Al P's Tips on how to prepare for a job search and score that dream job

Finding and obtaining employment is a process that everyone will go through in there lifetime. It may be a long and nerve-racking process for some, but if you take a few of my tips and directions into consideration I'm sure your next job search will be a little less stressful. There are numerous preliminary steps that should be taken into consideration when searching for employment, and the most important step is deciding on what you would like to do. You can look through books, websites, and talk to people in different lines of work to help you narrow down your choices(Dorbin). Doing this will give you a basic consensus on what certain jobs require and entail on a day to day basis. If your leaning towards a particular career it's a good idea to meet with someone that is currently in that career and "pick their brain". This is when you should be asking any and all questions that you have pertaining to the job and it's duties, such as:

• How did you choose this profession?
• What coursework and training prepared you for this profession?
• what do you like most/least about your job?
• What do you do in a typical day?(Dorbin)

Once you are set on a career path you should begin searching for a local internship or volunteer program that relates to the type of employment you're interested in. Internships are a great way to gain work experience,this is something that will set you apart from the stack of resumes on an employers desk. Speaking of resumes, if you don't have one already the time to start building one is now. Resumes should be put together over a period of time and should be updated on a regular basis. A resume may be the first thing an employer may see so it needs to be as close to perfect as possible and contain information that sets you apart from the rest. Most college students will not have a job waiting for them when they graduate college, that's why it's a good idea to start searching for a job 6 months before you graduate. There are many ways to search for a job, but one of the most common today is by the internet. There are many free job search engines online including:

• www.Monster.com
• www.indeed.com
• www.careerbuilder.com
• www.headhunters.com
• and many more(Dorbin)

A few other ways to search for employment are through your personal contacts, the newspaper, and a letter of inquiry. A letter of inquiry is a letter sent to an employer asking if they are currently hiring. After submitting applications and resumes you will finally get the call you've been waiting for; a time, place, and date for an interview with your possible future employer. When you enter the interview you should be calm, prepared, and have your resume and all other important documents at your side. After your interview you should send a follow-up letter thanking the interviewer for there time and the opportunity to interview for the position. Now you have to wait, which is probably the hardest part of the job search, but you will eventually receive the good news that you got the job. Searching for and obtaining employment is not an easy task, but hopefully some of the tips listed above stick a make your job search just a little bit easier.

References:

Dorbin, Sidney I., Christopher J. Keller and Christian R. Weisser. Technical Communication: In the Twenty-First Century. Upper Sadle,NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.