On 7/31/02 12:36 AM, Jeffrey Clarke at ku8e1@yahoo.com wrote:
> I work in the IT (Information Technology) field and have always known
>that for the last 10-15 years that Atlanta is a hotbed for these kind
>of jobs. I have not had to look for a job for over 20 years so I was
>pretty rusty on how to go about it. The hot way (at least they say it
>is) for looking for jobs these days is via the internet, using job
>boards such as monster.com etc... This is the approach I took when we
>were still living in Ohio and preparing to move down here.
While there's nothing wrong with using the internet to find jobs, it
isn't always terribly effective.
I'm in the same boat as Jeff right now, since my previous employer
decided to cut costs, which unfortunately included me.
In the state of the economy right at the moment, responding to internet
listings isn't effective for the reasons you mentioned -- there are a lot
of folks out there looking for work, and the flood of applicants
overwhelms the HR folks. Further, many of the listings aren't "real."
Some consulting firms will post jobs on speculation -- in other words,
the job doesn't exist unless they get a contract, and many companies are
putting such contracts on hold. Lastly, recruiters are also being hard
hit, so the may cross-list someone else's listing, just on the outside
chance of getting a referral.
> Unfortunately for me my luck has not changed much. We have been here
>for about 3 months and I have only had a few interviews for the
>hundreds of jobs I have applied for via the internet.
Sounds like you're being successful, then. If you get ANY response out of
several dozen applications for internet jobs, you're doing good. Getting
an interview is good.
Your BEST bet for getting response is to establish a personal
relationship with members of the company. A good target would be a hiring
manager. A second target would be just someone who works there. The third
target would be an HR person.
A phone call is more effective than an anonymous job application. The
hard part is getting there.
Over 80% of people find new jobs by networking -- they contact people
they know -- friends, former co-workers, people from church, hobbies,
services groups, whatever. Talk to everyone you know. Find leads and
follow them up.
--
On your internet search -- have you been tracking the companies you've
applied to? Pick the top dozen you'd really like to work for. Try calling
the HR folks just to see if your application got there. Try getting the
phone number of the CTO, VP, Director, whomever, and talk to them. If
they don't have anything for you, try asking them if they know any other
companies that might need such skills. Ask if you can follow up in a few
weeks.
Keep a phone log of who you call, and notes on the conversation.
> You might be asking.... Why are you telling me this ???? Well, the
>reason is that one of the best ways (as the book describes) to go about
>finding a job is to network through friends and family. Since I am not
>from this area I really don't have a big network of friends yet. What I
>am looking for is some good advice for those of you who might be in the
>IT field in the Atlanta area. I know that both W4AN and AA4LR are both
>in the IT field and both have offered some tips to me. Many of you I
>know through contesting but we haven't met in person yet. Can anyone
>else offer any tips, contacts etc ????? Thanks....
Jeff, it would help for people to know what sort of position you're
looking for. The IT field is so broad and varied. I know you are a Lotus
Notes developer -- so, anyone, if you know any companies that use Notes
internally, that's a good lead for Jeff.
Oh, and if you know anyone who needs a C++ / Java developer with
expertise in Object-Oriented design, let me know, I'm still looking.....
Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
-- Wilbur Wright, 1901
|