Career skills. Учебное пособие

CHAPTER 2

FINDING A JOB

KEY TERMS

classifieds

employment agency

fee

references

OBJECTIVES

In this chapter you will learn about

finding job openings

organizing your job search

organizing information about yourself

arranging for references

Wouldn't it be fantastic if you could touch a key and get a computer printout of all the job openings for which you are qualified? Unfortunately, a job search isn't quite that easy. Finding the job you want, rather than just any job, takes lots of hard work and effort.

Although often frustrating and difficult, your job search can also be exciting and rewarding. When you look for a job, you can learn a lot more about the world of work. You also learn more about yourself.

Don't start your job search until you know for sure what you want to do. Too many people look for just any job and end up with jobs they don't like. The first step in .any job search is knowing what job you are looking for.

If you know what job you want, you can begin your search. A good place to start is with this chapter. You will learn how to gather job leads and organize your search. You will be on your way to finding the job that's right for you.

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Gathering Leads

Detectives have to look for clues to solve their cases. When you look for a job, you have to develop some of the same skills a detective uses. You have to sniff out clues and put them together for a complete picture of the job you want.

You can find out about job openings in several ways. Those discussed in this chapter include talking to people, using newspaper ads, and going to employment agencies.

Talking to People

A simple way to find out about available jobs is to talk with your friends and relatives. Ask them if they know of any jobs. If they don't, ask them to ask their friends. News travels fast along the "grapevine." So use it to your advantage.

Make a list of all the people you know who might be aware of a job for you. Write down the names of friends who have just been hired. They might have turned down another job that would be just right for you.

Add to your list the names of friends' parents who are working. People already working for a company often hear about job openings before the openings are made public. Each working person you know is like a doorway into that company.

Some young people feel it is unfair to use inside help to get jobs. They feel they should get the job on their own. This is true only if you are the wrong person for the job.

You would be the wrong person for the job if you couldn't do the work, or if you were dishonest about your skills. Otherwise, using inside help is one of the best ways to find a job. The majority of today's job holders heard about their jobs by word of mouth—by simply talking to people.

Using Newspapers

The newspaper can help you learn where jobs are in your area. Libraries have copies of newspapers if you do not get one of your own.

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In the newspaper is a section of ads called the classifieds. The classified section is a listing of many different kinds of advertisements. It lists homes and other items for rent or sale. Most important, the classified section has a list of job opening.

Classified sections are organized in different ways. A paper like the Denver Post may use one way and the New York Times may use another way. At the beginning of most classified sections is a directory or some other guide. This directory tells how the information is listed.

Usually each type of ad has a number. The "help wanted" ads, for example, may have the number 2400. To find these ads, you would look in the classified section for the number 2400.

2400 Help Wanted

Detention Specialist Career Opportunities

Min. age 19, Salary: $1,317/mo. (Shift Position). Closing date: January 12. Testing will consist of interview, psychological and mental ability tests, polygraph, and oral board. Psychological and mental ability tests will be conducted on January 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Adams County Fair Grounds. Apply to the Adams County Sheriff's Dept., 1831 E. Bridge St., Brighton, CO 80601. EOE.

The ad above is a typical help-wanted ad.

Some newspapers in larger cities also divide the job list by areas. A newspaper in Chicago might list the jobs by suburbs such as Evanston, Skokie, or Cicero. Other large city newspapers may use abbreviations such as NE, N, or NW, which tell you in what part of the city the job is located. Almost all newspapers divide the list by type of job, such as clerical, sales, or teaching.

The next step is to learn the meaning of the words used in a job ad. Sometimes ads in the classified section are hard to understand because they include abbreviations and special words. For example: CONCRETE lab tech. HS, exp. pref. Salary nego., exc. fringe. EOE M/F, Mobile Premix Concrete Co, Inc., I590 W. 12th Ave.

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Can you read and understand this ad? The abbreviations used are as follows: lab = laboratory

tech = technician

HS = high school; this means a high school education is needed exp = experience

pref = preferred

nego = negotiable; this means they are willing to talk things over exc = excellent

fringe = fringe benefits; this means insurance, vacation, and other benefits EOE M/F = equal opportunity employer male/female; this means they will hire

a person of any race, ethnic group, religion, or sex

This is how the same ad would read if the abbreviations were not used:

CONCRETE laboratory technician. High school education needed, experience preferred. Salary negotiable, excellent fringe benefits. Equal opportunity employer, male/female. Mobile Premix Concrete, Incorporated, 1590 West I2th Avenue

Most newspapers use the abbreviations, on the next page. Learning them will make it easier for you to read the help-wanted ads.

Don't be too scared by the experience or education required in an ad. Most companies write ads for the "ideal" employee. They know that most people do not have all of the qualities described in the ad.

What does this mean to you? If you come very close to what they ask for in the job ad, apply. You may come closer to meeting the description than anyone else.

Be aware of the ways in which certain words are used. Some words are hard to define. Ads sometimes have words like "bright," "personable," and "mature." These words have different meanings to different people. If a job ad reads, "Company needs a mature truck driver," does "mature" refer to the person's age? Or does it mean a person who is responsible? If you are responsible, apply for the job.

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Using Employment Agencies

An employment agency is an organization that helps people find jobs. Some employers don't like to advertise job openings in a newspaper. Instead they ask an employment agency to find someone for them. The people who need jobs go to the employment agency; then the agency tries to match the people to the jobs on their list.

There are two types of employment agencies. One type is a private employment agency. The other is a public or state employment agency. Private agencies sometimes advertise in the newspaper. The state employment agency does not advertise jobs very often. Instead, you usually have to contact the agency to find out about the jobs.

Private Employment Agencies

Private employment agencies charge a fee for matching people with jobs. The fee is a certain amount of money or a percentage of your salary.

If the agency advertises the job, the ad may state the fee arrangement. Different arrangements are

Fee paid. The employer pays the fee. You do not pay anything.

Half fee paid. You pay half of the fee, and the employer pays half.

Applicant paid, or just fee. You must pay the entire fee.

Fee refunded. You pay the fee, but it is given back to you at a later time. This usually means the employer pays the agency later on.

If you ask a private employment agency to find you a job for a fee, you will have to sign a contract. The contract says the agency will find you a job. When you accept the job, the agency charges its fee. If you do not accept any of the jobs, you will not owe them any money.

Before you sign a contract, be sure you understand everything it says. The contract is a legal paper. Your signature means you will carry out the conditions of the contract. If you do not, the employment agency can take you to court.

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The contract will state

Who pays the fee? This part describes the fee arrangement.

The amount of the fee. The fee charged is usually based on the job's salary. The higher the salary, the higher the fee. If you get a job that pays $800 a month, the fee will be higher than for a job that pays $600. The fee is usually equal to one or more months' salary.

How the fee will be paid. Must it be paid all at one time or in parts? For example, the contract may say you must pay $37 by the fifth day of each month for eight months.

How much you will have to pay even if you don't stay with the company for long. The amount owed is determined by how long you work for the company.

How much time you have to decide whether to take the job. If you take the job within the time given, you must pay the agency its fee.

Again, a word of caution do not sign a contract unless you understand what the contract says. Be sure you know the fee arrangement. If you are not sure, ask for a copy to take home. Read it carefully. Have someone whose judgment you respect read it also.

Be aware, too, that agencies only advertise the most appealing jobs. Those jobs may be taken right away. Or they may not be quite as desirable as they sound in an ad.

Public or State Employment Agencies. The public or state employment agency provides free service. All you must do is register with the agency. That is, you will have to fill out a form. The form asks you your name and other personal information. It asks for your skills and interests. A counselor at the agency will tell you about available jobs. But the state employment agency does not always arrange an interview for you. You may have to contact the companies yourself.

There are special agencies to talk to if you are interested in working for the government. Among these agencies are the city Civil Service Commissions, state Civil Service Centers, and federal Job Information Centers. Check the telephone book for addresses and phone numbers. Agencies are usually listed under "Government"

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and grouped by type: city, county, state, or United States government. Your librarian can help you find out about government agencies and how to locate the phone numbers in the telephone book.

On Your Own

You can also find a job by yourself if you know the type of job you want. The Yellow Pages of the phone book list companies, Businesses are listed by the products they make or sell or the kinds of services they offer.

When you look for a job on your own you do not know if the businesses you contact need new employees. You may have to contact a large number of companies before you find one that has openings, be patient. This approach can be the most time consuming of all.

In most newspaper classified sections there is a group of ads called "Situation Wanted" or "Jobs Wanted." These ads are placed by people like you who are looking for certain jobs. They hope employers will read the ads and give them a call. Sometimes these ads work, and you might want to try one. Keep in mind, however, that they cost you money. Most papers charge by the word or by the line.

Organize Your Job Search

A key to a successful job search is organization. Take it step by step. The time you spend now will be well worth it later on. If you are organized, your job search will go more smoothly. In the long run you will save time and effort.

Job Lead Cards

You will talk to many people in your job search. It is easy to forget whom you talked to and what they said. Instead of saving scraps of paper or trying to remember names, set up a system for remembering.

Start by making a list of the names of people who can help you find out about job openings. Add jobs listed in the classified ads. Add the names of the companies you’ve talked to or written to.

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Next, the names on this list need to be organized. A simple way is to use 3" x 5" cards or uniform slips of paper. Write each name from your list on a card. Each card should contain the following:

person's name

job title or type of work

company and department

address

telephone number

space for additional information

Finding Information about Employers

You will want to know as much as possible about the employers to whom you apply for jobs. There are two important reasons for this.

First, you want the employer to like you. You know how flattered you are when someone takes the time to find out about you. People in business feel the same way. They'll be impressed that you took the time to find out more about their company.

Another important reason to learn about employers is that you want to be happy and successful where you work. You want to know what type of situation you will be working in. As you learn more about employers, you will like some businesses better than others. Then you can match up what's important to you with what you learn about the different businesses.

What kind of facts might you want to find out about a business? That depends on the business, but here are some questions to get you started.

What kinds of products or services are offered?

Is the company growing and expanding?

How large is the business, both in employees and profits?

Do employees have a chance to move up in the company?

Does the company have a good reputation with its employees as well as its customers?

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What type of employees does the company employ?

What type of jobs does the company offer to employees?

What benefits, such as additional training at company expense, insurance programs, or recreation and food facilities, does the company offer employees?

If you have some information about a company, you can use it when you talk to people in that company. You can mention something about what you learned. For example, you might say, "I talked to a few people who do business with your store. They all liked the way the store was organized. They also liked the attention salespeople paid to them when they shopped." The people will know you are interested in the company and that you are adult enough to do some checking on your own.

There are several ways to get information about a business.

If you know any employees of the business, ask them about it.

Talk to people who do business with the store or company. Ask them why they trade there. What do they like? What makes this business different from others?

Call the business to see if there is a company magazine or annual report you can read.

Call the Better Business Bureau in your area. Ask if they've had any bad reports about the company.

Go to see the business if you can. This is easy to do if it is a store. But you can even look at a factory from the outside. How large does the business look? How busy does it seem to be? Are buildings in good repair? Are they clean? Finding information will take a little time and effort, but it will be worth it.

Gather Your Facts

The top salespeople are the ones who know the product they are selling inside and out. They know the strong and weak points of the product and can tell others about it.

Looking for a job means selling yourself. YOU ARE THE PRODUCT. The more facts you know about yourself, the better job of selling you will be able to do.

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