Building it Better Together: Finding a Job
No matter the industry, landing the right job isn't easy.
"I've been a teacher for the last 15 years and I'm trying to segue into a leadership role," said Colleen Mroz.
"I would like to work at a hospital doing registration," said Marian Wright.
"I have over 15 years' experience in the business development field," said Adam Berkowitz.
Naina Vij hopes to leverage her human resources background. Teyonna Pridgen wants to be an administrator.
Vij said she's sent out hundreds of resumes.
"Now you're like one of thousands of applicants who apply for the same position and they don't get a chance to facially interact with you and it makes a big difference," said Pridgen.
Kristin Kane Ford of staffing agency Kane Partners agrees.
"There's a lot of new hurdles that are out there that really didn't exist before," she said.
Companies and recruiters rely increasingly on artificial intelligence and online search tools to match candidates with positions.
"So if your resume does not have particular skills or experience or you're within a certain mile radius if they're using a radius filter, you're not going to come up," said Kane Ford.
Tip 1: Be strategic when posting your resume and profile, use key words and spell out acronyms. Have a master resume but customize it when applying for specific positions. And have a professional head shot.
Tip 2: Don't overlook specific industry job boards
Indeed, Glass Door, Monster, Zip Recruiter and Career Builder are more general platforms.
"There are also micro job boards that really focus on a specific industry," said Kane Ford.
Nursing, education, government, manufacturing, accounting, insurance, and executive. (links follow article)
"If you're a technology professional, there's a tool Dice.com and they're known for contractors and technology professionals," she said.
Use Google Jobs to search for jobs. It pulls in listings from various websites.
"And here's a really great tip you can do saved searches," she said. "They will send you an email and an alert when a new job becomes available so you can be one of those first candidates in the door."
Tip 3: Use social media to your advantage. Clean up your accounts so they are professional.
On LinkedIn ask people for recommendations and endorsements and turn on "open candidates."
"Where you're able to virtually raise your hand to recruiters that you're interested and open to talking to them about opportunities," said Blair Decembrele of LinkedIn.
After you apply for a job:
"You can be prompted to see what people in your network you know work at that company and ask them to refer you to that position," she said.
Tip 4: Reach out and build relationships with headhunters and recruiters. They often know about jobs that aren't advertised and companies pay them to find candidates so they're free to the job seeker.
Tip 5: Take advantage of free services to build your resume and skills. PA CareerLink is one great resource for workforce advisers, training opportunities, help with cover letters and interview preparation.
"I had to learn that there's some companies that you do it by video, I had no idea," said job seeker Tyretta Valentine.
Online you can also find free training for job certifications and skills like Excel.
Tip 6: Be sure to network both online and in person.
"A big thing in terms of landing an interview is having a connection with someone or knowing someone with a connection," said Patricia Blumenauer, Vice President of Operations for Philadelphia Works.
Old-fashioned face-to-face networking is critical even in this digital age. 70-percent of professionals find jobs at places where they have a connection.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's office is now hosting One Stop Job and Resource Hub every 1st Thursday of the month in various part of the city.
More than 50 employers and service providers are interviewing and taking resumes and some companies are hiring on the spot.
Updates about The Hub and its monthly location will be available on the DAO website and shared on Twitter and Facebook .
Always Best Care Senior Services also hosts job fairs where it does on-site interviews right then and there. Irene Dudley says, "They will be notified within two business days to let them know if we want to proceed with the hiring process."
And one piece of good news Teyonna Pridgen whom you met in our piece has now been hired as a teacher's assistant.
Industry Specific Job Boards:
Teachers
Doe.k12.de.us (DE)
Njschooljobs.com (NJ)
K12jobspot (All)
Technical
Government
General
Manufacturing/Warehouse
Hourly/Freelance
Accounting/Insurance
Executive
