Locating the Job You Want

Most small companies are not household names. They tend to advertise jobs locally, their businesses often are quite specialized, and typically they don´t have a human resources department to promote them...

Small companies are forming at rapid rates and are generating most new jobs in the US. Use local resources (such as radio and newspapers) as well as your contacts and Web sites to learn about small employers hiring needs.

The Internet has created profound opportunities for all companies, large and small, to publi cize themselves and their job openings. If your resume is posted on major search engines, any employer can easily find it. Also be sure your networking efforts include both large and small employers.

Posted Jobs
A posted job is one that´s advertised or somehow actively publicized by an employer to encourage applications — usually to fill the position as soon as possible.

Job postings can be direct or indirect: 

·         Direct postings are job descriptions that are made public, either broadly or narrowly. Printed announcements often are internal postings on traditional or electronic bulletin boards to inform current employees. Jobs may be directly posted externally on the Internet, usually in the company´s Careers or Employment section. Ads in local and/or national news­papers, journals and magazines (such as Chemical & Engineering News), data banks, or other Internet lists are also examples of direct postings.

·         Indirect postings occur when an employer provides information about job openings to a third party — temporary employment agencies, headhunters, or faculty. Sometimes an available job will be intentionally leaked out to generate appropriate candidates. Jobs announced at employment clearinghouses sponsored by professional societies (ACS, Eastern Analytical Symposium, Pittsburgh Conference, and many others) are considered indirect postings because you must attend to learn about them.

In addition, vendors at trade shows and technical meetings often have job opportunities to discuss, even if the opening isn´t posted publicly at all. (Remember that many vendors are small companies.)

Finding Posted Jobs
For directly posted jobs:

·         Visit your sources regularly, including newspaper or magazine ads, Internet web pages, your network members, bulletin boards, and so forth.

·         Identify those jobs that seem to match your values, drivers, and skills (see Chapter 2).

·         Follow instructions in the ad exactly to apply for the job and line up an interview.

Because they are readily available to any applicant, competition is heavy for directly posted jobs. To find indirect postings, you must go where the postings are placed: 

·         Call or visit temporary agencies and headhunters in your area to ask about jobs; remem ber, many temporary agencies have national and regional job lists, as well as local ones.

·         Go to meetings that feature employment clearinghouses and visit the exhibitions area, where vendors display their products (for example, the ACS Career Fair occurs at the semiannual ACS national meetings).

·         Keep resumes or business cards with you and hand them out.

·         Try to interview on the spot — encountering a potential employer in person can be a great advantage in the job search process.

Many candidates use these techniques, so your competition will be heavy for both directly and indirectly posted jobs, too.