Job hunting can be a frustrating experience, especially if you don’t have the right tools and the knowhow. Fortunately for you I have listed a few job hunting techniques that will help you succeed at every stage of the job-hunting process.

There are a few things that you should consider as you begin your job search that will give you a better understanding of the job market, such as:

• What is the employment environment in your area?
• Which industries are growing and which ones are stable?
• Which industries are in decline?
• What occupations are in high demand?
• What are the going wages for certain jobs?

Why Most Job Searches Fail?

The average job hunter thinks that job-hunting requires no preparation, just show up and interview for the job, what’s so difficult about that, right? Well, job hunting in itself is a job and it requires preparation, patience, determination, thinking out of the box and superior research skills among others. Just showing up unprepared will get you the interview, but not the job.

Alternative Ways to Get a Job

Networking – Job hunting is a full time job. To make this process a bit easier, you should let everyone know that you are looking for a job; this network of people should include your family, friends, school counselor, former professor and anyone else you can think of in your community that can help you with job leads.

The Internet – The internet is almost like a one stop shop for job hunters, but at the same time the internet should not be looked at as the only place to find work. If you didn’t find it on the internet that means that no jobs are available. The internet is very useful when it comes to doing research on jobs, companies, salaries, make contacts and network with people, post your resume and search for vacancies listed by employers.

Career counseling – At some point, after you have tried looking for a job but to no avail, you should seek the help of career counselors who can help you prepare for job interviews, resume preparation, interview preparation tips, and career guidance among others.

Books – Visit your neighborhood library and find books on how to write a winning resume, books on how to write cover letters, books on how to prepare for job interviews and check out the section for job vacancies while you’re there.

Self-inventory – Before you begin your job search and prepare your resume, do a thorough self-inventory of the transferrable skills that you have, then use this information to focus your search for work.

Newspaper – The Sunday edition of the newspaper usually prove most useful when looking for jobs. Go through the classified job section and search for your desired job, this can be time consuming process especially during this time of recession but usually newspapers are one of the effective mean to look for potential employer.

Temp agencies – Get the help from temporary employment agencies. Sometimes temp jobs can lead to permanent jobs, or at the very least you will have gain additional experience to add to your resume. Experienced candidates are always more marketable and valuable for employers.

Government jobs - Take advantage of the civil service exam for government jobs. You can visit them at http:/federaljobs.net/exam.htm. Government jobs are often considered as most coveted jobs because of the esteem and prestige they bring also there are many fringe benefits associated with such jobs.

Resume – Mail out resumes to potential employers, but try to keep a follow-up as well. Try to make your resume as effective and updated as possible. Your resume reflects your personality; make them as fool proof as possible. Typos spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, incomplete or false information are big NO; try to avoid them at all costs.

Cold calls – Call places that interest you or even visit these companies whether they advertise a vacancy or not. It is a good idea to visit potential employers; there are instances when big companies often don’t advertise for any openings available. Many companies offer job employment form to walk in candidates and call you when they have an opening. In-house hiring & word of mouth publicity is another quick way of landing a job.

Follow these basic job hunting tips to get you started on a successful job hunting journey.