| It can be a daunting experience, for many | | | | webmasters and web mistresses to get visitors |
| reasons, to do an employment search. Equally | | | | to their sites, but they are-unlike a lot of |
| challenging, you might feel, is the | | | | advertising that drives us nuts-most valuable |
| employment search you do online. You might | | | | sources. Besides plugs for doo-dads and |
| have caught on by now to Craigslist, but if | | | | stuff to buy or pay for, they have advice |
| not-or if you want to extend the search-you | | | | columns, special interest sections, and calls |
| either start there and/ then consider the | | | | for experts/job announcements. And they are |
| many kinds of networks and job banks and | | | | free! |
| boards that fit your skill sets, income | | | | |
| needs, and other particulars. | | | | I subscribe to five different newsletters for |
| | | | writers. Because of those, and because I |
| This can get intense. Employment searches | | | | read every little box, frame, passage, entry |
| can lead you to agencies, advice, and | | | | in every one, I have garnered about 50% of |
| attitudes you feel overwhelmed by. Breathe. | | | | the job/gig leads I followed up on and |
| There's a way to "narrow" your search, making | | | | landed. |
| efforts pay off, literally and figuratively. | | | | |
| | | | 4) GO DIRECTLY to the SOURCE |
| Now, as a freelance writer, I access specific | | | | |
| banks and boards, but my example will | | | | Well, sort of directly. The newsletter |
| hopefully help you clarify your own | | | | editor is the one who runs a site that |
| employment search process. | | | | centers on your field. Visit the website. |
| | | | (Don't gloss over the many links that say |
| 1) COMPANY and LOCATION SEARCHES | | | | "click here", in other words, no matter how |
| | | | many filters you have up to visually block |
| Find job boards that have updated classified | | | | all that linkage.) Those same writer |
| for employment in your area and in major | | | | newsletters have vested interest (creative, |
| companies you might be interested in working | | | | intellectual, financial) in doing the same |
| with. | | | | work you are making an employment search for, |
| | | | and typically feature a job board exclusively |
| For the Bay Area, for instance, Tribe | | | | for professionals in your field. A daily |
| (sanfrancisco.tribe.net) features a search | | | | newsletter with writing leads also features |
| engine and drop-down menu to look for jobs by | | | | high-paying and low-paying (ugh) job sections |
| company and category (field). | | | | on the parent site, In fact, besides a |
| | | | super archive of articles on writing, the |
| Considering your area of expertise, find the | | | | site is primarily one great, great (in size |
| companies who employ your type, and visit | | | | and quality) job bank. I have gotten at |
| their help wanted/employment search/seeking | | | | least 25% of my gigs there. |
| XYZ pages. For example, I consult many | | | | |
| sites-like Pearson Education-- belonging to | | | | 5) OPTION: NETWORKERS |
| publishers, visit their employment/jobs | | | | |
| section, and look from there for any gigs I | | | | Just as many other professionals care enough |
| might be good for. | | | | about humans in the workforce and getting |
| | | | them into that workforce that they have built |
| 2) CAREER SEARCHES | | | | businesses to connect employers with |
| | | | employees and free agents with clients. Yes, |
| That is, for example, if you are a | | | | they usually cost something, so you might |
| journalist, seek journalist, press, news, | | | | want to be the kind of person who believes |
| magazine, periodical ads at such places as | | | | that it takes money to make money. But many |
| NewsJobs.net, which offers postings for | | | | are quite successful at what they do. I |
| NewsJobs in the U.S., NewsJobs in Canada, and | | | | have-in my reading and employment searching |
| NewsJobs in the U.K.. | | | | and career developing hours-read many |
| | | | accounts of how beneficial these networks |
| In the same respect, when you do an | | | | are…networks such as ScriptLance.com, |
| employment search on a major search engine | | | | Guru.com, ELance.com, for specific types, |
| and are typing in different and varied words | | | | and, for general sources, such network |
| and phrases, be as thorough and thoughtful as | | | | solutions planners as Careers.com, |
| you can. If you are a carpenter, look for | | | | HotJobs.com, JobSeeker, and Jobvertise will |
| more than just carpenter jobs. Type in all | | | | work for you and with you to find you a job |
| the variations you can think of for the word | | | | in your area of expertise, location, |
| carpenter-"carpentry," "builder," "building," | | | | emotional and intellectual setting, and |
| "construction"-and all the different words | | | | income bracket. |
| you can think of for jobs-"careers," "help | | | | |
| wanted," "needed," "places for." I found, | | | | Of course, the other 25% of my income comes |
| for instance, a great publication called | | | | from doing my own employment search |
| Places for Writers, which is not dens and | | | | elsewhere: in-person networking, |
| coffee shops and what we would likely first | | | | word-of-mouth (be good at what you do every |
| think of when we read the word "places", but | | | | time you do it!), and, of course, the |
| which is places calling for submissions. | | | | beneficent, beneficial, benefiting and |
| | | | fitting Craigslist!!!! |
| 3) SUBSCRIBE to NEWSLETTERS in YOUR FIELD | | | | |
| | | | Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and |
| Newsletters are one of the greatest cogs in | | | | has been researching and reporting on |
| the Internet machine. They are used by | | | | Internet Marketing for years. |