Baraka_Guru

I know some TFPers are currently seeking employment. I'm one of them.

I admit that I'm fairly clueless on how to find a job. Most jobs I've had were more or less just for making cash while I was in school. I imagine compared to many my age, I've held few jobs.

In most cases, all it required to get a job was to walk in, fill out an application, have an interview, and start working.

However, the more "real" a job gets, the less effective this becomes. My current job, for example, required me to have a post-secondary education, take a post-degree course in publishing, apply for an internship, interview for it, work for a bit, and then ultimately get hired on permanently.

I guarantee you this: if you want to get a job at my place of employment, dropping off a resume or emailing it will be a waste of time. That's not how you'll get hired here.

I've read a few things online and even the classic book What Color Is Your Parachute? They confirm the same thing: networking is immensely more successful in landing a job than sending out resumes or applying to job postings ever will be. They're talking like several times more successful--numbers like 4 to 10% chance vs. 33 to 86%, depending on your approach. Wow.

Most job openings are not advertised. Most positions are filled through this magical thing called networking.

But sending resumes out and applying to online postings is easy. Yeah, but look what it gets you: no where fast.

Okay, so this thread is for job seekers: share your stories, frustrations, tips, advice, questions, answers, and general comments on your experiences.

* * * * *

My first comment? I need to figure out this networking thing. Now that I work from home, I feel like a hermit. I need to get out and meet people. I can do this by going to events such as conferences, conventions, etc., but the question is, which ones? I would like a job in a marketing track, so this should be fairly open: marketers are everywhere. But this is a mixed blessing. I can figure out the venue, but I will have problems finding what/who I'm looking for.

The more direct and effective (and a bit uncomfortable for me at the moment) strategy is to consider calling/emailing people in the field and asking to meet with them for informational purposes. Apparently, successful people are relatively open to helping others out (I guess that how they became successful). I need to get out of my comfort zone and come up with a plan of action to meet some people who can help me to either directly or indirectly find a job.

This is apparently the most effective way to do it. It takes work; it takes courage; it takes people skills. But, hey, so will this career path. If I want to join the game, I must prove to others that I'm willing to play it.

What do you think?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot