Advice on Job Search

[Suzanne & Jack]

I am embarking on a new job search and could use some advice.  It has been nearly 20 years seems I have been in the job market so needless to say I'm a little overwhelmed.  I have posted my resume on most of the search engines.  If anyone has any words of wisdom I would appreciate it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

According to what I've read posting for a job is OK but don't expect much. Networking and of course knowing someone are much more effective. Don't take it personally if you get little feedback. Of course, how to go about a job search depends a lot on what kind of job you are looking for. Good luck.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I, too, have heard that networking is the most productive option for job searches. I know when I was employed, every single person hired in our department was at least a friend of a friend. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What field?

[Suzanne & Jack]

I've been in retail support my entire career.  The past 11 years working for a luxery retailer doing merchandising.  I'm a little spoiled since my hours have been great for retail.  I've reached a point where I'm not challenged and would like to do something else, possibly in distribution.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I would target specific companies you think you would like to work for and research them. Then find out who to send your resume to making sure that you tailor your resume to where you feel you would fit in with that company. Keep it all as brief as possible and think hard about your covering letter making sure that you inject a little mystery to it. By that I mean make them curious so they will want to interview you. Getting to the interview stage is the hardest part so you need to stand out from the crowd. 

[BG and Gavin]

I went through this last year after 25 years out of the market.  Here was the key to my success.  I delivered my resume and cover letter in person to the departments that I was interested in.  I got lucky a couple of times and actually got to meet and shake hands with the person in charge but other times I got the admin assistant.  I did my very best to make a good impression on the admin assistant in those cases because I know that the AA is the one who holds a great deal of influence in the office.   After a couple of weeks I sent a hand written note to the head or AA (whichever one I spoke to) telling them it was nice to meet with them and that I remained interested in the department (etc.)  After that I got a "bite."  I was emailed an invitation to attend an info day for students and parents for one of the programs.  I did my networking with the other staff, students, parents and met the department head that day.  After that I sent an email to say thanks for the great session and it made me more interested than ever.  A couple of months later an opening came up and they thought of me (due to my stalking technique lol).  Seriously I got my name out there enough to get the offer.  I did hiring for many years and there is absolutely no substitute for personal contact to make an impression.

[Adrienne]

I would also add that if there are any networking groups and/or professional organizations pertaining to your field, join them.  This is a great way to network and talk to others in the field.  You will also have access to job openings prior to them being posted elsewhere.  Good luck in your search.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Join LinkedIn.  Many recruiters use that website to find people that could potentially be a good fit for a position that they are trying to fill.  If there are specific companies that you would like to work for, check out the job postings on their websites directly.  Don't expect too much from websites like Monster and CareerBuilder.  I think companies have kind of gotten away from using those.

[Suzanne & Jack]

Done

[Jean, Rylee and Cooper]

I agree with Amy.  We own a company and we have found LinkedIn to be very valuable.  Better than Monster and CareerBuilder.

[Suzanne & Jack]

Thanks everyone. Just starting the search and thinking that I want to get out of the retail scene.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree with targeting the companies that you want, within the geographic area you need and keep checking their websites job listings. Then start "stalking" like BruceGirl mentioned. That works very well too!