Job search Tips and Tricks

NicWhite

Hi all,

I thought it would be a good idea to share with others stories about how you were able to acquire different positions over the years. Did you have to get increased certs or/and education? Did you just send out resumes for the want ads/internet? Were you referred by someone else? Did you happen to be in the right place at the right time? Were you hired by a family member or friend? Did you get a referral by someone on a forum such as techexams.net?

I think sharing some of these stories can be an encouragement to some of the people just starting out.

Let me start with my story. I do not work in IT. I am a nurse and over the years, I have held many jobs. In all cases except one they were all due to a referral by people I had met over the years. I am a very social person and make friends very easily so I think that worked in my favor. I am not afraid to ask for help or let people know what I would like to do to advance my career. You never know who can help you. I say be willing to put yourself out there.

I am also a very passionate person, so when I am excited about learning something or wanting to learn something, I volunteer to do it at work or at church or wherever and I share that excitement with others.

The only job that I have been able to secure by just cold applying is the job I currently have with working in the federal government. Like I said with everything else I knew someone that referred me.

I hope others will share some stories as well. I will continue to add to this thread.

NicWhite

Here are some additional tips for people trying to get fedreal employment:

1. Create an account and set up a job search that sends you notification evry day for your search criteria. The reason is because some jobs are only open for a very short time. Sometimes only days and you may be missing out on applying if you only check the site one a week.

2. When you do apply for jobs try to be as detailed as possible in the resume. The government is different than the private sector. The more detail, the better. This is also how they will decide to set your pay. I have seen resumes 5 pages in length. Also, add any volunteer service you have done, special project outside of work, anything you've published, etc. If you have information that supports outcomes in your job performance write your resume in that way. Ex: a project you worked on increased productivity by 15%.

3. Read the job announcement thoroughly. When a job annoucement is made, there are certain documents that are required. Make sure that you provide those documents before the announcement closes. If you do not provide all the required documents, your application will be thrown out. It does not matter if you are the most qualified for the job. You must turn in all the docements they require.

4. Be prepared to interview with at least three people. Usually they have performance based questions and each person takes a turn in asking you the questions. This can kind of be surprising for people who have never gone through the process. Sample question: Think of a time when you were faced with a difficult situation at work. What did you do and what was the outcome?

5. Know that this is usually a long process. The government takes a long time to do most things. It is not uncommon to wait weeks for an interview and months before a start date. The longest I have waited to start employment from the time I was interviewed is 5 months. But I know of people where its has taken longer. But you may get lucky and its much shorter. I just want you to be aware that there can be quite a wait.

That's all I have for now. If I think of anything else I will be back to share.

redz

I use a combination Google Hacking and Cyber-Stalking, mostly. It's actually really creeper-ish. I find out everything about the person who posted the job - their (work) email addresses, (work) phone number, etc. Then I give them a call. It's pretty easy to get on someone's good side after looking at their Facebook, MySpace (it's still there), Google+, and sometimes LinkedIn profile. Between those and the normal company culture research, you're basically already in.

You're much more likely to get a call back from someone that you've spoken to on the phone, who enjoys talking to you (at least in passing) prior to submitting your resume, because if you're polite, friendly, and have a sense of humor, they're going to be looking for your resume.

I rarely submit my resume into a resume eating webapp unless I know that a person on the other end is waiting for it. If you do submit resumes that way, you're pretty much wasting your time - I have literally never even heard of anyone getting a job that way. (EDIT: I'm sure it's happened, I've just never seen/heard of it happening - it may not even be all that rare)

Now, I'm generally really picky about companies I speak with, so I already have a pretty good idea that it's going to be a good fit before I ever make a phone call.

EDIT: Wow. After re-reading that, I sound like a terrible human. Please don't judge me too harshly for using my powers for evil, TE.