Elaine Marshall

I was laid off June 12, 2002.

I interviewed at 14 companies, including the company that I accepted the offer from. NOT ONE interview, or phone call for that matter, came from a company that I applied to or saw online (Monster, HotJobs, etc.) Not one. Two exceptions are when I saw an opening online and queried my network to see if anybody knew anyone that worked there. Having an internal contact who could either forward my resume to HR, or could give me the name of the hiring manager, helped me secure two interviews. Five of the companies I interviewed with, including the position I accepted, had no advertised position. Two companies "saw my resume online" and called me to interview for an unadvertised position -- one lead to a 30-day temporary assignment. Three times it came down to myself and one or two other candidates and I lost out. I have never had this happen before. The position I landed is a result of a personal recommendation on my behalf from someone the hiring manager had worked with in the past.

This job market is unlike anything I have ever seen. And, that being said, I offer this advice:

1. Have personal "business cards" printed that include a tagline about what you do. Mine said "Public Relations and Marketing Communications". It will help people remember what you do and what kind of a job you are looking for. Several of the "business cards" I collected from people had no indication of their specialty, making it hard for me to remember how I may be able to help them in the days & weeks following our meeting. (Consider renting a P.O. Box so the world doesn't have your home address, but has a mailing address.)
2. Network, network, network!!! I attended at least one networking event each week. If I didn't want to go, I went anyway. I tried to make at least 2 new contacts at each meeting and I followed up within a day.
3. Email your network with your offer. Include a short paragraph about what you do and what kind of a job you are looking for. Attach your resume or include it as text in the body of the email. It is amazing how many people that you know have no idea what you really do and what kind of job you want. People are willing to help you, don't assume that they know how.
4. Don't tip your hat about where you are interviewing. This is a very competitive market and you have no way of knowing if the fellow job seeker you just met has a best friend who is looking for the exact same position. If you query your network (or a job board) about an opening, ask for contacts in a certain department within a company, but don't ask the entire group if they "have a contact in the XXX department of company XXX because you have an interview on Monday for XXX position". You've just told the world they are actively recruiting for a position you hope to land.
5. Never give your previous salary, even you are asked for it (and you will be). Your response can be "I am open, what is your range for the position?" You'd be surprised how many times they will give you their bottom range. If they ask you again, simply state, "I am more interested in finding a position that is a fit than I am with compensation." I never provided my salary expectations, so I can honestly say that I was not eliminated from any opening based on my previous salary. (It could have been either too high or too low, meaning I was too junior).
6. Don't give up on your dreams. It may be a tough job market, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for a job you won't be happy in.
7. Get regular exercise. It will help you relive stress and sleep better. It also kills time and gives you something productive to do.
8. Tell people you are looking for a job. One of my interviews was the result of a discussion I had while getting the mail at 2:00 p.m. on a weekday. We chatted and discussed why we were home in the middle of the day. The person I chatted with was in HR and she got a job a few weeks later. I interviewed at the company she went to work for.
9. Send out holiday cards with your personal business card enclosed if job searching near the holidays. It's a nice way to get people to remember you and it gives you a reason to contact them again. I secured two interviews in January as a result of sending holiday cards. I had interviewed with one of the companies back in July and they didn't think I was still looking, so they hadn't thought to contact me about a different opening.
10. Touch base with your network at least every 6-8 weeks. I did so via email. Many people will assume you have landed a job if they haven't heard from you, so get back on their radar.
11. Give back to your network. Pass along job leads that aren't a fit for you. When you forward leads, sign you name with your tag line about what kind of position you are seeking. Again, this will help people to remember who you are and what you do.
12. Attend industry association meetings/dinners that have a higher attendance cost ($35+). I found fewer competing job seekers at these events.
13. Volunteer or spend time doing a hobby or pastime you usually wouldn't have time to do. I tutored at a learning center from 3:30 to 5:30 once a week and caught up on all my photo scrapbooking. It made me feel very productive.
14. Give yourself some time off. I didn't job search on Fridays. Since most of the online postings had been up since Sunday or Monday anyway you won't be missing much if you take a day off for yourself. I tried taking the weekends off as well and enjoyed the time with my husband.

Hope this helps you with your search! Good luck!

Elaine Marshall is an expert in securing media coverage for companies and products in leading news outlets. She is seeking a corporate communications/public relations position in the Orange County/Los Angeles, California area and can be reached via email at EMarshallPR@aol.com.