Job Seeker Tips

More Job Seeker Tips

By Norma Bauer, Employment Specialist, Tuesday Night Job Club Facilitator, and WCGL Board Member

Don't Wait for an Employer to Post a Job Opening

Simply walk in dressed and groomed for an interview: Dress as if you’re prepared to go to work right that minute (see more information in Work Your Image! article in this issue, page ). Ask if the employer is taking applications. Be ready to complete an application, with a sample application in your pocket. Have complete information with you: all your start / end dates, rates of pay, supervisors’ names, duties/achievements, contact information, and references all detailed out. Bring a nice bond copy of your resume, targeted to the kind of business and position you are applying to (see February 2007 newsletter on development of a targeted resume), and attach it to the application. Have copies of letters of reference with you from people who can attest to your ability on the job, addressed “To Whom It May Concern.” Be ready to hand those in if they ask for references. Be very friendly and courteous to the person who takes your application. Be prepared for an on-the-spot interview.

If you have what they want, they could create a job for you.

You don’t have to wait until an employer puts a “Help Wanted” sign in the window, posts the opening to their Web site, or takes out an ad in the newspaper. A lot of employers don’t want to be flooded with 4,000 applications. They simply don’t have the capacity to host or update a Web site, create a detailed job posting, pay for an ad in the newspaper, or be bothered by hundreds of resumes and walk-in job seekers, many of whom are completely inappropriate for the kinds of jobs they have at that business (e.g., someone with a bachelor’s degree applying at a maid service)! Although most job seekers don’t realize it, most jobs are at little mom-and-pop places—small-to medium-sized family-owned neighborhood businesses. If you target only the fast food places, the big box stores, and the manufacturers who hire by cattle call, you’re putting yourself in competition with hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of other job seekers. Better to apply at all the other places where you want to work!