Working The Holiday Season

I am amazed at the job postings that continue throughout the holiday season. Today is Monday, December 22nd and the job boards are updating new career opportunities every day. Beyond the job boards, companies are not closed down until the New Year. I'm making a lot of networking contacts this time of year. There seems to be a lesser amount of stress making employers accessible and willing to meet with me. I met with a senior executive of a company after an introduction by a friend. Although there wasn't a specific job available, he told me that he was interested in my resume and wanted to share it with his colleagues. More to come....

Weeks 4-8

I talked to friends of mine to let them know I was looking for a job. One of my friends said he did not think his company was hiring, but he would check anyway. Turns out they were not hiring at the moment, but they wanted to interview me for upcoming positions.
That is a great example of trying to let everyone that you know that you are looking for a job. Also, get your own business cards made! One website to check out is vistaprint.com That is were I ordered mine. Business cards are an easy way to exchange information with someone, or just give them information. Just be sure to carry some in your wallet or purse at all times. Not that I have ever forgotten that, LoL.
My job hunting I limit to about one or two days a week. There are a few reasons that I do this. One being, there are not very many new applicable job postings from week to week. Two, I think it is more stressful to search everyday, especially when you do not see any new postings at all.
Check back for my next blog where I'll talk about a couple of interviews that I had in the last few weeks. With any luck by my next post I may have a new job!

Noah

First Post

As all of you can see, attending job fairs can bring about some interesting results, like an interview with Dave Price of WHO TV. This is my first post to all of you seeking employment during these difficult economic times. My message is to maintain a positive attitude and to remember that the career positions you are applying for with a myriad of companies will happen within their time frame not yours. This is probably the most frustrating aspect of the job search. We're excited by an interview, whether telephone or face to face, then apprehensive about the screening process and the perpetual wait to hear again from a prospective employer.

For those of you seeking a new career, especially professionals who are unemployed, you must take advantage of the great opportunities available to you free of charge at the Iowa Workforce Development Center (IWD) located at 430 E. Grand Avenue in Des Moines. This is not just the "unemployment office"!! Become a member of IWD and the doors open with friendly professionals who give you the respect you deserve, help you build your resume, brush up on your interviewing skills, and most importantly, assist you in finding the right job. I have even been able to network with outside corporate leaders from introductions by staff at IWD.

As I continue to pursue my next adventure in life, I will keep you informed through this blog. I really appreciate the many blogs that all of you have been posting. We are here to listen to and help each other. I'm grateful to meet so many of you online.

Steve

Week 1-4

Well, at first I performed the obvious. I went to all the similar companies in the area and dropped off a resume. Unfortunately only one was 'hiring'. I use this term loosely because while they were advertising for a position, I came to find out later that they were not actually going to hire someone until the market rebounded.
I also applied with a bunch of 'headhunter' companies. These companies actually seek out employee's for employer's. They basically do a lot of the work for you. I would highly recommend seeking out these type of companies. I also tried to let everyone that I knew that I was looking for a job. You never know who might know someone! This will come into play later on my next blog on how I got another interview.
I also checked in with my alumni association at Iowa State University and probably had the most success with finding applicable jobs initially. They have CMS 'Career Management Services' where employers can post job opportunities on the universities website and you can apply online.
Another avenue I pursued was the usual Des Moines help wanted, Monster Jobs, Career Builder, etc. I did have moderate success with finding applicable jobs at these type of locations as well.

Stay tuned for more updates next week.

Noah