5 things you must do to find a job – part 3

The following is the third part of a FIVE PART SERIES consisting of five tips to help you get back into the workforce.

3. Hit the job boards or hit the streets.

Now that you’ve done some of the prep work and prepared your resume, the next step is to actively start looking for a job. If you are internet-savvy (you must have some kind of tech skills because you found this article), you will be hitting the online job boards, wading through thousands of job listings and scrolling through thousands of job descriptions.

Don’t post your resume with an online job board because very few people find jobs this way. The rare ones that do are usually really lucky or are in a highly sought after profession, such as the technology or healthcare sectors. And even then, they are subjected to numerous recruiters and headhunters calling them to fish for references (potential contacts for them to later sell their services), waste their time and offer false hopes for job leads.

You want to target and send your resume directly to the hiring company and nobody else. In addition to searching online, you can also look in local newspapers and publications to find local jobs.

How’s this for a novel idea: do it the old-fashioned way and hit the streets to find your next job. Many small businesses and large retail establishments still advertise by posting “Help Wanted” signs. There might even be postings on grocery store bulleting boards, the local library, or businesses like the drycleaners or coin laundry. School district, government and city jobs are still found by visiting those official sites and submitting a paper application. The advantage of applying for and submitting your application in person is that you will get the chance to view and research a potential work environment. Do you really want to work at an overcrowded office in which the employees look tired, disgruntled or even angry?