Linda Moore
Director
EIU Career Services
Job Search Skills
Assumptions about your
preparation for this workshop
#1. You have a one or more targeted resumes & cover letters. If not, work
with a career counselor at EIU.
#2. You have a couple of job paths that you are focused on. If not, seek
out a career counselor
#3. You know how to do company research. If not look at our website and
get training materials from our office.
#4. You have practiced interviewing, have an elevator pitch and
appropriate interview attire. If not, see our website or a counselor.
Job Search Plan

Resources for your job search
a. Determine which resources you will use
b. Use a mix of resources (face to face, online, 1st level, 2nd level, etc)
c. Prioritize which resources will receive a certain amount of time
because some resources will likely produce more results than others.

Time & Structure of your job search
a. Full time job search if you are unemployed
b. College students should treat this like a class (5 hrs/week min.)
c. Schedule your job search time – day and time, where
Resources for you Job Search

People #1 Way to get a job/Networking
- especially true for experienced job seekers

Employers & Professional Societies
- employer websites are commonly used by candidates & there you have the most
competition. About 30% employer hires are from their websites.
- professional societies list jobs. Less competitive because those are less visible to the
public. Great source and good impression of your brand.

Panther Recruiting
- where you find many jobs featuring degree but not requiring much experience.

Commercial Online Sites/Headhunters

– major online job boards sell data and have limited quality control. Some good leads &
should be used as a limited part of your job search plan instead of the major source
Networking in the Real World:
• Look for PEOPLE, not JOBS
“Networking is making links from people
we know to people they know, in an
organized way, for a specific purpose,
while remaining committed to doing our
part, expecting nothing in return.”
Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas, Power Networking
Why Network? Some Stats:
 A referral generates 80% more results than a
cold call. Job search smart!
 75% of people get their jobs through
networking. (a.k.a. always leave a good
impression)
Up to 80% of jobs are not advertised!
Networking Involves:
 Establishing goals. What is your networking mission?
a. Learn about jobs from those working in the field
b. Make connections for jobs or internships
c. Enhance your professional knowledge through shared info
 Analyzing the kinds of help you will need in achieving your goals.
a. Type of help depends on your mission
b. Experts, versus mentors, versus those who are connected
 Analyzing & developing your people skills.
a. Be a clear communicator, polished, engaging, grateful and giving.
 Building and cultivating your network accordingly.
 a. Start early. Pace to your need. Don’t wait until you need something.
4 Layers of Separation
You
Level 1
Contact
Your Friend
Alice
Level 2
Contact
Alice’s Uncle
Bill
Level 3
Contact
Bill’s Friend
Carol
Level 4
Contact
Carol’s Boss
David
Level 1 Contacts
 Neighbors
 Classmates/former
classmates
 Other job candidates
 Relatives
 Teammates
 People you socialize with
 Sorority, Fraternity &
Student organizations
 Former Employers & coworkers
 Members of your religious
congregation
 People who provide
services to you
 Friends of parents and
relatives
 Professional Associations
 People dependant upon
networking (i.e. realtors,
insurance agents, etc.)
Networking Log – document
quickly after each contact
 Use Outlook contact or similar
contact database
KEEP:
 Contact name, Address, Phone &
E-Mail address
 Occupation & Employer
 How you met contact
 Outstanding points about the
contact
 Personal details, family ,
characteristics & interests
 Date of each contact
 Conversation summary
 Names of 3 referrals, if the contact
is for job searching
 Dates of follow-up on these 3
referrals
 Date of thank-you note for referrals
 Other (the contacts needs as you
must give back more than you take
from each contact).
Week 1 Goal:
Add 5-10 People to Network
Faculty – those who like your class performance
 LinkedIn Alumni, LinkedIn professional
discussion groups - job info, job lead connections.

Moves
thousands of people from 4th level contact to 2nd level contacts quickly.

Professionals at conventions & professional
society meetings – face to face networks; they are in the loop
and can be looking for new talent at meetings/conventions

People you meet casually – vacation, planes,
dinner/bar - face to face networks
Employers & Professional
Societies

Target Employers about whom you are passionate at these meetings but
don’t dominate them. Meet & greet. Follow up.

Find out who is speaking at sessions & attend those presented by
employees of your target employers.

Follow Target Employers on FB, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Post to FB,Twitter, L/in employer fan pages and join LinkedIn discussion
groups that their staff are members of

Conduct informational interviews but NEVER ask for job or internship
unless they bring it up. If you are impressive, the employer may offer!
Employers & Professional Societies
Resource Tactics in your job search

Make Google Alert the employer’s job titles that
you like – http://www.google.com/alert

Join the related Professional Societies now as a
student member (usually cheaper) and maintain
society memberships as adults

Check professional society job page biweekly
Advantages of Panther
Recruiting

Thousands of employers coded for specific majors. Find out who recruits for your field!

Internships (> 1,200 verified internships currently available).

College level & experienced candidate jobs – nationally!

Often contains recruiter contact name, email and phone number which is normally
difficult information to obtain.

Passive and active job search capability. You can publicize your resume or not.

Secure identity & no selling your data. Employers are screened to eliminate scam jobs
and recruiting companies who are just looking for clients. Cost: $30.00 for undergrads –
once & lasts for year after graduate. http://www.eiu.edu/~careers
Commercial Online Sources
for your job search

LinkedIN. Jobs (in every discussion group). Facebook employer pages
& FB job apps. Great resources & limited competition.

Job aggregation services – Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com, The
Ladders.com. Ease of use. Can be outdated. Good initial ideas about
job titles and employers who hire those jobs.

Job search/resume posting – Careerbuilder, Monster, Hot Jobs, Dice,
about 10,000 job boards on the net. Many low quality listings on big
job boards. Better opportunities on specialized job boards like
constructionjobs.com, Dice.com. They make money by selling your
data, charging employers for job listings, and posting product ads.
The Right Attitude for job searching

Positive – about yourself, your skills, your search, past employers, the
future and what you can add to the job

Persistent – apply for other jobs at the company, keep watching for
openings, keep trying to improve while searching

Confident – believe that you will be successful in adding value in a
new position. Body posture = confident

Prepared – company research more than anyone else; know yourself

Resourceful – show networks & connections; use of latest technology
H.E.L.P. With Your Job
Search

EIU CAREER SERVICES – we have contacts, ideas, ways to
keep you motivated, ability to identify areas for improvement

EIU ALUMNI AND CURRENT STUDENTS are always
welcome!

EMAIL or PHONE APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE

M-F, 8 AM – 4:30 PM, ALTERNATE TIMES
AVAILABLE. Call 217-581-2412