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Five-step method helps job searchers
Job hunters should study the markets
By ROBERT B. NELSON
Most people feel they know how
to get a job; few actually do. Faith
fully they study the Sunday want
ads or consult with search firms
who promise them the position
they want. They nod their heads
in discouraged agreement when
they hear that the economy is tight
and jobs are hard to find. They
don’t know it, but through their
actions they exclude themselves
from most opportunities. They be
come their own worst enemy in
the job hunt, setting obstacles for
themselves that no employer
would ever dream of imposing.
Enlighten Your Search
Enlightened job hunters, on
the other hand start out with very
different beliefs about their ability
to find a job. Never doubting that
they will get a job, they instead
focus their energy on getting the
right job for them. Their know
ledge of the job market sets them
apart from those less aware.
They recognize that 1) there are
two to four million positions open
in the U. S. at any given time, and
at least one million positions open
in the worst of times; 2) 80 percent
of all jobs are unadvertised; and 3)
want ads and search firms are used
as a last resort for most employers.
The person who knows how to
find a job knows that the average
American worker will f) change
jobs every three and one half
years, 2) change careers up to five
times, and 3) has only a 20 percent
chance of enjoying work.
This information gives the mod
ern job hunter a new foundation
from which to start. The enlight
ened job hunter takes this infor
mation and builds a very different
job campaign which not only re
sults in a job, but also allows for
the job hunter to maintain confi
dence and self-esteem in the job
hunting process.
The enlightened job hunter is
resolved not merely to find a sing
le job, but to learn job-hunting
skills that will be used over and
over again. Whether you are a sea
soned job hunter or are looking for
your first position, the following
proven five-step method provides
the essentials of what you need to
know and do to get the job you
want.
STEP I: Objectives
By ROBERT B. NELSON
The first step in the effective
job hunt seems simple, but can
be quite difficult. It is to ask
yourself what you want to do.
Ask yourself, because no one
else can tell you what you need
to be happy or successful.
The more clearly you define
your objective, the better your
chances will be of obtaining it.
Answering the following ques
tion will help to guide you:
Given no restrictions, what
would your ideal job be?
What do you visualize yourself
doing in five or ten years?
How would you like to spend
your time each day?
What would your working' en
vironment be like?
Whom would you prefer to
work with ?In what capacity?
What activities (paid or unpaid)
have you most enjoyed?
Which activities have you been
best at?
What speciBcally do you like ab
out the activities you most
enjoy?
What are your criteria for
selecting a job you will be
happy with?
What factors are essential to
your acceptance of a posi
tion, and which are prefer
red but not essential?
If you work through these
questions and convince yourself
of the validity of your answers,
you will have an easier time in
convincing a potential em
ployer, so do not skip the im
portant step!