[DigitalEl]

A: Because cutting through the want ad bullsh!t is nearly impossible.

This week's sampling from Gannett's Arizona Republic...

Join the Top 1% $250,000 - $500,000/Year 08/28
$100,000 Per Month Potential! Our best reps are in the top 1% tax bracket. Expanding Biotech Company needs salespeople ASAP!

Pro Sports Team - Sales & Marketing Work In Sports, LLC (WorkInSports.com) 08/28
WorkInSports.com is currently assisting a local professional sports team to hire marketing and sales executives.

Work At Home Online Immediately - Part Time / Full Time Mastered Freedom Online 08/29
Work from Home Online We will help you build your own business where you can earn: up to $500 to $1,500 Part Time

An Online Opportunity - P/T or F/T - Start Today!!! Marketing @ Home Enterprises 08/28
YOU WILL NEVER GET RICH WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE!! Earn what you're worth up to $1,500 to $5,000 Part Time up to $12,000 plus

UP AND COMING COMPANY...NOW HIRING! ENTRY LEVEL MARKETING! Westward Inc. 08/27
Sales/Marketing ARE YOU TIRED OF LOOKING FOR A JOB THAT IS BORING AND DOESN'T HAVE ANY ROOM FOR ADVANCEMENT!!??!

A SIMPLE SALE! Marketing Solutions 08/27
A SIMPLE SALE! 1 call biz opt closers needed. Front end, reloads, adnet, IB/OB, no experience necessary. Full benefits!!!!

A RARE OPPORTUNITY Sutters Mill Specialty 08/27
A RARE OPPORTUNITY Leading specialty distributor needs an outstanding person to help us build maintain long term relationships

All bullsh!t! I guess the days of ads with clear job descriptions and an e-mail address of where to send your resume are over. Clear signs that an ad is ********? Any with exclamation points is a good starting point. Any that say "Call today" and have some first name is another.

"Call Cindy today to set up your interview!" Um, yeah... And it's just a voicemail where you leave your personal information. Like that's gonna happen.

It's damn discouraging.

Big ups to the Seattle Times, or maybe it was the Portland Oregonian... Anyway, one of those papers guarantees BS free job ads, saying the job hunt is hard and humiliating enough without the stress of dealing with crap. Good for them for giving up the extra buck in the name of serving their readers. Now there's a notion.

[/RANT]

[milhous]

yeah, i think you'll see that in most any major paper these days. and what makes it worse is that there are pay services that for a fee will have those ads published in multiple papers and markets simultaneously. seems that the only decent classifieds you can find these days is craigslist, but even they get the occasional crap ads. and since craiglist is now in ebay's back pocket, i think it'll go downhill as well.

an of course the obligatory advice concerning the job market: it's not necessarily what you know, it's who you know. and networking, networking, networking!

Anyone who thinks they're going to get a good job by responding to an ad in the paper or emailing a resume is kidding themselves.

If you know what you want to do, research companies and call them. Or better yet, go visit them!

It also can't hurt to ask friends who work at places you want to.

[DigitalEl]

If you know what you want to do, research companies and call them. Or better yet, go visit them!

Great advice if you know someone on the inside. Otherwise, let me know how it works if you just show up at some big corporation and try to see someone unannounced. You won't get past security. As for calling, same thing. Most decision makers aren't answering their own phone. Unless you have a reason to be calling, you're not getting past the receptionist/secretary.

I never said getting a job through the Sunday paper is the way to go, BTW. Still, they can provide some ideas about companies in your area that you may not have ever heard of. Want ads are but one stop on the job hunt trail.

And Milhous is right. Knowing someone remains the best way to get a job. Networking is the key.

[Cody Dawg]

Good luck on the job hunt.

What kind of work are you looking for, BTW?

What area of the country?

[TailsToo]

Originally posted by Cody Dawg:
Good luck on the job hunt.

What kind of work are you looking for, BTW?

What area of the country?

Even most of the internet job sites stink - most are the fake jobs posted above, and the few real ones are for low paying positions that nobody else will take.

[powerbook867]

I really believe that anymore today, most high paying jobs are found through networking. As previously stated, most of the job sites are only mediocre and don't provide too many opportunies. Location matters as well. I'm in upstate NY and finding work here sucks....

[soul searching]

Originally posted by powerbook867:
I really believe that anymore today, most high paying jobs are found through networking. ....

Or heahunters. If you're a superstar or just have a lot of experience, it might not be a bad idea to get one.

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
Great advice if you know someone on the inside. Otherwise, let me know how it works if you just show up at some big corporation and try to see someone unannounced.

I forgot to mention - don't limit yourself to big corporations. Seriously, small companies are more apt to talk to you.

[macroy]

Originally posted by hayesk:
Anyone who thinks they're going to get a good job by responding to an ad in the paper or emailing a resume is kidding themselves.

If you know what you want to do, research companies and call them. Or better yet, go visit them!

It also can't hurt to ask friends who work at places you want to.

Starting with the paper isn't a bad idea... you should just follow it up by going to their website. And this is where your research starts... A lot of time, you get more information on the position through their own listings (but the paper ads help in locating the actual open positions).

I would strongly advise against just showing up or cold calling. Most folks have a channel for job applicants - and more likely than not, you'll find yourself being escorted out by security or placed on their "weirdo" list if you just show up.

But like others have said, its definitely WHO you know as opposed to what you know.

[Randman]

Many papers, especially the ones in larger cities, have professional job classified that are usually big on weekends (either Saturday and Sunday) and a weekday (usually Wednesdays).
Those are different from the small little blurbs. Those are basically paid ads rather than classifieds and they are often categorized into different job sections, medical, engineering, creative, sales, etc.
Those are the newspaper ads that one can find a job with. Some websites are better than others.
Personally, I think headhunters are one of the biggest wastes of time in the entire world and the site inhabited by them are the least effective.
A big part of job hunting is what job you're hunting.

[djohnson]

Finding a job is not fun... Luckily I got a good one. You might want to check on the company websites, that is how I found my current job. I agree that the news papers and online job sites really are bad. In the past, I would either get a job through someone I knew or by going to the place and asking if they had any job openings. I am guessing you want a high paying job? Good luck!

[memento]

Originally posted by powerbook867:
I really believe that anymore today, most high paying jobs are found through networking. As previously stated, most of the job sites are only mediocre and don't provide too many opportunies. Location matters as well. I'm in upstate NY and finding work here sucks....

I'm with you. Looking for a new job near Albany. Engineering. I got my last 2 through networking and had 2 good leads so far via networking. 1 offer even, but it wasn't enough to get me to leave my current position. I've sent out probably 20 resumes to ads posted and got nothing back. I had 2 inquiries based on my resume that's posted. This is over the past 6 months or so. I'm still at my job and liking it less every day. I especially don't look forward to spending the 3 weeks before christmas away from home.

[GoGoReggieXPowars]

Headhunters only go after people with jobs, that's the whole point. Also, placement agencies are a good way to get work while you're doing your own job search. I did that for a while and got a good reputation for my work, which lead to more work.

But yeah, it's all about networking. That's how I've gotten the majority of my jobs since graduating university.

[powerbook867]

that sucks memento. I smartened up about a 1 1/2 years ago and got out fo Windows/deskside administration and made the move to enterprise level support. In that time, I've taught myself Solaris/Veritas and my company has paid for a ton of EMC training. I get beat on hard, but I know alot of guys out there are making a lot more than me, so I can be had for a bargain in most employers minds in another 6 - 8 months. (a bargain for them is a huge raise for me!)

I hate to say this, but I've actually been getting some hits on my resume w/ Careerbuilder. No nibbles yet, but it's been out there for only a week. Have you guys broadened your range of where you are williing to work? Buffalo is about an hour from my house and I put that down as an alternate city. For the right money, I would commute.

Also, have you had others read your resume? I have a ton of friends and family (mostly the professional folks) who proof my resume for readability and general appearance....

[memento]

I've had other peers proof my resume. The turn around and want me to help them with theirs. I find it sad that SO MANY people in my industry put their work before their family. When I leave, I'll be replaced by someone like that. Almost everyone I work with is like that. I can't do that. I'll deal with the xmas trip this time because I know I'm getting out, but most people here don't even mind.

As for the commute, I live west of Albany, so I search anything within 1 hour drive from me. That leaves the whole capital district open and some smaller western towns like Cobleskill. Only problem is that I'm kind of a specialized engineer and I don't want to travel anymore. It doesn't impress me one bit when I hear someone bragging about having racked up 250k miles with an airline.

[york28]

So any other suggestions for a college student looking for some part-time web-related work? I've tried submitting apps through my college's career center, etc. but nothing thus far. I live in Chicago if it matters.

I'm just trying to find a job that is actually related to my field instead of some grunt work in retail.