Typically, job counselors teach conventional methods of searching for a job, “…check in the paper, sign up for online job boards, send out your resumé.”
Statistics show that less than 7 percent of jobs are acquired using those conventional methods.
Successful job searches rely on relationships with living persons.
Here is a great poster from Classes and Careers , things to keep in mind at your interview:
There are many suggestions about how much time should be put in daily while looking for a job. Some say “24/7;” others say an hour or two a day. One expert told me that the actual average time spent by job hunters is about ten minutes a day.
Whatever the approach, all time spent seeking a job should be done seriously, as if there was a time clock to punch. Once a habit is formed, the seeker can “go to work” every day.
A direct benefit of an habitual (read: busy) approach to job hunting is avoiding some of the current prejudice that unemployed persons suffer. If you are working, the “unemployed person radar” where you are scheduled for an interview will not beep when you walk in.
After you have done an assessment and gather objective ideas about who you really are and what you want to do with your life (like get a job), the next step is to develop a consistant look on your resume, cover letter, blogs, facebook comments, Linked-In remarks and anywhere else you share the idea that you are looking for a new job.
For now, do an internet search on “personal brand” and you will find out in detail what is being suggested for building your own brand.
The first serious act of an effective job search is do an assessment of your situation. If you are like most of the under-employed I have talked to, you don’t really know what your true skills set is. There are many places to do an assessment.
The Department of Labor has provided a great starting point for job seekers:
The State of Minnesota has a full range of job seeking ideas:
http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/JobSeekers/Find_a_Job/index.aspx
ISEEK is Minnesota’s comprehensive career, education, and job resource. This is a basic assessment site to help you focus your job search:
The Federal Government has a collection of ideas on many kind of jobs: 