May 21, 2008

JOB MATTERS: Applying before a job gets posted

By Mildred Culp / Daily News Columnist

Q: Dear Dr. Culp,

I received my B.S. in Human Resource Management last May and have had no luck finding a job in my field. I'm now pursuing a master's in criminal justice and working part-time in that field. I love this job and have found it beneficial in writing papers. I'm just so frustrated not to be working full-time where I can use my degree.
I'm also working as a hostess and a substitute teacher. I get depressed when I think about paying back student loans and not working in my field or close to it. What advice could you give me? I'd love case management, because that would be helpful in my criminal justice degree.

Desperate in Alabama



A: Dear Desperate,

Rethink your search. Are you applying for posted jobs? If so, do the unconventional. Draw up a list of 20 organizations you'd like to work for. Get the name of the person most likely to hire you. Call that person and schedule a meeting. Get yourself on his radar before the company posts the next job. Meanwhile, describe your current work on your resume (and in the interview) in the terms of case management. Don't mislead, but use the same concepts. Ask how often you may check back with your employer. Then do.

Whoa!

Q: Dear Mildred,
I married a wonderful young man in December and moved here from Tucson in January. I have loads of experience but I am not sure there is anything I can do in this state, and I really don't want a long-distance marriage. Please see my attached cover letter and a CV.

Adrift

A: Dear Adrift,

Hey, wait a minute. You mean that your entire state is bereft of opportunity for you? Come on. Your cover letter reflects that you're thinking about yourself, not your employer. Count the number of times you use "I." Notice that you say nothing about the organization you're targeting.

Find out what your market needs rather than what you want. Tailor your resume to each group of needs. Don't limit yourself to higher education. Explore consulting. Hunt for anything relevant to get started. Meet everyone you possibly can who might be related to the fields you're targeting.

Respond to ads, too. What professional association is most likely to have people in it who need a person like you? Make a beeline for it. Consider working virtually for a company in another city or state. You have a ton of stuff on your (unfocused) CV. Use your imagination and research skills. Get going.

Presentation

Some people think that image is unimportant, that if people don't accept them for what they are, tough. What can that do to you when you're job hunting or already working?

Consider this incident, described by Patsy Rowe, Australian etiquette maven and author of "The Little Book of Etiquette" (New Holland, $6.95). The day has arrived when the airlines permit cell phones on during flights. You're sitting there "trying to persuade your boyfriend not to leave you for the size four model he's met at the gym. Or you're discussing your alimony settlement with your lawyer." You've missed your chance to increase your contacts on either side of your seat. They'll never have anything to do with you after that, except race out of the plane at their earliest convenience.

Or, Rowe suggests, consider an invitation to a work-related function at the home of a co-worker. It calls for casual chic. For you, that means not very formal. In fact, not formal at all. You wear cut-offs and sneakers or sandals, only to be greeted by the hostess "wearing a shift by Versace - her interpretation of casual chic but clearly not yours." You forgot to ask, and all is not lost until you see that everyone else knew what she meant.

Getting noticed - a key job-hunting and job-keeping tactic - is one thing, but for the right reason.



E-mail your job-hunting questions to Dr. Mildred Culp at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2008 Passage Media.