Be Persistent to Find that Job

Years ago, I knew a woman who had several small children. She told me that she usually worked at a job just until she qualified for unemployment. Then she would quit for a while and live on unemployment checks. Of course she was supposed to be looking for a job during that time. Unfortunately, her idea of looking for a job was to make the required 3 applications a week dressed like a sloppy bag lady. Sometimes she would make her applications at places she knew she was unqualified to work for, like a lumber mill or a truck driving job. (She was actually a waitress.) To top it off, her first comment to the prospective employers, while chomping her gum loudly was, "You guys don't need any help doya?" Of course she was turned down, and stayed qualified to drawn unemployment for a few more weeks. She referred to these times as her "vacations."

I hope that those reading this article are serious about wanting to find a job.

I am a firm believer in the idea that a job seeker actually be ready to go to work. In a book I read on how to make money quickly, the author suggested that any person who needed money should stick a sponge in a bucket with warm soapy water and tuck a few towels over his arm. Thus armed, he should start down a business street and inquire at every shop along the way about washing their front windows for them. Being ready to do the job, the author said, is half the battle in finding work. I agree with him.

If you are having trouble finding work in this slowing economy, here are a few tips that might help.

1. Don't depend on only one method to search for your new job.

Studies show that most jobs are obtained through networking. That means you need to contact as many people as possible, and let them know you are looking for work. Don't be embarrassed by being unemployed. A lot of people are these days. For all you know, the next person you talk to may know of an opening where he or she works that would be perfect for you-but how will you know about it if you don't let people know you need a job? Mention your search to friends, relatives, fellow church members, casual acquaintances, and even the clerk who checks your groceries for you if the opportunity arises.

Don't skip the online search engines or the classified ads in the local newspapers, or newspapers in nearby towns that are within commuting distance for you.

One place people often neglect that can be a good place to look for a job is the online job postings of large companies. For example, a huge hospital in our town has an online job listing that includes openings for doctors, nurses, laundry workers, janitors, food preparation people, file clerks, and a number of other personnel connected to hospital work. Our university also has similar listings online so be sure to check these possibilities out for your area.

2. Apply for a job in person if possible.

My husband and I occasionally hire people to do yard work. We are much more likely to hire someone we have met than to call someone we don't know at all. One young man, with a shovel in his hand, came to our door after a snowstorm this past winter. We had noticed him shoveling snow at a neighbor up the street an hour earlier. He asked if he could shovel our driveway for a certain amount. My husband had actually planned to do the shoveling himself, but hired the man on the spot, because he admired the forthright way he had presented himself. He was dressed for the job; he had the tools he needed in his hand; and he had predetermined how much he needed to charge for the job. We asked for his number in case we needed someone again.

3. Apply for any jobs as you are qualified for.

Just because you have spent hours on a resume for a particular job doesn't mean you are done. Pop that resume in the mail and then go about adapting it to another position, and another, and another. In a slowing economy, there are going to be plenty of applicants for every job opening so it is foolish to sit around and wait for an answer from one application before submitting another. Salesmen in training are often told that they must visit a certain number of prospects before making one sale. The same holds true when you are hunting for a job. It may take a number of applications before one bears fruit.

When you are out of work in during a poor economy you don't have the luxury of picking and choosing where you will work. Take what you can get to tide you over, and worry about upgrading to a better position after you have gotten back on your feet.

And, just because you have been a typist for several years doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of other jobs you could do. List your skills and figure out some other fields you could fit into. Don't stop sending out applications until you secure a job.

But what if you are offered more than one job and have to choose which one to take? Wouldn't that be nice?

4. If you do get a personal interview, dress appropriately and send a thank-you note afterwards.

If the job you are seeking is for a grocery bagger at the local grocery store, you will probably dress differently than you would for an interview at a classy office. But don't wear something like your sweats to either one. Nice slacks and a decent shirt might do for the grocery store, but the office would probably require something a little dressier. Do your homework and see what the employees who already work there are wearing. If it is a uniform, just go with a clean-cut look. Not too fancy, but not too casual either.

Check out the hair and jewelry, too. If everyone has a traditional haircut, you aren't going to win any points showing up with yours waxed into a point on top of your head.

As for the follow-up thank you note, don't write a book-just a few words of appreciation on a simple little note card will do. Try something like, "Mr. Johnson, Thanks so much for taking time to interview me for the position of Assistant Manager on April 2^nd. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Linda Masters."

My daughter has used personal notes after interviews and twice secured jobs after sending the notes. Would she have been offered the job anyway? Perhaps, but maybe the note was the final touch that swung the decision in her favor.

5. Use the interview to convince the company representative to hire you.

Don't think that just because you got as far as a personal interview, you have the job cinched. Companies often interview several prospects for a job before making a final decision so be prepared to let them see you at your best.

You may benefit from having a family member or friend conduct mock interviews with you ahead of time so that you will feel more comfortable when you actually arrive at the interview.

When you enter the room where the interview is to take place, greet the interviewer warmly. You're not a robot, programmed to respond only when spoken to. Even if you are a bit nervous, just relax and be friendly. The worst that could happen is that you won't get the job. Lots of other people have survived after not getting a job they had interviewed for. You'll survive, too.

Don't start chattering. Wait for the person interviewing you to direct the conversation. You should be prepared from your practice sessions to answer questions like, "What experience do you have that would help you in the position we are offering?" "What type of compensation do you need?" (I hate that question, don't you? You don't want to be greedy, but you don't want to work for peanuts, either, so research what this type of position usually pays ahead of time so you will be ready with an answer.) "If we hire you, what can you offer our company?" (This is a tough one, too. You can tell them that you are hard-working, honest, and willing to learn, if nothing else comes to mind.)

If the person doing the interview asks if you have questions, feel free to ask two or three, but don't grill him about every possible thing that could come up in the next ten years. You probably want to know about working hours, dress code, wages, etc.

When the interview ends, thank the interviewer, shake his hand if he offers his, and say you hope to hear from him soon.

6. Don't give up

My husband has worked at a number of jobs in his lifetime and credits his mother with teaching him the most important thing in looking for a job. "Be persistent," she told him. Show up at a place you would like to work and tell them you are looking for a job. If there are no openings, ask to fill out an application. Then, even if you don't hear from them, go back in a few days or a week and try again.

He says that his first job was at a mill. He followed his mother's advice and showed up on a Monday morning, dressed for work. He wasn't hired, but he showed up again the next day and the next. On the 3^rd day, he was hired, even though he was only 17 at the time. One of his favorite sayings today is, "Persistence pays off."

You can be persistent, too. Keep on looking for other jobs, but pick the one you would most like to work for and keep on trying. They may have chosen another applicant for the job you wanted, but if you call or write them several weeks down the road, they may have another, even better, opening. If you think you did poorly in the interview, practice some more and try again. You will do better next time.

Good luck in your job search. Times are tough, but look around you. There are literally hundreds and even thousands of businesses still operating as usual. Those businesses turn over employees who leave to get married, leave to have babies, or leave because they didn't perform well. Those vacancies need to be filled. If you are persistent, there is no reason that one of them can't be filled by you.