Your Job Search!

1. ICSC The Key to Your Future Your Job Search! Internship & Career Services CenterNorth Carolina Wesleyan College

2. Presentation Outline • Networking • Direct Marketing • Mail • Telephone • Answer Ads • Employment Agencies

3. Networking

4. Networking • People connecting through other people. • 75% of all US jobs are not advertised!

5. Why? • 2 Reasons: • Referrals are seen by hiring managers as less of a risk than prospects they have no information on. • 88% of employers surveyed said that “employee referrals” brought the highest quality applicants • Advertising jobs costs $$$.

6. Building Your Network • Friends & Relatives • Professors • High School Teachers, Previous Coworkers, Teammates, etc. • Preacher • Coaches • Consider how the person referring you might be perceived. You don’t want someone with a poor reputation recommending you.

7. Building Your Network • You probably know at least 50 people = your Primary Network • Each of those people know another 50 people = your Secondary Network • That adds up to potentially 2,500 helping in your job search!

8. How to start? • Set a goal – talk to 5 people every day and make notes of ways people say they might be able to help. • What to say? • Give them your resume and ask them to pass it on if they hear of anything. • Follow up with them weekly. • Network right up until an appealing job offer comes in!

9. Direct Marketing Mail

10. Direct Marketing (mail) • 2/3 of all job hunters send letters asking for an interview – gets the resume in someone’s hands! • How to find addresses & phone numbers: • Online Phone Directories • Chambers of Commerce • Employment Security Commission

11. How successful is this? • 50 letters = 1 interview • Keep in mind not all companies have immediate openings but something may open up in a month! • Just 1!!! Why bother??? • That 1 could be the perfect 1 and you never know where the others may lead down the road. • If you aren’t into networking this is almost a must!

12. How much will it cost? • Postage, envelops, printing, etc. • Estimate approx. 45 cents per letter or $22.50 per interview • Get more for your money with 2 steps! • Call ahead to get the correct spelling of the name and title of the person in charge of the department you are interested in rather than “To whom it may concern”, “Attn: Manager”, etc. • After a few days of sending, follow up via phone and ask for an interview! --> This should increase your your results to 3 interviews!

13. Direct Marketing Telephone

14. Direct Marketing (phone) • Businesses earn $100 billion annually by selling products over the phone. Why can’t you sell yourself this way?! • Managers will talk with you but plan what you will say in advance! • Elevator Speech! • Practice makes perfect… keep making calls even if the first few don’t go so well. What’s the worst they can say? What’s the best? Is it worth it?

15. Direct Marketing (phone) • When should I call? • Before 10am. Managers can get busy with meetings and such after this time. • If you are told he/she is unavailable ask for a better time to call, leave a voice message, and call back again at the recommended time. • What if they’re not hiring? • Don’t get discouraged. Thank them for their time and move on to the next call. • How well does this work? • 1 interview per 15 calls made

16. Answer Ads

17. Answer Ads • Newspapers • Online • Monster, Career Builder, Hot Jobs, etc. • ICSC Online Postings • Local/regional job sites (ESC, East Carolina Help Wanted, Raleigh Jobs, etc.)

18. Narrowing online search options • Begin with large general sites • Next, move to local job sites • Look for specialty sites (specific to your industry) • Determine your top 10 employers and make a point to visit the HR portion of their site weekly and apply for any jobs of interest.

19. How to respond • Read for specific job requirements “the ideal candidate will…” • Write a personal letter to EACH employer matching yourself to their job requirements • If you don’t have something they have requested supplement with something else you do have and explain how it can benefit them. • Include a copy of your resume and send it in the method requested in the ad (in the letter include a job # if in the ad).

20. Keep track! • Stay organized by saving an electronic and paper version of every letter you send out and job announcement you respond to. • Also save copies of any correspondence between you and the employer. • Keep these files with you at all times in case you get a call. If you’re not prepared, don’t answer the phone. • Remember that it could take a few weeks to hear something but you should follow up.

21. Employment Agencies

22. Employment Agencies • 20,000 in the US • They play “match-maker” • Receive staffing requests from companies and then recruit and screen candidates before sending the best to the company for an interview. • These aren’t all the same • Some are field-specific, some are general • Some temp only, some permanent only

23. Employment Agencies • Benefits • Getting your foot in the door • ¾ of all temporary workers are eventually offered permanent jobs • Learning new skills since some agencies provide training • Building contacts & references • Where to find agencies • Chambers of Commerce, Yellow Pages • Look for categories like “employment”, “staffing”, “recruiting”, etc.

24. Reference • This presentation was adapted from The Job Hunting Handbook (2008) by Harry Dahlstrom