There is a good post about job hunting entitled The Job Hunt: What I Learned on the Information Wants To Be Free blog. The author writes about what she learned from her job hunt.
I have not written about my job hunt on this blog. It has been a long drawn-out process. The main problem has been that although, I have much experience in the field of technology, I have little verifiable work experience. Most of my tech work was for my own consulting practice, making me a reference for myself. Not good.
That is why when I came upon the post The Job Hunt: What I Learned, I was greeted with a great many tips. There are a few of them that I am determined to employ.
Don’t apply for a job you wouldn’t actually want.
That sounds like an extremely obvious thing. The problem is that I have applied for many jobs that I did not really want in the past. Doing so is definitely a waste of your resources. I also became highly discouraged when I did not get those jobs.
Following this tip also helps you to define exactly what you are looking for. I am looking for a position on the IT Staff of a company where I would manage servers/infrastructure, troubleshoot problems, collaborate with outside vendors, and enable employees to take advantage of an up-to-date technology infrastructure.
Do tailor your cover letter to the specific job.
My cover letters were kind of tailored to the job. They were not as personalized as they probably should have been. I will now take some of the suggestions from the post about how to personalize it.
Find a way to distinguish yourself from the pack.
I still need to figure out how to go about doing this. A ‘portfolio’ of my work may be a good idea. The problem is that much of my work was troubleshooting problems. This does not lend itself very well to display. Regardless, there is always a way to distinguish yourself. I will figure this one out in time.
Always send thank you notes.
That is something that I should have done from the start.
I think 2006 will be the turning point in my job hunt. This will be the year that I begin a career.