Reddit reviews What Color Is Your Parachute? 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers

I was in your shoes not long ago and am now happily employed at a great company doing a job I love. Hopefully what worked for me might also work for you. The economy is not in your favour right now, but there are still other strategies you can try that might succeed.

Reality check: large job search sites such as monster are by far one of the most inefficient ways to search for a job. Thousands of people apply for these jobs. When your résumé is submitted online, unless it matches very specific keywords used by the HR department of the employer, it will get filtered out of their system. (Sorry I don't know how to explain it on a more technical level).

Your best bet is to submit your résumé as directly as possible to the person responsible for hiring. If you want to read a very helpful book, try What Color Is Your Parachute. This is a great book and well worth the $20, or whatever it costs. But if you don't want to buy it, then just know that a targeted job hunt just takes a little background research and a lot of networking.

For background research, narrow down your job prospects by figuring out what type of job(s) you want - in your case, analyst, research technician, etc. Then determine what kinds of companies hire people in those positions. Your use of monster, etc, might be helpful because you can look up competitors and other similar companies to the ones you've applied for, and work on approaching those.

Networking doesn't have to be complicated. Just make sure EVERYONE YOU KNOW knows you are looking for work and a general idea of the type of work you can do. Then make sure they tell EVERYONE THEY KNOW. If your friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend works in your industry, talk to that person and find out what the prospects are like, if any companies are growing/hiring, if they can put you in touch with anyone else, and what employers in your field like to see highlighted on a résumé.

On that note, make sure colleagues & friends critique your résumé for you, and edit it so that it will stand out in front of an employer. There are tons of books and résumé websites that can help you choose the best keywords to use.

This kind of job networking may seem a little daunting, but it pays off. Every new person can open a new door. I introduced myself to dozens and dozens of new people when I was job searching. Some led to interviews but no job, some led to temp work, and some offered me jobs once I had landed the position I'm in now. But they also helped me become more clear about what I wanted and gave me a better understanding of the industry.

If not a single person you know can help you pursue your field, then check if your university has an alumni network and find other alumni working in a similar field as you want to be. That said, if NOT A SINGLE PERSON you know can help put you in touch with someone, then you're doing it wrong.

Introduce yourself, break the ice with some college memories, and don't ask for a job right away. Tell them what you are looking for, and ask if they can help point you in the right direction. It is always flattering for a mid-career person to be able to offer expertise to a new grad, but don't expect /demand a job hand-out.

There is a lot more to be said, but I'll save it for if you have any questions, or I might end up typing all night.

Good luck!

Buy your friend a copy of What Color is Your Parachute?. It's cheeseball, but it really helped me get through my unemployment.

Also, you can quote me:

The worst thing next to not having a job is having a job.

Actually, I stole that from a friend too, so feel free to steal.

You're simply struggling with the same metaphysical hunger many of the rest of us are (but you're lucky enough to be doing it while free of some of the problems or deprivations others face, since you've got a family and life and living standards many others can only envy).


There's an ancient book called What color is your parachute that might help you, if you're willing to slog through its workbook format.



http://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2009/dp/1580089305

The economy is what's wrong with your resume. But the Internet is also statistically the worst way to find a job.

The best way is face-to-face. You presumably still have some numbers of people you used to work with. Ask them if they know of anyone who's hiring. Ask them for advice. Get referrals. They might not be hiring, but they might know someone else who is. When you call the person you're referred to, say "I was talking to your friend Joe about work and he told me you might be able to help."

I could go on, but you're better off just grabbing a copy of What Color Is Your Parachute?. I recommend it thoroughly.