1. Craigslist. You can search for jobs in your location in “Jobs,” you can post your resume in “Resumes,” you can post your services in “Services,” “Gigs” also offers some interesting opportunities as well, as well as searching by keyword(s).
2. Be specific. Is there a particular industry or company you would like to look for? Go straight to their website. Most companies have an “Employment” page. If it is by industry, make a list of the companies in your area and find their website for their employment page.
3. Search Google for “Best Companies to Work for in [City] [State]. That’s where you put the city and state you are looking to work. In Sacramento we have a magazine called Sacramento Magazine that does an issue called Great Places to Work. Many major cities will have a similar magazine for the locals to get to know and enjoy their city.
4. Attend Chamber of Commerce events. There are events that you can attend for free and you don’t have to be a member. You will be able to get to know some of the businesses that are out there and what they do. It is also an opportunity to network. Just look up your local Chamber of Commerce’s website “Events” or “Calendar.”
5. Network with the people you know. Let them know that if they hear of any opportunities to keep you on their radar. Or if you like the company or industry they work in, ask them questions on what you need to do to apply.
6. LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. You can join groups related to what it is that you do, you can list on your page that you are looking for job opportunities. There is a tab for jobs that relate to keywords that you list that will populate on your Home page if anyone lists a job opportunity. There is a “Find Jobs” tab to search job opportunities posted on LinkedIn. In the “More” tab you can find Events.
7. Government. Check out your local government. There is city, county, state, and federal. There is a bit of hoop jumping to these and the process can take some time, but it is well worth pursuing just to add more opportunities to your basket of eggs. You can also go to the USAJobs website. They won’t list everything available to the city, county, state, and federal, but the details of the job will provide you with links you can go to in the different areas of government service. Search Google to go directly to each government’s website by typing in, “State of [state] jobs,” “County of [county] jobs,” “City of [city] jobs,” and so on.
8. State Employment Office. California has a department call Employment Development Department that has offices where you can use their computers to take a typing test (at no charge for the speed test certificate), use their computers to create your resume and cover letter, and provide you with valuable resources for job and training opportunities.
9. Search. Two really great keyword searches is “[City] job banks” or [City] job listings.” These will provide you with a wide range of links to search.
10. Use your college resources. Many colleges have an employment department and being part of their alumni allows you to have access to their resources. Which reminds me, check out local college and business school websites in their employment section. They are not listed in the government sites and you won’t always find them in newspaper ads. I have rarely come across them in the conventional employment searches, so look up their direct websites. The perks with working for a college or university can include continuing education classes.
There is also the “old school” method by checking out your local newspaper, as well as looking at the smaller papers. Sacramento has a great paper call the Sacramento News & Review that is published weekly with information, event listings, and job ads. Also Yahoo and Monster. I wanted to give alternatives that would not necessarily have quite the volume of response, but would not discount these resources. The problem I have with using Yahoo, Monster, and newspaper ads is that, more than ever before, the ads listed are from employment agencies or temp services and wanted to minimize those in your search.
I hope this list gave you some ideas that you would not have thought of and expands your job search base. Jobs aren’t in just one place anymore, being the local newspaper back in the day. They are all over. Part of the responsibility of finding a job is seeking out and researching all your available resources. It is up to the job seeker to do their due diligence in what it takes to find your job.
Ultimately, make sure that you have your resume done well. It does not need to be done “professionally,” but it does have to be clean, organized, and error-free when it comes to spelling and sentence structure. Make it easy for the employer to scan over your resume and quickly assess the skills and experience you have to offer. Also, make every effort to have it reflect in your background what they are looking for in the position you are requesting to fill. With regards to the cover letter. A standard letter is fine as long as you have identified it well to personalize the content for the position, industry, and person you are sending it to.
There are still a lot of opportunities out there. Don’t take it personally if you are not selected. Keep going and keep your confidence intact. I never see it as a competition, its about finding the right opportunity and fit that is as individual as each one of us.
If you know someone who would love some additional ideas to get them motivated, take time to send this over to them. They’ll appreciate it. Also, I encourage your comment to give others ideas on what you have found helpful in searching out job opportunities. And, if you could use someone to look over your resume and give you suggestions, it is a service I provide and would be happy to discuss.
