Preparing for your Job Search

The good news is that there is plenty of very good (free!) information and assistance available to help you find your next job. The bad news is that it will take time to sift through all of it to find what works for you. But you can, and you will!

First, bookmark this page (or save it as a Favorite) so that you can easily return, and continue reading.

Decide What You Want to Do

It's impossible to find a job if you don't know what you want to do. It is the first question you will be asked when you say that you are job hunting.

There are many books that can help you (see our Career Resources Store), and career counselors are also available - free through your local state Employment Offices, for job seekers who qualify, or for a fee elsewhere. To find your state's Employment Office, check your local telephone book.

If you need help figuring out the answer to the "what do you want" question, the most frequently-used and -recommended book (for good reason!) is What Color Is Your Parachute, by Richard Bolles. The guidance and self-exploring exercises in this book should provide eye-opening insights for you. Dick Bolles Web site, JobHuntersBible (the nickname frequently used for his book), supplements the material in his book with material he personally selected - useful articles, information, and other resources.

Get Comfortable with Your Computer and Being Online.

You won't spend all your time in front of your computer (or you shouldn't), but you need to feel comfortable. It may increase your job market "value" and market competitiveness.

Need help or practice? Try these:

• Using and Searching the Web Tutorials Learn and/or review and practice the basics so that you are more efficient, and remember that practice always helps.
• A Beginner's Guide to Effective Email. It's very helpful, even if you have had experience with e-mail. Doing e-mail properly is more important to you now than ever before because it's frequently how you will introduce yourself to a potential employer.
• Researching Companies Online Tutorial This is a great place to start practicing your research skills and collecting useful information.

Note: be sure to purchase and install anti-virus software (e.g. Norton Antivirus, McAfee Antivirus, etc.) for your computer, and be sure to keep it up to date. Most antivirus software comes with an update subscription that needs to be renewed annually. An e-mailed resume with a computer virus attached won't be read and won't make a good impression!

Get Support for Your Job Search

More "heads" are definitely better than one - the old cliché is absolutely true, so don't do your job search in isolation. A solitary job search can be demoralizing, and it can also be more difficult because you'll only have access to what you find by yourself. Leverage the experience, expertise, and network of friends and colleagues, and don't forget to help others, too. You will all be more successful.

Friends, outplacement counselors, members of your church (or temple or where ever you practice your religion), former co-workers, your local government, your federal government, one of the independent job hunt support groups, career counselors, and/or a job search coach can help you enormously. They will help you find resources and contacts, keep your spirits up, give you ideas, help you explore you options, and give you a boot in the pants when you need one.

Check your local newspapers, your local state employment office, your church, and also the new Calendar, from the Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal.com. Or, borrow or buy a copy of Barbara Sher's wonderful Wishcraft book (used copies available from Amazon) and create your own "success team" for job search support.