How To Attack The Job Search

     At some point in your life, you will have to do a little bit of digging to find a job that suits you. You may have already had to when finding a job that suits your school schedule, but I am here to help make that search a bit easier to navigate!

    There are some things that you should be made aware of first, before starting the job hunt. There is something called the open job market and the hidden job market. The open job market is basically any job that would have an add up in a public space like LinkedIn or a career board. On the other hand, the hidden job market is where jobs that are never listed or advertised. It seems weird - "how will anyone find the job if it isn't listed?" - well, that's where your hard work pays off. According to our school textbook, 80% of jobs are found on the hidden job market. 

Starting off with the open job market, the easiest tool to look for jobs would be through some form of app or technology. The 4 best apps to find jobs that suit you would be Indeed, Career builder, Monster - and if you are starting straight out of college - College recruiter. If you have more of a specific career in mind, there are specialized apps to help you as well. You could also take it old school, and look on newspaper adds, or career boards, or career fairs. 

    Navigating the hidden job market may seem intimidating, and may require you to step out of your comfort zone. Networking is an important step to make things go smoother. Networking requires you to make connections with people face to face. This can be to give you pointers on the field you want to enter, or to build relationships with companies you potentially want to work in. To do this, you want to build your personal Brand. This is what you are and who you are and how you want people to see you.Think about it this way: If you had 30 seconds to introduce yourself to someone, what things would you want to include to make you stand out? Include your professional/educational background, and the skills you bring to the table. Some steps to creating your personal brand is creating your tagline - Short and sweet. Make a business card for yourself with contact info. the 30 second speech about who you are professionally. Lastly, build an online presence like on LinkedIn.

    I personally always wanted to work in the automobile industry, but leaning more towards HR, and where I grew up, there was a very popular Harley Davidson store, so I wanted to see if there was a position available at this company for a out-of-college position that I could apply for, and I found one that I believe suits what I am looking for. Here is the link: HR Generalist Harley Davidson. It doenst require any schooling besides a high school diploma, or GED. It says that there should be prior experience when entering, and having knowledge of labor laws is important. 

I hoped this eased the stress of searching for your dream job!