GRAD STUDENTS : a 4-Point Job Search Strategy

Posted by: SandyJTResumes | on December 7, 2013

Follow this 4-Point Job Search Strategy to Land a Job in the Private Sector.

Private Sector Job Boards
Networking Opportunities
Proactive Job Search Techniques
Advice from Major Universities

“Your mission, Grad Students, should you choose to accept it, is to embark on a 4-Point Path to your new job. Good luck, Grad Students.”

A few weeks ago we answered a Grad Student question about how to treat a CV when looking for a job in the private sector. The same Grad Student also asked me, “How do I search for jobs in the private sector.” She knew all the academic job boards to utilize, but not the private sector ones.

If searching for a job in the private sector feels a little like “Mission Impossible,” I have 4 methods that will make it Mission POSSIBLE.

1. JOB BOARDS: First of all, I asked the graduate student if she had posted her resume on any of the academic job boards. She replied that she just used the academic job boards to search for jobs and to do some light networking and information gathering. That’s a good start, but you MUST post your resume on job boards – that goes for academic job boards as well as private sector job boards. Just as you are searching for jobs, recruiters and managers are searching the boards for likely candidates. And there are many, many job boards to choose from. A virtual treasure trove. Here is a link to website with a large number of well-known job boards in many categories. You can both search and post your resume on these boards.

List of Job Search Boards on JobTownResumes.com
Caution: When you post your resume on job boards, take appropriate precautions with your address and personal information. You may want to set up an email specifically for capturing and responding to job queries and job offers. And you can always purchase a pre-paid cell phone to accept job-related phone calls.

2. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. That should be #1 on anyone’s list. Use your Social Media tools to your advantage. Set up a professional LinkedIn page and join professional job and academic groups there. Use networking on LinkedIn, at Job Fairs, on Twitter, and in Alumni Associations to your advantage.

Job Fairs: A career fair or job fair is a good option to include in your job search plan. Career fairs can range from “real life” multi-employer events to online job fairs. Here is a guide to help you optimize your time at a job fair. How to Use Job Fairs and Career Fairs from About.com

LinkedIn.com: LinkedIn, a directory of professionals and companies, is used for networking, job searching, hiring, company research, and connecting with affiliates, including alumni, industry, and a variety of other business related groups. Here are directions on how to set up a profile on LinkedIn and use it for job searches. How to use LinkedIn for job search networking

Twitter: Twitter, a social networking and microblogging service, can be utilized for job search as well as microblogging. Companies use it to post jobs, so individuals can use it to search for jobs. Here are articles on the best approaches and the Twitter job search engine.

a. How to use Twitter for networking and job searches from About.com

b. How to use Twitter for job searches from Mashable.com

c. Social Media for networking and job searches from US News Money Careers

Alumni Associations: Use Alumni Associations for mentoring advice and networking, but be careful to observe proper etiquette. Sometimes too bold an approach through Alumni Associations can backfire. Etiquette of using Alumni Associations for networking from The Ladders.

3. PROACTIVE JOB SEARCHES: Use each job board’s search engine to perform targeted job searches. Indeed.com is a robust job search board/engine that pulls jobs in from thousands of web sites and job boards.

On social media, use the hashtag (#) with the type of job you are looking for to perform targeted job searches.

Social Media for job searches, US News Careers
List Job Search engines, JobTownResumes.com
indeed.com: One of the most robust job board search engines is indeed.com. It enables you to search millions of job listings from thousands of websites, job boards, newspapers, blogs, company career pages, and associations to find job listings that match or are similar to your search query. All searches can be saved and emailed to you or an email alert set, so new jobs are delivered daily. It keeps you from having to go to each job board to do your search. Using a job search engine will save you time and effort, because you can search many of the top job sites at once.

4. RESOURCES FROM MAJOR UNIVERSITY CAREER CENTERS: Non-Academic Career Options for PhDs in the Humanities and Social Sciences – Advice from Columbia University, Harvard University, and the University of California at Los Angeles. They have listed numerous resources. These are a great websites.

If you follow these guidelines, your mission should be successful. Don’t get discouraged. Keep at it.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

But YOU KNOW THAT. It took amazing persistence to get where you are!!