UMass Amherst Alumni Association
Your Career
Career Tips:Become a Successful Job Seeker
Unsuccessful job seekers suffer more from poor job-hunting and interviewing skills than from lack of opportunity, according to seasoned/experienced career specialists. How can you metamorphose into a successful job searcher?
- Conduct an inventory of your self-management and transferable skills. These lists will be the foundation upon which you build your job search.
- List tasks and everything else you consider important in your new job. Be specific: describe the types of co-workers you’d like, the location, the office environment, the actual tasks you would like to do. List anything important to you in this role including the minimum salary you want. This list will not be shared with anyone; it will simply be your navigating chart.
- Develop short stories around your successes to illustrate your skills. Practice out loud.
- Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job. Ask them to notify you if they hear of anything.
- Utilize all available resources to find your job: company websites, general and specialty websites, government sites, newpaper ads, letters of inquiry, networking, and your alumni association.
- Customize your communication for each job applied for. Your resume objective is the first thing a prospective employer will see so it should catch his or her attention. The easiest way to customize the objective is by using the job title you’re applying for and specifying the skills you have which would be useful in that position. All written communication should be error-free.
- In interviewing, remember to interview while being interviewed. The last thing you want is to find, after accepting the position, that it’s not a match made in heaven. Refer to the list you developed early in your job search and ask questions.
- Remember the basics of good manners including good listening skills, expressing your gratitude for the smallest consideration and firm handshakes. Dress appropriately for the industry when interviewing and be sure to over- rather than under-prepare.
- Be sure to send a thank-you note to everyone who has assisted you. This is certainly true while you’re in the interviewing process but even after you connect, notify people where you landed. Remember: networking is relationship building. You don’t discard people once you’re done with them…
- Finally, remember that job searching is a process. Even when it feels like you will never again find a job that you enjoy, remember that this too shall pass. Good luck!
