to fit into the job market.

One should note that working in a different country, requires a lot more that just good will and a fine resume, one should realise that he/she is bound to come across some unexpected differences. An example is what is called resume in the U.S., is called CV - Curriculum Vitae - in Europe. And whereas resumes are a reflection of your main accomplishments only, European CVs are detailed accounts of your education and work experience to date.

References[]

External links[]

State Employment Offices (U.S.)

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