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Looking for a Job in Today's Economy - Oct. 1, 2010

By Barbara Haubrich-Hass, ACP/CAS

According to the Employment Development Department, the unemployment rate in California as of September 28, 2010, is 12.4 percent.  In Fresno County, that figure increases to 15.4 percent.  If you are looking for a job, what can you do to be proactive in your job search?  Here are 10 ideas that you can try to “beat the bush” on the employment front.

1.  When you are out of a job, guess what … finding a job becomes your job.  Your goal every day is to get up and regroup.  Keep a journal of where you have applied, who you have talked to, and what they said.  Follow-up with anyone that kept the door open to potential future employment.   

2.  If you live in an area that is exclusive to where you want to find a job, pick up the Telephone Book or Yellow Pages and start calling employers in your area and ask if there are any openings.  Advertising is very expensive so many openings are not advertised.  This is how I have found three jobs over the years. 

3.  Being unemployed can be disheartening, but don’t be shy about your situation.  Call your colleagues, friends, past employers, or anyone with an ear to hear to find out if they know of any openings.  Word of mouth opens doors.

4.  Use your social networking sites to your benefit.  Post information on your Facebook wall; join LinkedIn and Twitter.  Tweet, connect, join groups on LinkedIn, attend professional association meetings, and get involved in your community.  LinkedIn, in particular, is a great place to look for a job.  Every group on LinkedIn has an area where jobs are posted.  You are allowed up to 50 groups on your LinkedIn profile for free.  That is 50 groups posting jobs.  Some of the groups that I have joined include Paralegal Gateway, Women for Hire, Litigation Support Careers, and Law and Legal Open Network.  

6.  Some universities and paralegal studies programs provide resources for job searches.  Contact your college and find out what they can do to help you.

7.  Call a temporary agency.  Some temporary jobs can move into permanent positions. 

8.  Have someone look over your resume to see where it can be improved.   One of my pet peeves is to look at a resume and see an e-mail address like, princess@yahoo.com.  Create an e-mail address that is professional.   Do you really want your potential employer to know you are a “princess?”

9.  Go to job fairs or career days.  If you do, however, dress as if you are going to an interview.  If you do not have an interview outfit, maybe a friend will let you borrow one.  My girlfriend and I used to borrow each other’s suits on important events.   First impressions can never be taken back.   Many years ago an attorney told me that “if you want someone to think you are smart or professional, you must first dress like you are smart and professional.”  He was right.

10.  Google yourself and your email address.   The chances that a potential employer will Google your name is high.  If any blogs, wall postings, tweets, etc. show up in the search, you can go to that site and change your user name temporarily.   On the same token, change your social networking site settings to “private”, and be sure during a job search that the photo on your social sites is appropriate.

The average person puts only 25% of his energy into his work.
The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity,
and stands on it head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%"

- Andrew Carnegie –