Lessons from the sidelines
Since graduating two months ago, I have made a career out of finding a career. While my efforts haven't resulted in any monetary gain, they have yielded benefits that will last a lifetime.
During my journey, I have improved my skills in data collection, comparative analysis, career advising, project management, networking, interviewing, cover letter writing, marketing (mostly myself), negotiating, and composing job descriptions. At the same time, I've grown my network, narrowed down my career interests to a few keywords, and learned patience. All of this work has become a great investment for the future. While there is much to share, today I thought I'd start with a list of strategies that I have undertaken in my job search and their respective benefits.
1) Contacting past employers, references, and conference contacts: This is a powerful form of networking. I basically sent short emails to people who know my abilities, gave them a short description of my current career interests, and asked them to keep an eye out for jobs that match. The only effort it takes on their part is to forward an email to you. Even if you don't get any messages from them, at least you reestablished an old contact.
The benefit of this approach is that the people are more likely to be connected to the jobs they send you. This means they may a have a higher chance of knowing the people that are hiring or at least can put in a good word for you. I have received occasional emails from these contacts and one email from a former employer actually led to an interview and an offer. It all starts by making a list of people who you have worked with in the past and dusting off those business cards that you collected at the last conference you attended.
2) Tapping the alumni network: There are many ways to tap into this network. The Career Services has a listing of alumni and contacts on its website. Linked-in has a large alumni group and Facebook is becoming a bigger player in networking. All of the alumni I have called up have all been receptive to talking. From one 20 minute call to an alumnus in San Francisco, I learned about her experience in the consulting world, discovered that many more alumni are living in the area, and that there is a monthly Green Drinks meetup.
3) Job websites, listservs and newsletters: I have a list of job websites that post positions that align with my interests. I prefer the sites that can send me daily updates for positions that match my keywords. Some examples of sites that have this capability are Indeed and USAJOBS. I have also found out about some positions by subscribing to listservs and newsletters in the field I am seeking employment. The weekly AASHE newsletter contains employment opportunities in sustainability at universities across the nation. This strategy has exposed me to many job opportunities, and I have learned how to refine my ideal job by tinkering with keywords. However, this method can be a drain on time and is more susceptible to the application blackhole, especially with universities and government agencies.
