Essential Tips for your Job Hunt
In the old days, finding a job was easy. All you had to do was get your hands on a flint-tipped
spear and skewer a few mastodons and you were considered gainfully employed. The only
headhunters were people who were after your skull, and “getting your name out there”
meant painting it on a cave wall.
As much as we may long for these simple times, the job search of today is a much more
complicated and often vicious process. After all, they don’t call it job “hunting” for nothing.
Today’s competitive and fast-paced job market has forced job seekers to develop a variety
of techniques in order to stay ahead of the evolutionary curve. The only way to go about
your job search is to think as though you’re employed in the business of finding yourself a
job.
For most people, having a job means that they go to work at a certain time, do their best to
finish a certain number of tasks, and leave at a certain time. While the actual amount of time
and energy spent varies from employee to employee, the formula remains the same.
But when most people look for a job their search often turns into a free-for-all. Many job
seekers don’t realize that organization and time management pose just as much of a prob-
lem for them as it does for the employed. This is especially true for people coming out of
college, who may or may not have held a long-term full-time job.
If you think about it in terms of our ancestors, you’re not going to bring home any fish if
you’re not standing in the stream with your spear in hand everyday. In an effort to bring you
back to your prehistoric roots, WetFeet has put together a list of suggestions to help you
stay on track and bring home the bacon (or at least the wild boar).
Don’t Procrastinate
Looking for a job can seem like an impossible task, leading to frustration and disgust. If you find
yourself reading every magazine in the house, rearranging the furniture, and sewing new cur-
tains because you’re too overwhelmed by your job search, it’s time to get a grip and reprioritize.
The best way to avoid procrastinating is to set manageable goals for yourself. Don’t hesitate
to put a padlock on your Nintendo and rid yourself of any distractions that will keep you from
focusing on the task at hand: job hunting.
set Goals for Yourself and Prioritize Them
At the beginning of each day or week, set your goals. Your goals should not be overwhelming
ones like “Have a well paying job by the end of the month,” but rather a series of smaller goals that
will lead to employment. That way, each time you check something off your list it will be a victory.
Possible goals might include finding out the best person to contact about an interview or