In our technology-saturated world, the job search has become an untraceable system of cell phones, emails, online job boards, networking websites and social media outlets. At times, it’s impossible to know where to begin, and usually, it’s difficult to know which methods are tested and reliable. Job boards can lead you on wild goose chases. Posting your resume can lead to unwanted solicitations from head hunters or recruiters. Sending out mass emails to multiple employers with your resume attached is an easy way to be ignored. At times like this, it may be useful for the technology-driven job seekers of the newer generations to take a minute and hark back to the days when the buzz didn’t exist.
How did your parents, or your grandparents, find their first jobs? What avenues of job searching did they employ to help them search successfully? If we think back to the days when you couldn’t email, text, Tweet or check-in, what might we discover that could be useful in giving your own job search a boost?
1. Cold calling
If you’ve done your research and know of a company you’d like to work for, why wait for a position to show up on their website? Pick up the phone and call! Ask for the hiring manager, introduce yourself, and inquire about available openings.
2. Walk-ins
It’s debatable whether or not this is a good method of finding a job, but at times it can be highly effective. Since the opportunity for face-to-face conversations seems to be losing its appeal to job hunters and job seekers alike, walking into a company to inquire about a position shows a level of tenacity that is almost unseen these days. If you take a chance, you may just impress the right hiring manager with your confidence and your bold initiative.
3. Use the newspaper
The classified ads were a great way to find employment before the advent of the internet and the overwhelming plethora of job posting websites. The good ‘ole printed word is still available today. Get your fingers a little inky and spread a newspaper on the kitchen counter. This is an effective way to find immediate openings in your community instead of sifting through a website that may allow postings from all over the country or even throughout the world.
4. Word-of-mouth
This could also be known as networking. Tell those you see on a regular basis that you’re actively seeking employment. Hand them your business card and ask if they’ll keep an eye out for you and spread the word. If your neighbor, Miss Cindy, happens to know the grocer whose nephew just opened his own law firm and happens to be looking for a copywriter, well then, how fortunate!
5. Do as Dad did
If you’re not inspired by any certain career path, maybe consider what other members of your family have done in their professional careers and join the family business, or follow in their footsteps. If nothing else, you’ll probably get a good family history lesson and you may make a few business contacts out of Dad’s old golf buddies.
Do you think there are some other tips you can nab from your baby boomers? Share with us in the comments section below!
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by NS Newsflash
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