Welcome to your job search. Whatever led you to this day, it's scary, overwhelming and more than a bit humbling. The job search system is just tough to work through, for both you and the recruiters. While we hope you choose to register for our system, our main purpose is to make the job search less painful for everyone. To that end, I hope you find our “Guide to getting through - and out of - unemployment” helpful.
Day One:
Get your new office ready
Get yourself a nice, comfortable place to work. It should be available at least six hours per day, have a computer with internet access, limited interruptions, a comfy chair, and a phone you can use. You should plan for your job search to be your new job for a while, which is why you should make sure you like your new “office”. If you don’t, you’ll start to avoid it, and that doesn’t help anyone.
Write out the first draft of your new resume
You’ll need to put together a rough draft of your resume. In a few days, we will talk about how to put together the best resume possible, but for now, get your experience and accomplishments listed in one document. You might have an old resume that you can use as a starting point, perhaps even a job description of your latest role. Just be sure it looks well organized, is free of typos and is completely accurate.
Need some templates to start writing a resume? Check your computer to see if your word processing software has some. If you would like to see more free resume samples, check out these sites:
http://susanireland.com/resume/examples/
http://www.career.vt.edu/jobsearc/resumes/formats.htm
If you know of other sites that offer free resume samples without a lot of ad clutter, please send it along so we can share these resources with other job seekers.
Reach out to others
Since about 85% of jobs are filled by referrals, networking should take up the bulk of your efforts while you look for your next job. But for today, we are going to start simple. Write to your closest, most supportive friends and let them know you are starting a job search. They already know you well, and likely have some idea what type of work you would enjoy. They may have some leads, or offer to proofread resumes and cover letters for you. But their most critical role will be the emotional support they will offer you. Getting the word out today ensures a flurry of supportive messages over the next few weeks.
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