How do YOU go about finding a new job?

When looking for a new job, which avenues do you take and which have you found to work the best?

1) Search National Job boards (Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, etc.)
2) Peruse Local classifieds
3) Sign up with staffing agencies (Force3, Robert Half, etc.)
4) Contact local headhunters/recruiter

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Comments

darkerosxx

5.) Internship while in school that leads to a full-time job.

networker050184

I always contact companies I want to work for directly even if I don't see any jobs posted. This has been the way I have found to be the most successful. It shows the initiative and desire to work for their company. You will also have a lot less competition if they do not have positions posted on large job boards.

I usually leave my resume on the major boards because you never know if someone with your dream job might find it and contact you. It is a little annoying getting all the emails and calls for horrible jobs, but I guess its worth it.

Megadeth4168

Good Question... I haven't looked for a new job in over 8 years.....

meadIT

Megadeth4168 wrote:

Good Question... I haven't looked for a new job in over 8 years.....

Yeah, that's my situation also. I've been with the same company since 2000 and am thinking it's time to see what's out there, but not quite sure what the best route is these days.

LarryDaMan

darkerosxx wrote:

5.) Internship while in school that leads to a full-time job.

Great option. My wife landed a sweet position and a security clearance with the State Department through an internship.

You may have to work for free or for peanuts during the internship but the job possibilities and professional networking benefits make it worth it.

astorrs

6) Call up all your contacts and ask if they know of anything that might be up your alley. If it is, ask them to refer/recommend you to the company.

learningtofly22

astorrs wrote:

6) Call up all your contacts and ask if they know of anything that might be up your alley. If it is, ask them to refer/recommend you to the company.

I second that. Networking (the human kind, not the computer kind!) is the #1 best way to get a job. Classifieds are said to give you less than a 5% chance at getting the job. Also, contacting the company you're interested in directly(as another poster said) is a great way as well.

"What Color Is Your Parachute" is a good book on the this very topic.

gojericho0

astorrs wrote:

6) Call up all your contacts and ask if they know of anything that might be up your alley. If it is, ask them to refer/recommend you to the company.

+1 Always build bridges and never burn them

JDMurray

LinkedIn.com is filled with both job opportunities and recruiters. I'm always on there looking for both.

Slowhand

Well, condsidering that I was laid off today, I think this thread's right up my alley. I usually do it in the following order:

1.) Post up my resume on job-sites, (gives recruiters and hiring managers a chance to come to me.)

2.) I spend a bit of time searching each job-site, then on to other ads, like Craigslist, for example.

3.) I'll call up my friends, collegues, former co-workers, etc., and see what advice and/or recommendations they have for me.

4.) Check particular companies I know have been hiring in the past, or that I'm interested in working for, to see if there are any openings.

5.) Take the impromptu "vacation" of not having work and spend some time first relaxing to clear my head, then studying, in order to beef up my resume and help me find a job.

6.) Drink heavily, (possibly stop when I've found a job. . . maybe).

famosbrown

When I was in the maket, I would just send my resume to any and every interesting job on Careerbuilder and DICE. I would usually get phone calls or emails for setting up phone or face to face interviews based on the resume. Also having your resume (CV) accessible on those websites have gotten me a lot of surprised calls and emails for jobs not even posted on those sites. The employers would just use the database for their own search and pick candidates for jobs not posted.

Keywords in Resumes are key...key words that the job is looking for...TCP/IP, MCSE, Server, RAID, Exchange, Resolved, Supervised, Lead, Designed, Implemented, etc., etc.

That's how I've found jobs in the past. My current job is a little different because it is a result of a degree, certifications, having previous work stick in stakeholder's minds, and not burning bridges a couple of years ago.

TryPingingTheServer

darkerosxx wrote:

5.) Internship while in school that leads to a full-time job.

Most effective way to find a job....EVER.

networker050184

Slowhand wrote:

Well, condsidering that I was laid off today, I think this thread's right up my alley. I usually do it in the following order:

1.) Post up my resume on job-sites, (gives recruiters and hiring managers a chance to come to me.)

2.) I spend a bit of time searching each job-site, then on to other ads, like Craigslist, for example.

3.) I'll call up my friends, collegues, former co-workers, etc., and see what advice and/or recommendations they have for me.

4.) Check particular companies I know have been hiring in the past, or that I'm interested in working for, to see if there are any openings.

5.) Take the impromptu "vacation" of not having work and spend some time first relaxing to clear my head, then studying, in order to beef up my resume and help me find a job.

6.) Drink heavily, (possibly stop when I've found a job. . . maybe).

I'm really sorry to hear that Slowhand. It looks like you have plan already and I'm sure you will be back working in no time!

snadam

networker050184 wrote:

Slowhand wrote:

Well, condsidering that I was laid off today, I think this thread's right up my alley. I usually do it in the following order:

1.) Post up my resume on job-sites, (gives recruiters and hiring managers a chance to come to me.)

2.) I spend a bit of time searching each job-site, then on to other ads, like Craigslist, for example.

3.) I'll call up my friends, collegues, former co-workers, etc., and see what advice and/or recommendations they have for me.

4.) Check particular companies I know have been hiring in the past, or that I'm interested in working for, to see if there are any openings.

5.) Take the impromptu "vacation" of not having work and spend some time first relaxing to clear my head, then studying, in order to beef up my resume and help me find a job.

6.) Drink heavily, (possibly stop when I've found a job. . . maybe).

I'm really sorry to hear that Slowhand. It looks like you have plan already and I'm sure you will be back working in no time!

Im really sorry to hear that. Im sure the reason wasn't performance based. Just be sure that whatever you do, step 6 is always done last

and yes, this is great advice from all members, as there are alot of us job hunting (and fortunately in different markets

)

dynamik

Ouch. Sorry to hear that Slowhand.

Remember, you're also totally l33t, so I'm sure you'll find something in the near future

astorrs

That's horrible news Slowhand, you're in the bay area right? PM me, I have a few contacts there.

AmpdChaos

its all about networking and getting your name out there.. apply for all you can..

TechJunky

Put my resume on careerbuilder.com and let the company contact me. Has worked excellent so far.

famosbrown

Slowhand wrote:

Well, condsidering that I was laid off today, I think this thread's right up my alley. I usually do it in the following order:

1.) Post up my resume on job-sites, (gives recruiters and hiring managers a chance to come to me.)

2.) I spend a bit of time searching each job-site, then on to other ads, like Craigslist, for example.

3.) I'll call up my friends, collegues, former co-workers, etc., and see what advice and/or recommendations they have for me.

4.) Check particular companies I know have been hiring in the past, or that I'm interested in working for, to see if there are any openings.

5.) Take the impromptu "vacation" of not having work and spend some time first relaxing to clear my head, then studying, in order to beef up my resume and help me find a job.

6.) Drink heavily, (possibly stop when I've found a job. . . maybe).

That is a bummer

!! You are very talented, so they lost more. I am sure you will get an even better job soon.

sharptech

JDMurray wrote:

LinkedIn.com is filled with both job opportunities and recruiters. I'm always on there looking for both.

How do you find the recruiters on LinkedIn? I searched for jobs in the area I was looking for and only a few came up.

Also sorry to hear Slowhand - I wish you the best and hope you get a job real soon!

gojericho0

slowhand, i can't image you being off the market for long. i if you don't want to enjoy the little break you find some opportunity next week

scheistermeister

Sorry to hear that Slowhand.

On the subject of the thread I can't really add anything.

Slowhand

Thanks for the support, guys. I've got my resume up and out there as of yesterday, I've been pinging people that I know about jobs, and I'm keeping busy between searches with 70-293 studying, reading Routing TCP/IP Volume I, and reading a nice, thick novel. I'll keep you guys posted on my progress.

jamesp1983

Slowhand wrote:

Well, condsidering that I was laid off today, I think this thread's right up my alley. I usually do it in the following order:

1.) Post up my resume on job-sites, (gives recruiters and hiring managers a chance to come to me.)

2.) I spend a bit of time searching each job-site, then on to other ads, like Craigslist, for example.

3.) I'll call up my friends, collegues, former co-workers, etc., and see what advice and/or recommendations they have for me.

4.) Check particular companies I know have been hiring in the past, or that I'm interested in working for, to see if there are any openings.

5.) Take the impromptu "vacation" of not having work and spend some time first relaxing to clear my head, then studying, in order to beef up my resume and help me find a job.

6.) Drink heavily, (possibly stop when I've found a job. . . maybe).

Aw man, good luck dude!! I'm sure you'll find a place in no time.

BradleyHU

XtreemeChaos wrote:

When looking for a new job, which avenues do you take and which have you found to work the best?

1) Search National Job boards (Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, etc.)
2) Peruse Local classifieds
3) Sign up with staffing agencies (Force3, Robert Half, etc.)
4) Contact local headhunters/recruiter

Iight, let me say this. Monster is the best well known job boards site, careerbuilder is hot garbage, every once in a while will you see a decent job on there, most of them are for staffing agencies. i got my current job thru monster. i'ma put you on to some IT sites:
http://federaljobsearch.com (i think you have to pay for this one...been a few years since i signed up for all these, so i dont remember exactly)
http://computerjobs.com
http://usajobs.gov

yeah the local classifieds is good. also look @ universities & hospitals.
me personally, i dont do the staffing agencies, they've never come thru for me, even tho i hear Robert Half is the real deal
definitely get a head hunter.

also i would suggest lookin up company websites in your city/town. if you live in a fairly big city, look up law firms, architect firms, construction firms. oh i almost forgot...look up civic jobs on your state or city website.

astorrs wrote:

6) Call up all your contacts and ask if they know of anything that might be up your alley. If it is, ask them to refer/recommend you to the company.

co-sign to the fullest extent. i might have a job lined up through a referal a friend of mine made for me @ his job. This is usually the best way to even get an interview.

techimaster

One of the best ways to find a job in todays times (if you can put up with them!) is to use Agents. Upload your CV to the popular job sites e.g. cwjobs, monster.

You'll usually get flooded with calls but if you filter through them you can pick out the best jobs.

Only downside with this technique is that a BIG chunk of the salary goes to the agent as comission!

sharptech

networker050184 wrote:

I always contact companies I want to work for directly even if I don't see any jobs posted. This has been the way I have found to be the most successful. It shows the initiative and desire to work for their company. You will also have a lot less competition if they do not have positions posted on large job boards.

I usually leave my resume on the major boards because you never know if someone with your dream job might find it and contact you. It is a little annoying getting all the emails and calls for horrible jobs, but I guess its worth it.

What do you usually say when contacting companies w/ no job openings, but one who you would like to work for? I have a few in mind that I would not mind trying this approach.

networker050184

Just express your interest in the company. Do some research on the company and then let them know how your skills could benefit them. It may not work every time (what method does?) but if you can get a hold of a manager and make a good impression you have a good shot of getting ahead of the rest of the competition.

I called one company and talked to the manager for a while, but he didn't have any openings. A few months later he called me back and said someone was leaving and they had a position. Unfortunately I had already found something in the mean time (with the same method but they had a position posted).

It never hurts to try from all angles!

sharptech

networker050184 wrote:

Just express your interest in the company. Do some research on the company and then let them know how your skills could benefit them. It may not work every time (what method does?) but if you can get a hold of a manager and make a good impression you have a good shot of getting ahead of the rest of the competition.

I called one company and talked to the manager for a while, but he didn't have any openings. A few months later he called me back and said someone was leaving and they had a position. Unfortunately I had already found something in the mean time (with the same method but they had a position posted).

It never hurts to try from all angles!

Sounds good - thanks. I will make a few phone calls, as you said always good to at least get your resume on file in case something opens up.