Cascade Career Services

Student Employment & Cooperative Education

CascadeCareerCenter

PCC Cascade Campus – Student Services Building Room 104

For General Information & Appointments - Call 503 978-5600

Job Search Strategy

Job Search

Where to Start and What to Do

Step 1: Ask yourself “What kind of Job Seeker am I?”

1)I know the job I want.

2)I know the field I want to work in but not the exact job.

3)I don’t know what job or field.

Make use of the CareerCenter, Career Development classes and/or Counselors.

Step 2: Determine who you want to work for and do some homework

The most efficient use of your time is to concentrate on a few companies instead of sending your résumé out to the world.

Choose 6-30 potential employers. If you are in healthcare for example, you probably only need a few employers to keep you busy with job openings. If you are looking at smaller companies, for example, paralegals, choose more firms to be sure that you can identify a sufficient number of openings.

How do you pick the companies?

There are a few different ways to develop your company list

4)You may already have some companies in mind. Identify similar employers through resources such as qwestdex or yahoo.

5)Look for employers by categories through the State of Oregon’s Labor Market Information Systems.

6)Use industry or trade publications.

7)Use professional associations

8)“100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon”, Oregon Business Magazine.

Research the Companies you choose. Use the following:

  1. Company website
  2. Business Journal (Portland.bcentral.com/Portland/
  3. Online Resources: OLMIS (Oregon Labor Market Information – go to employer database), ( (
  4. Articles on the company, try searching on internet (google, yahoo, Oregonian)
  5. 100 Best Companies List (
  6. NW Prospects (
  7. Library (industry journals, book of lists, Associations unlimited)
  8. American Society of Associations Executives (
  9. Networking – talk to people who work there or someone who knows someone
  10. Informational Interviews
  11. Professional Organizations (ie. toastmasters, chamber of commerce, WITI Strategists – for tech savvy professional women)
  12. Networking meetings (Job Finders, Say Hey, Hi Tech, etc.)
  13. If a target company hires a lot of temps, which temporary agencies do they use? Add those agencies to your list of target employers.

Step 3: Develop your résumé (see résumé handout)

Step 4: Network

a)Contact potential references. Ask if you can use them and let them know what you are looking for

b)attend networking meetings

c)create list of all your contacts with phone and or e-mail (to get ideas of who’s in your network see insert b of this handout)

d)make advice calls (see page 4

e)volunteer

f)sign up for newsgroups or listserves related to your field

Step 5: Develop your pitch

In this case, pitch merely refers to what you will say to another person to describe what you are looking for.

For example you are asked “What do you do?”

You: “I have been in the accounting field for about 10 years. Most of that has been in payroll. I am looking for a position now with a small to mid-size firm.”

OrYou: “I am a recent graduate from PCC in the Criminal Justice program. I interned with the Hillsboro Police Department and now I am looking for a permanent position as a police officer.”

OrYou: “After a career in tax preparation, I went back to school for a Paralegal Certificate from PCC. I’m now looking for a position as a paralegal, possibly with a firm that specializes in estate planning or finance.”

OrYou: “After working a lot of different jobs in restaurants I decided it was time to go back to school. I’ve just finished my MultiMedia Certificate at PCC and am looking for an opportunity to do web design. I’m especially good at animation.”

Step 5: Manage your time

Use the final page of this handout to “Plan your work and work your Plan”. The plan

can be photo copied and used on a weekly basis. Schedule in your network meetings first.

a)Pick one day per week that you will check for job leads

  1. Search the websites of your target companies
  2. Search other sources of job openings based on your objective
  3. Print the jobs you want to apply to
  4. Put them in order them by due date
  5. Evaluate the time you will need to complete the application materials. These can include the application, your résumé targeted for the position, essay questions and/or transcripts
  6. Schedule when you will pull your materials together for the jobs

Step 6: Gather your job search materials

  1. Résumé
  2. Master Application
  3. Cover Letter
  4. Thank You notes
  5. Professional References
  6. Letters of Reference
  7. List of Network contacts with e-mail and phone number
  8. List of Advice questions
  9. Certifications/Degrees
  10. Awards
  11. Examples of Work

Step 7: Keep copies of the materials you submit

If you are called for an interview, you will want to review the job description and the materials you submitted.

Step 8: Recharge and De-stress

If you have:

  1. Done some networking
  2. Applied for at least 3 jobs
  3. Done at least 3 advice calls
  4. Have interviewed or are prepared to interview
  5. Remembered to stay positive
  6. Spent some time volunteering

Enjoy yourself. You are working your plan.

Take a walk orbake your favorite dessert.

Go out for coffee.

Get a free movie or CD from the library.

Advice Calls

“Hello, my name is______. I am:

~a recent graduate

~new to the area

~currently changing careers

~returning to the workforce”

“I would like to do____. I would appreciate any advice you might have.”

Questions to ask:

  1. How did you get started in this field?

This is a nice ice-breaker question that might help you clarify how YOU can break into that field too!

  1. What do you like most about this work?

This is the part where you get awed, inspired and charged up!

  1. What is the most challenging (or toughest) part about your job?

You don’t want to ask them straight out “what do you hate,” because who needs the negativity! However asking this question gives you an opportunity to:

a)Look for red flags and more importantly…

b)Look for opportunities to help them (are they overworked, for example? Maybe you are the solution to their problem).

  1. Where do you see this organization/ industry in six months? 1 year? 2 years?

This question gives you insight into the future opportunities (or lack thereof).

  1. Who else should I talk to?

This question keeps your networking process going.

Weekly Job Search plan

  1. Schedule your time

□ / a)Schedule events you want to attend such as networking or professional association meetings
□ / b)Schedule time to contact people in your network
□ / c)Schedule time for volunteer activities
□ / d)Schedule the time you will spend applying for jobs
□ / e)Schedule Job Fairs
  1. Check your target companies’ open positions

□ / a)Print out job leads
□ / b)Put in order by due date
□ / c)Evaluate time needed to complete each application *Include time to make appropriate changes to your resume to target it for a specific opportunity
□ / d)Eliminate the job postings you will not have time for
□ / e)Apply for each opening *Warning* Keep applying-Do NOT wait to hear back from one employer before applying for another position
  1. Interviews

□ / a)If you are called for an interview, great! Prepare for the interview and then KEEP applying until you are offered a job
□ / b)Write Thank You notes
  1. Advice Calls – 3 per week

□ / a)Who:
□ / b)Who:
□ / c)Who:

Congratulations! Enjoy your free time – you’ve earned it!