Job Search is a catch-all phrase for career hunt. It is composed of career decision-making, research at both the decision-making and campaign phases, resume writing, interviewing, networking, responding to ads, going to headhunters and finally negotiating your salary. The purpose of this article is to make the process as easy to understand as possible, with suggestions and ideas on how to land the position of your choice.
Many people think that landing a new position consists of putting together a resume and looking in the paper under help-wanted. Yes, that is all that some people do, and some of them are successful. But many of them are frustrated. They don’t see the position they want advertised, and therefore figure it doesn’t exist. They wind up in a position – or career — that was available, without taking the time to find just the right thing.
How do you start?
First, what is it that you want to do? Maybe you’re a career changer. Maybe you’re a new college grad. Either way, before you worry about entry vs. mid- or upper-level positions, you need to be clear about what it is you want to do. Try to picture the ideal spot for you. Would you be working inside or out? In the city or the country? In an office or a store? Wearing tailored suits or jeans? Are you managing or producing? Part of a team or working independently? At a computer or on a telephone? Think about what you’re doing now, as well as what you’ve done in the past – what aspects of these positions did you like? What didn’t you like, and why?
Maybe you’re not sure. Then, it’s time to research. The internet makes it easy. There are a wide variety of excellent sites in which to begin researching occupations. There’s also your public library. Many libraries have excellent career research sections. Ask your librarian for assistance.
This leads to networking. Networking is not only for people who are actively looking for a new employment situation, but for people who want to learn more about different occupations. Informational interviewing is the act of gathering information through personal contact with someone working in a field you’re interested in. Networking is then asking everyone you know if they know of anyone working in a particular industry, until you find someone who knows of a position that’s available.
Who do you network with? The answer is simple: everyone! This is an integral component to any job search.
What is your skill set? What have you been trained to do? What is your education? What kind of volunteer work have you done? Is it sufficient for what you want to do now? Or do you need to go back to school? Could you get on-the-job training? Could you get a job that serves as a bridge between what you do now and what you’d ultimately like to do? Once the parameters of the position you seek are pretty well defined, it is time to begin formulating your resume.
If you need resume assistance, we have links to excellent resources for you.
Now it’s time to add to the networking you’ve already been doing (maybe you already have some interviews?).
How?
Cold calls/letters to companies. Maybe you have a particular company in mind for which you really want to work. Contact them directly. Many large companies and universities post their open positions. See if you can get hold of that list.
The Classifieds (both on-line and in print). The tried and true method. And yes, for many people it works. Just make sure your resume and cover letter immediately establish a connection to the qualifications mentioned in the ad. The difference between networking and relying on the classifieds is that many key positions never reach the classifieds. People get them through word-of-mouth.
Headhunters/Employment Agencies. This is another tried and true method that works for some. Just be sure that your skill set matches the types of positions the headhunter you choose handles.
Interview Preparation. Everything you’ve done up to now has been positioning you for the all-important interview. This is your chance to sell yourself. Expect the unexpected and be prepared!
To recap, the eight steps are:
1) Introspection
2) Research
3) Networking
4) Resume Writing
5) Cold Calls/Letters
6) The Classifieds
7) Headhunters/Employment Agencies
8. Interviewing
Happy job hunting!
With luck, pluck, and skin as thick as whale blubber, you can be a freelance writer. If you’re persistent enough and the stars are smiling down on you, seeing your name in print isn’t as inaccessible as you might think. But serendipity and talent will take you only so far. You’ll need to learn freelancing own brand of etiquette and adopt a little business sense to succeed. Here are 10 important points to keep in mind when launching your freelance writing career.
1. Network. Freelancing is lonely work, and it’s easy to lose touch with other writers. Making friends in the biz, however, can be the best career move you can make. Join some associations like the National Writers Union or correspond with members of a writer’s e-mail list to meet people in your area. Besides patting your back when you’ve done well, friends can pass newspaper and magazine leads to you.
2. Know your rights. Publishing rights are one of the most confusing aspects of freelancing, but it’s one of the most important to understand. If a publisher owns the right to your copy, that means you can’t sell it anywhere else – some contracts even bar you from writing again on the same topic or demand that you sign away rights for articles already published. In a writer’s paradise, you’d retain all rights, allowing you to resell an article to as many magazines or newspapers as will buy it.
Here’s a short rundown of rights commonly sold by freelancers, but study other resources for a more comprehensive understanding: Electronic Rights: A publication may publish your work in any electronic medium, from Web sites to CD-ROMs. First Serial Rights: A publication may publish your article for the first time in any periodical, but you retain all other rights. Reprint Rights: A publication may run your story after it has appeared somewhere else. Reprint rights are nonexclusive, meaning you can sell them to many magazines or newspapers.
3. Be professional. Always turn in professional-looking queries and manuscripts, either on a discreet letterhead or on clean, white paper. Also check first to see if a publication is willing to accept electronic submissions. If so, make sure to format them appropriately.
4. Know the difference between “query letter” and “cover letter.” A query is meant to entice editors into accepting an article, not to bully them into hiring you. Brash bragging and badgering might help you climb the corporate ladder, but these tactics are as good as a nonstop ticket to the slush pile in the publishing world. Woo editors with your writing prowess, not your capacity for self-flattery.
5. Ask for a raise. I don’t know of one magazine or newspaper that will volunteer to give you more money. They’re quite happy to let you coast along indeterminately on the same rate you had when you began. After you’ve built a good relationship with an editor for six months or more, and you’ve proven you are a trustworthy contributor, ask for a raise. Explain that you’ve been dependable on deadlines, available for rewrites, and flexible with article focus. Any respectable publication will do the best it can to provide you with at least another $0.05 per word, but if they act insulted that you want more money, walk away.
6. A check in hand is worth… Especially if you have just begun working for a new publication, have a check in hand before proposing another story idea. It’s tempting to submit queries to the same magazine when you know the editor likes your style and you’re loaded with great ideas, but resist until you feel comfortable about being paid. Many magazines pay upon publication, which means you might have to wait six months or more before your piece appears in print. Others pay upon acceptance, meaning they will cut a check as soon as they decide to run your article, usually about 30 days after submission. If you’re not sure the magazine is keeping up with its end of the bargain, hold tight before sending in anything else.
7. Submit your article ahead of time. Try to turn in your articles a week ahead of time. Harried editors love a head start, and they’ll be glad they can count on you to not only make deadline, but to beat it. If a week ahead of time isn’t possible, at least shoot for the day before.
8. Keep communication open. No doubt, your job is to make the editors’ job easy. That’s what they hired you. Make it a habit, then, to check in to make sure you’re on the right track. This means first submitting an outline, then maybe the first page. If you have any doubt about a source or the direction a story should take, touch base with your editor, either by phone or a quick e-mail.
9. Submit error-free copy. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Make absolutely sure your manuscript is rid of errors. It’s harder than it sounds. Thanks to word processors and the likelihood of typos, mistakes can infiltrate. Let your article sit an extra day before revising it, read it out loud, have a friend read it to you, do whatever it takes to iron the wrinkles from your articles.
10. Don’t be afraid to be late. Believe it or not, editors understand when you can’t meet a deadline. Anything can happen, from family emergencies to troublesome sources pulling out at the last minute. As long as you’re up-front and give them as much notice as possible that you’re late, your editors won’t mind.
11. Give them more than they bargained for. Your assignment was to write 1,000 words on reforestation of Yosemite National Park, and that closes your end of the bargain, right? Wrong. Always give your editors more than they asked for. In this case, try a 100-word sidebar outlining the prescribed fires program or a list of Yosemite tourism resources. If you’re handy with a camera, you can even provide photographs or names of photographers. Follow these 10 – oops! 11 – Tips to freelancing, and you’ll be running a successful business in no time.
