I am in the profession of server virtualization maintenance for a mid size hosting company called Pencil Servers. My industry is the ecommerce industry, or the industry of computer engineering, depending on your perspective. I found this particular job through Monster.com after searching for 9 months.
I think that I used every bit of technology that I could in my recent job search. After I was laid off of my first job, I applied to every temp agency that accepted computer engineers in my area through job boards. I then started a daily routine of going on to the individual job boards like Aquent, Monster, Hotjobs, Craigslist, etc. in looking for another job. I also used social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to get the word out to my family, friends, and acquaintances to see if they had heard anything about a new position. I also used this platform for freelance work with sites like ELance.com and many others.
At first I did not see many benefits from using job search technology, but as I began to get my resume out to more and more people, I first started to get many more freelance assignments, assignments that I definitely would not have been able to get from just using traditional resources, as most of the assignments were in remote geographic locations. I then started to get interviews to full time jobs all over the nation. This definitely would not have happened if I had just stuck to brick and mortar methods of finding a job.
If I were applying for the same job tomorrow but with a different company, I would have put much more multimedia in my resume. I would have had a couple of Youtube videos showcasing exactly what I can do, I would have put my resume on a Flash drive and carried it with me everywhere, and I would have put an online resume up on a free WordPress site. I heard about people who did this who got jobs and offers even more quickly than I did. They made it easy for employers to find and vet them. I would also have gotten my portfolio a little more together.
To connect with pros in my field, I used LinkedIn quite a lot. I was able to actually connect with acquaintances of mine from college who were able to put me in touch with a lot of temp work. I also joined message boards for people in my industry and in my specialty. In this way I was able to keep up with the latest developments in my industry and relay that information in my interviews, which I definitely believe got me hired. You can not afford to fall behind when you are dealing with computer technology. I believe that this was the most effective way of connecting me to pros in my field.
One job interview that went well that was not the job that I have now was one with HostGator.com. They have quite a vigorous interview process. You have to go through three interviews to be offered a position there. The second interview was the one that I was most proud of, as my interviewer told me that this was the fastest interview that he had ever done. However, he passed me right along to his boss in about 30 seconds. The interview went like this: He asked me what my worst experience was in my previous career. I said to him, “Definitely, getting laid off. I should not have done that.” He laughed for about 5 minutes and then passed me on.
I think what anyone can learn is that people want to work with people that they like. Do not be afraid to crack a joke. Your resume lists your accomplishments already and there is no need to go over them again. Be likable to the person in front of you. Simply have a conversation.
The single most important thing that I have learned about the job interview process is that it is all about perseverance. Nothing else matters, not skill, not connections. Sticking out the process until you find a job is the only way that you will get a job. There is no need for depression or feeling bad. Nothing gets done then.
I actually went back and used my University services! That is one of the best places to find opportunities. Even if the jobs that they post there are beyond your scale at that point, you get a sense of who is hiring. Then you can focus on those companies once you initiate your job search at home.
If I could redo one event from my past career, it would be starting my own business from the start. As much as I love working for this company now, I would definitely like to make my own schedule, to be a job creator instead of waiting on someone to give me a position, and I would love to take vacations when I want. At the very least, I wish that I had taken much more side work when I was fully employed so that I could have had a bigger nest egg when I did get fired. That is definitely going to be important in the new decade of volatility in the economic markets – who is willing to do the work after hours and moonlight to get that nest egg?
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