The Job Search Process

Grad Student? Read this general article, then read about the job search process for advanced degrees.

1. Schedule your job search time.

 Treat your job search like a job itself.  If you are still taking classes, your job search is a part-time job, 3 or 4 hours per week.  If you've graduated, your job search is a full-time, 8 hour a day job. Setting a weekly job search schedule helps you stay focused and helps ward off discouragement.

2. Clarify Your Goals

 

Know what you want to do and where you'd like to do it. 

First, choose your career path. It's very difficult to search for a job if your goals ill-defined ("I want to work for the government").

What do you actually want to do all day, exactly, in your work?  What is going to be important to you about your work?  What kind of environment do you want to be in?  If you need help with this, call 757-221-3231 to schedule an appointment with a Career Advisor!

3. Research Your Skills

 

Know what skill sets and experiences are expected for entry-level jobs in your career field.  Have a good understanding of how you'll fit into your chosen career field.

• Talk to alumni in your chosen career field using the Alumni Mentor database, Tribe Connections.
• Come to our Career Exploration Panels and talk to professionals about their field.
• Research career fields, employers, jobs with Career Insider.
• View the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for any occupation on acinet.org.

4. Research Employers  and Find Jobs

>> Main Article

Who are the employers in your career field? Which do you want to target, and why?  

Keep in mind that the same job can be found in multiple industries and sectors. For instance, just about every employer needs a public relations specialist, whether it is a government agency, a corporation, or a non-profit. In smaller organizations, you are more likely to be given a wider variety of responsibilities.  Typically, your first job is where you acquire the substantive skills that will take you into your next, more specialized job.

5. Networking

>> Main Article

Build connections with people in your chosen career field and toward your targeted employers.  The sooner you start building these connections, the easier your job search will be.

• Maintain these connections, even after you get a job; these people are part of your professional network.
• 60%-80% of jobs are acquired through networking; therefore, 60%-80% of your job search time should be devoted to connecting with people.

6. Resume and Interviewing

>>Resume Main Article        >>Interviewing Main Article

Get your  résumé professionally critiqued and schedule a mock interview

• Tailor your résumé carefully to your career field, based on the research you did above.  This will make it easier to tailor your resume and cover letter to each specific job.
• Read our articles about resumes, C.V.s, cover letters, and our complete interview guide.
• Choose references, and verify with them that it is okay to put them as a reference on your application.
• If necessary, get letters of recommendation.
• Prepare thoroughly for your interview.  Employers repeatedly report that they resent taking the time to interview an ill-prepared candidate.
• Dress appropriately--you'd be surprised at how many candidates are eliminated due to inappropriate attire!
• Know what typical salaries are in your career field/industry and geographical region. You need to know this in case you negotiate a salary offer.
• Know how to explain the value of your liberal arts education to a potential employer 

7. Get a Temporary Job

Register with 4 or 5 temporary staffing agencies; pick up temporary income while you job search, add experience to your resume, increase the number of people who know the quality of your work, expand your network. There are some staffing agencies that specialize in certain career fields, such as Politemps for Capitol Hill work, or NonProfit Staffing.

8.  Have a Plan B

 

You may not get a job with your top choice employers

• Identify organizations where you can pick up the skills, experience and connections that will make you a competive candidate at your top choice employers in a couple of years.
• Avoid panicking and taking a job that adds nothing to your skill sets, provides no opportunites to make connections, and prevents you from devoting time to a 'real' job search.
• If you must take a tide-over job, try to find one that entails mostly nights and weekends so that you have time to reach out and make connections in your career field during the day.

9. If you've been made an offer

• Salaries and Negotiation
• Sample Letters - includes Accepting and Declining Offers Letters