If you’re currently seeking employment, the job market in
- #1 Job Growth (source US Bureau of Labor Statistics – March 2007)
- #1 Lowest Cost of Living among 24 MSAs with population greater than 2M (source ACCRA Cost of Living Index 2006)
Whether you already live in
1. CREATE A QUALITY RESUME
The first thing you need in any job search is an outstanding resume.
This is the first thing that potential employers will see about you and will give them a chance to understand your areas of expertise, where you have been before, and what you are looking for in your current job search.
Because this will be the first impression you make, you absolutely must make your resume as professional as it can be. If you don’t have the necessary skills, or don’t know how to make a professional resume, there are many firms in
2. SEARCH AVAILABLE JOBS
The next thing that needs to be done is to find out who is hiring. You can do this by searching the
There are many job banks online (I've included links to most of the major ones below) that will provide a wide variety of the current jobs available to help you get started in your job search. You should check out:
One-Stop Resume Posting to Over 75 Career Sites. Click Here
Apply for a job now at Yahoo! HotJobs
Another great way to find out who is hiring is by getting help from job agencies. These agencies have access to many employers that are currently looking for people. The agency’s contacts may not even be advertising on the job banks or in newspapers so teaming up with one is always a great idea. They can also offer job search advice, including writing a great resume.
3. NETWORK
You'll want to reach out to your friends, former business associates, alumni groups you belong to, your Realtor, church groups and other contacts to help you network.
Most jobs are found through relationships. Create your "elevator pitch" (your 30 second commerical on you - your background, what kind of job you're looking for, why you'll be a good employee).
PS - I've been able to help a lot of friends find jobs, if you're looking for contacts or a position in Houston, please email me at paige@houstonproperties.com
4. APPLY FOR JOBS
At this stage it doesn't hurt to apply for almost every related job that you find. Most people find that they need to go through one or two interviews before they get "warmed up." This means that you typically do not want your first interview be for your "dream job."
5. INTERVIEW
Once you have applied, employers will begin contacting you for interviews. The interview is just as important, if not more so, than your resume.
This will be the first meeting between you and the employer so it’s important that you are at top performance during the meeting.
Often a person can become very nervous for these interviews, especially if it’s for a job that they especially want. The important thing to remember is that it should just be looked at as a meeting to see if you and the company will make a good fit.
The employer will have certain expectations of you but you will also have certain expectations of the company. The interview is simply a chance to find this information out and going in with that attitude, can take away a lot of the anxiety.
6. FOLLOW UP
You may think that once the interview has taken place, there is nothing left to do but wait. This is simply not true. To try and secure the job that you are seeking, it’s important to let the interviewer know that you realize how valuable their time is and to thank them for taking the time to meet with you.
This will not only make you stand out in the eye of the employer but it will also give you a chance to try and get a feel for what the interviewer thought of the interview. Keep the phone call short though.
You just want to thank them for their time and reinforce the idea that let them know that you are looking forward to hearing from them.
Finding a job in
