Mining for Jobs

There’s a saying I like, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”  It definitely applies to the job market.  We generally know to look in the newspaper or on the Internet for jobs, but how often do we ask people face-to-face about job opportunities?  Mining for jobs is akin to digging for that vein of employment in places that on the surface appear to be devoid of job openings.  Am I telling you to hit the streets all dressed-up with your resume in hand? Yes! Am I saying you should call the employer where you last interviewed and ask why you didn’t get the job? Yes!  Am I suggesting that you tell everyone you know that you need a job? That’s right.  Personally, all of these activities have lead to jobs.

When you were younger you might have walked around the mall and asked for jobs at the various shops.  As an adult, it’ll take some boldness to go into businesses and ask.  I was pleasantly surprised by how many people would tell me, “Wait right there,” and then go ask their supervisors the question.  When I was looking for work several years ago, I went into law firms to ask if they needed a secretary because I had recent experience with a legal firm.  I even had an interview with someone who had already hired a secretary but had bad luck in the past with new hires.  He interviewed me anyway, just in case.  It didn’t lead to a job with that firm; however, after walking around I got a call from an office where I had slipped my resume under their door after hours.

You’re a highly qualified, conscientious, hard worker.  Right?  Maybe you didn’t get hired after your interview but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t another opportunity available in a different department.  Make that inquisitive call to find out why you didn’t get hired.  It’s a bit nerve-racking to hear the truth, but maybe it will be a relief when you hear that you did just fine.  It’ll help you learn what skills you lack or what you could do differently in the interview.  Remember that you are a great potential hire! While you have them on the phone, mine for jobs.  Ask them about other opportunities within the company.  Is there someone else that you can talk to for job leads?

I just discovered a part-time job by introducing myself to an administrator after not getting hired for a different full-time job.  I was on a fact-finding mission, as aforementioned, to introduce myself and share my particular skills.  The irony is that this job at the university has been there all along.  It’s only a part-time job, but it’s one that I qualify for; one that I could have gotten back in 2006 when I first moved to Alabama and went months without work. I had no idea that this was a teaching area where I could apply my skills.  I hope this is good food-for-thought for your job hunt.  Remember, “You don’t know what you don’t know,” so go find out!

Sandra Annette Rogers,

sandra@brokebutnotforlong.org

This entry was posted on June 27, 2010 at 19:03 and is filed under Job Hunt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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