No matter if you are supporting a big family and paying a mortgage or living by yourself in a one room apartment: being unemployed is a scary thing. The following article is full of helpful tips you can use in your search for a job. They will give you an edge and hopefully land you a job soon.
Consider changing up a search strategy that is not working for you. There are a lot of places that may not be hiring these days but that shouldn’t stop you. Check out all sorts of locations, companies, fields and positions.
If there is a particular company you are interested in working for, do not hesitate to contact them directly to see what they have available. There may be some jobs available that they have not had to chance to publicly advertise for. Getting in contact with them right away can give you a bit of an advantage.
If your office is set up into cubicles be very lenient with how your employees set up their cubicles. This will allow them to put pictures up, and even to have a set up that makes them feel at home. As such, their productivity will go up, and your bottom line along with it.
Take the time to write a quality cover letter before applying for a job. Your cover letter is a reflection of your communication and writing skills. Do your best to describe your experience in details, talk about your motivations and explain why you would be a good fit for the job.
Sign up for LinkedIn. This is something everyone should already have in place, whether they have a job or not. LinkedIn allows you to network with people you know and those you don’t, giving you access to job opportunities, information about companies and the ability to learn from your peers in the field.
Create a reliable list of references. Almost every job application will have a spot for you to provide references. Streamline your application process by having your references and their contact information with you whenever you apply for a job or attend an interview. Try to have at least three references, and at minimum, include their job titles, phone numbers, and email addresses.
You should not use the same resume or cover letter to apply for different jobs. You should create your resume or cover letter in function of the position you want. Make sure you draw attention to relevant work experiences or specific skills that represent an advantage for the job you want.
Be sure that you have filled out each application in detail. Even though the same information is available on your resume, it is still important to show you can pay attention to detail and fill out the application in full.
If a full-time job is not readily available, consider working part-time as a contractor in your field for the time being. This may get your foot in the door with a company. Recruiters also do not like to see huge time gaps in an applicant’s employment history. So, working part-time can make that gap smaller.
All good companies ought to have strict policies in place regarding harassment, whether it is of a sexual or racial nature. While the legal expense to set up such a policy is hefty up front, you will surely save yourself a large headache later. Harassment is simply unacceptable in the workplace.
While Linkedin and Facebook are both social networking sites, you need to keep in mind that Linkedin is more of a professional site. This means that you should have a clear, polished picture that can be used for your profile. A picture of you making silly faces would definitely not be appropriate.
After applying for work, you should be expecting some callbacks. Be careful when you’re answering the phone. It is very important to make a good first impression on a potential employer, even if you are only talking to the person in charge of scheduling job interviews.
Take steps to make your resume stand out. If you are applying for a job in advertising, print up a resume if the form of a marketing plan. If you are looking for a job in web development, create your own website with all the information for your resume. Whatever field you want to work in, you can come up with a unique resume personalized to that field!
Ask friends or parents for advice on what they did to get their job. Sometimes, you will find new techniques that you can incorporate into your job search. Also, you can use these people for contacts to specific people or a company when you are trying to land your job.
Unemployment is no vacation. It can be a terrifying and costly time for people. Hopefully you have found the advice from this article beneficial and can use it to empower you in your job search. Try and remain positive and keep at it; eventually you will find yourself employed again!


