[vox-jobs] help, i'm overwhelmed. how to find a job?

[Michael Wenk]

On Friday 27 June 2003 05:04 pm, Peter Jay Salzman wrote:
> hi all,
>
> i've never had a problem finding a job before.  they just seemed to come
> my way, and i always seemed to get the job of my choice.  but now i'm
> doing it for reals, and am finding the task supremely daunting.
>
> i'm moving to princeton, new jersey in august and i need to find a job.
> there are two problems:
>
> 1. there's so much i can do and am interested in that it's hard to even
>    nail down what to look for.
>
>    programming, administration, physics, numerical modeling,
>    mathematics, EE...  i have so many skills that it's confusing to
>    even look for jobs.

First off, you need to figure out what you want to do.  In the current climate 
I would expect that you should not try to branch out much.  If you've done 
things like internships and co-ops, using those contracts aren't a bad idea.  
Since you're coming out of school, my best suggestion would be to hit UCD's 
career assistance.  Granted, I'm from out of state, but at OSU it was an 
immensely helpful resource(least from what my friends used it for.)  However 
being stuck in a specific area, it may hinder you.  I suggest you go out and 
meet people around the area you're in, make contacts and network.  

> 2. there's a deluge of "job sites".  the web seems to have an endless
>    stream of job sites.

Personally, I use several sites and I do monitor newsgroups on a regular 
basis.  I normally watch www.dice.com and www.monster.com.   However, I'm 
strictly an IT(Sys admin and programming) guy.  However job search sites are 
not as useful as they once were.  

> one thing i HAVE figured out is thank god for DSL.  this whole process
> would be impossible if i only had modem speed.  i also figured out that
> local newspapers are all but useless for our field.

Not necessarily.  I always check the bee.  I havent had much luck with it, but 
it has pointed me at a cpl of jobs I didn't see elsewhere.  And since I 
havent had much luck with anything, its no worse than anything else.  ;)  
Also, a good idea is to search out the local chamber of commerce(possibly 
even do this online.)  Then get a list of companies that may have a need for 
the type of job you want to do.  Then check these companies regularly.  You 
may also want to either cold call them, or do a bulk(I use the term extremely 
loosely) mail(snail) of your resume, and tailored cover letter.  Another idea 
would be to make contacts at those companies and use that to further your 
network.  Also, don't forget to let your network know you are looking for a 
job.  Ask everyone you know in the area if they might know of anyone looking 
for people.  Also, the internet is a two edged sword IMO.  Its extremely 
helpful in many ways, but it also can be a big trap.  Don't just do your job 
search online.  Get out, talk to people, and cover EVERY avenue.  

>
> i'm asking for advice from people who are searching for jobs.  what are
> some of the websites i should be looking at?  are there any sites that
> are clearly better for people looking for tech jobs?

See above.  

> other than google, is there a way of building a list of all the big name
> companies near princeton (like IBM, HP, AT&T, etc)?

As I said above, the local chamber of commerce is an incredible resource.  
Also, given the current climate at big companies, I would HIGHLY recommend 
looking elsewhere.  The majority of big companies are still in a downsizing 
mentality rather than hiring.  And what hiring they do, is normally temps.  
Besides the chamber of commerce, check out any government sites for the area 
as they normally have links to area businesses.  Phone books are also a good 
route to go.  Yes its tedious, but there's a whole pisspot of info out there, 
but the info is not normally in a useful form.  Also, expect to miss a 
company or two.  That's why its always good to find a good number of sources 
of info.  I'd stay clear of for profit job search companies or lists, as if 
you have to pay to be on the list, there's probably someone who didn't want 
to.  Well, more to say, Id try to keep as many sources as possible. 

In terms of other services, I would suggest getting your resume looked at by 
some HR people(UCD should have this service.)  Writing a resume is an 
annoying process, and is quite different than writing one 3-4 years ago.    

Good Luck!

-- 
wenk@praxis.homedns.org
Mike Wenk