Find Job Openings and Beat the Job-Seeking Competition:
If you're looking for a job, but you're limiting your
job search to the obvious sources like newpaper want ads, job websites,
and Craig's List, then you may find your application on the bottom of a
really big applicant pile. If you don't want to get lost in the
growing job search crowd, you'll need to find a way to outsmart your
job-seeking competition. Use these tips to sidestep the competition,
find job openings, beat the recession, and get off the unemployement line fast.
1. Socialize
It’s
time to get all those friendsters, buddies, and cyber contacts you’ve
been collecting working for you. Get as many locals as you can on your
buddy list and then send out a note asking them who’s hiring. Surely
somebody will know somebody who’s looking for somebody. Isn’t that what
networking is all about?
2. Get in the Stack
If you're wanting to get into, or stay in the retail industry,
keep in mind that there there are more candidates than positions. In an
employer's market, retailers don't have to advertise their job openings
because they already have a stack of unsolicited job applications.
You’ve got to get yourself on the top of “the stack” if you want to get
hired by these retail organizations. In your best interview
outfit, walk into your favorite retail stores with your resume in hand,
and tell them you’d like to work there. This type of cold calling works
best with the stores that sell the stuff that you like to buy because
then when you’re asked why you want to work there, you can honestly
answer, “Because I love your…”
3. Think Small
If
you're looking for a retail sales position, it may be easier to conduct
your job in the climate controlled comfort of your local mall, but your
efforts might yield better results if you focus on companies that receive less foot traffic. Less traffic and fewer applicants mean less competition for you!
4. Look Before You Weep
Don’t conclude that a
company isn’t hiring just because there’s no ad in the newspaper and no
sign in the window. Unless there is an urgent need, many companies will
only advertise job openings on their own websites. Visit
the company’s website and look for links like “careers” or “about us”
or “company info.” Click around these pages until you find the listing
of available positions in the company. When you use this strategy,
hiring managers will get the impression that you found the job opening
because you are specifically interested in their business. This is a
good impression to give because every company thinks it’s special, and
they want their employees to think so too!
5. Search By the Hour
If
you're looking for a part-time, entry-level, hourly, or seasonal
position, there are several websites that are specifically promoting
jobs that pay an hourly wage. Since many hourly wage jobs are in the
retail industry, a search of these hourly-pay sites will reveal positions that are not even listed on Monster, HotJobs, or CareerBuilders. If
you know that you specifically want an entry-level position, it’s more
efficient to go to these hourly-wage websites because you won’t have to
wade through all the salaried jobs to find what you’re looking for.
6. Take Stock in Stocks
You
don’t need money to get a great return from the stock market. When you
invest some time reading the latest stock market news, your effort can
yield some important job-hunting inside tips. While many companies in the retail industry are struggling right now, there are also many companies that are thriving. Focus
your job-hunting efforts on the companies that are doing well, because
they’re the ones that need employees and, most importantly, they're the
ones that have the money to pay their wages. No matter how much Circuit City likes you, you’re probably not going to get hired there while the company is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
7. Make the Hop
If
you want to work in the retail industry, but it doesn't have anything
to offer you right now, don't be afraid to make the hop into another
industry. Many of the most famous CEOs worked in jobs that were seemingly unrelated to retailing. Several of the largest retail organizations are currently being run by CEOs who had no prior retailing experience at all. It's
important to remember that you take your experience with you wherever
you go. You can learn, grow, and achieve in any industry. By hopping
into a completely new job, and gaining new knowledge and skills, you
will be even more valuable when the retail industry rebounds and starts
hiring talent like you again.