Job Search New Zealand

Job Search - New Zealand

1. Analyze your skills, interests and values. Generate a list of potentially satisfying work options based upon them. Research those areas thoroughly. See a Career Services staff member for help with this process.
2. Examine yourself honestly and identify barriers to your active participation in a job search (i.e. - you aren’t really motivated to work at this time, your recent choices don’t reflect your real interests, you don’t know where you would like to live, you think you might want to go to graduate school first). Get some help sorting out these issues so that you can summon the energy necessary to conduct an
effective job search.
3. Develop contacts (friends, relatives, alumni, professors, people in associations, employers in
organizations/fields of interest) to help generate information and job leads. We can provide you with a customized list of Alumni/Parent Career Advisors and other ideas for developing a network of contacts.
4. Let everyone in your family/friend network (look at your personal and family address books) know that you are seeking assistance with your job search and would like their help. Tell them which fields interest you and describe the help you desire (advice on entering the field, contacts for informational interviews or job leads). You can take a direct approach and ask for job leads or an indirect approach and ask for
information/advice. See a staff member to discuss which option might be appropriate for you.
5. Do not limit yourself to approaching only personal contacts who are directly involved in your field of interest. Contact everyone you know. You may be surprised by the people they know.
6. Conduct informational interviews with contacts and obtain referrals for additional meetings. Follow through with referrals. Thank contacts in writing. See our handout on Informational Interviewing for more suggestions.
7. Inventory your accomplishments by reviewing your educational background, work history and past activities. Make a list of your chief assets as a prospective employee in your field of choice. Articulate these strengths in your resume, cover letter and through your interviews.
8. Prepare resumes that emphasize your skills and achievements and have them reviewed by a Career Services staff member. See our Resume/Cover Letter Writing Guide for suggestions on putting together an effective resume for mailing, faxing or transmitting electronically.
9. Create individualized cover letters and mail them each with a resume to employers of interest inquiring about job openings. Follow up letters with phone calls to arrange interviews. See our Resume/Cover Letter Writing Guide for suggestions on cover letters.
10. Set up interviews with managers and supervisors in departments of interest if possible. This strategy may be more effective than going directly through Human Resources in many cases.
11. Conduct library research using on-line or print directories to target potential employers. See our handout
on “Resources at Scribner Library for Identifying Employers.”
12. Use on-line or print classified ads as but one of many job search techniques (85% of jobs are not advertised in the classifieds).
13. Join professional associations in your field. Attend conferences and meetings where you can interact with professionals in your field. Students: inquire about a reduced student membership rate.
14. Read journals and publications pertinent to your field. Join an electronic discussion group. Contact employers or professionals who have written or who are the subject of articles or electronic postings of interest. Use your common interest as a bridge to a meeting or interview.
15. Scan the Career Plans newsletter, Career Services Office internship and job listings on-line, and recruitment announcements for possibilities. Look continually at these sources even if the types of positions advertised don’t ordinarily meet your interests. Eventually, you might find a diamond in the rough.
16. Prepare a telephone script which gives a 60 second summary of your key assets in relation to your field of interest. Use this dialogue when following up cover letters or carrying out a telephone campaign to set up meetings.
17. Practice interviewing by role playing. Schedule a mock interview with Career Services to allow us to give you some feedback regarding your interviewing approach.
18. As time goes on, reestablish communication with contacts to update them on the status of your search and to see if there is any other assistance they can provide.
19. Consider whether employment agencies might be of assistance in your field. Please consult a staff member before trying out this option.
20. Volunteering or doing an unpaid internship in a field of interest may lead to a job offer. You can do this after graduation as well as during your college years. This can be done part-time if you need to work another job to generate income.
21. Consider an interim job if you need to make money but have not yet found a position linked to your interests. A good interim job leaves the time and energy for you to continue your job search, i.e. - hospitality, cab driving, telemarketing, substitute teaching.
22. Working for a temporary agency is another way to get inside of several organizations in a geographic area of interest.
23. Set objectives weekly to maintain a high level of activity with your job search.
24. Don’t stop your efforts when you encounter a promising lead. You never know if it will materialize.
25. Stop by and speak with a staff member about formulating an individualized job search plan. Best wishes for a productive search!