Finding a Job and Evaluating a Job Offer
Information on Finding a Job

It takes some people a great deal of time and effort to find a job they enjoy. others may walk right into an ideal employment situation. Don't be discouraged if you have to pursue many leads. Friends, neighbors, teachers, and counselors may know of available jobs in your field o . f interest. Read the want ads. Consult State employment service offices and private or nonprofit employment agencies, or contact employers directly.

Where to Learn About Job Openings

Parent, friends, and Neighbors
School or college placement services
Classified ads:

    -Local and out-of-town newspapers
    -Professional journals
    -Trade magazines

Employment agencies and career consultants State employment service offices
Internet networks and resources
Civil service announcements (Federal, State, local) Labor unions
Professional associations (State and local chapters) Libraries and community centers
Employment programs

Job search methods

Want ads. The "Help Wanted" ads in newspapers list hundreds of jobs. Realize, however, that many job openings are not listed. Also, be aware that the classified ads sometimes do not give some important information. Many offer little or no description of the job, working conditions, or pay. Some ads do not identify the employer. They may simply give a post office box for sending your resume . This makes follow-up inquiries very difficult. Furthermore, some ads offer out-oftown jobs-, others advertise employment agencies rather than employment. Keep the following in mind if you are using want ads:

Do not rely solely on the classifieds to find a job, follow other leads as well.
Answer ads promptly, since openings may be filled quickly, even before the ad stops appearing in the paper.
Follow the ads diligently. Check them every day, as early as possible, to give yourself an advantage.
Beware of "no experience necessary" ads. These ads often signal low wages, poor working conditions, or straight commission work.
An ad to which you have responded, including keep a record of all the specific skills, educational background, and personal qualifications required for the position.

Internet networks and resources. A variety of information on jobs and job search resources and techniques is currently available on-line through the Internet. Once you have access, on-line resources are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Internet resources include Usenet newsgroups, Telnet sites, and World Wide Web resources, just to name a few.

In addition to the listings of companies, professional societies, academic institutions, and government agencies, it is possible to search employment ad and career information databases directly. Available information includes government reports, salary surveys, :job listings, and even "networking" contacts within organizations. You can find out about companies or academic institutions directly, as well as the cities in which they are located.

When searching employment ad databases, it is sometimes possible to post your resume on-line or send it to an employer via electronic mail. Some sources provide this service free of charge once you have access to the Internet. However, be careful that you are not going to incur any additional charges for postings or updates.

No single network or resource will contain all information on employment or career opportunities, so be prepared to search for what you need. Job listings may be posted by field or discipline so it is best to begin your search using topics or "keywords." It may be helpful to consult a reference book such as The Internet Yellow Pages, which should be available in most libraries.

Public employment service. The State employment service, sometimes called the Job Service, operates in coordination with the U.S. Employment Service of the U.S. Department of Labor. About 1,700 local offices, also known as employment service centers, help jobseekers find jobs and help employers find qualified workers at no cost to themselves. To find the office nearest you, look in the State government telephone listings under "Job Service" or "Employment."

A computerized job network system-America's Job Bank-run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lists approximately 100,000 job openings each week. A wide range of jobs are listed all over the country, and most are full-time jobs in the private sector. Jobseekers can access these listings through the use of a personal computer in any local public employment service office, as well as in several hundred military installations. In addition, some State employment agencies have set up America's Job Bank in other settings, including libraries, schools, shopping malls, and correctional facilities. America's Job Bank is also available on-line through the Internet and can be accessed at the following World Wide Web address: http:llwww.ajb.dni.us

Tips for Finding the Right Job. A U.S. Department of Labor pamphlet, offers advice on determining your job skills, organizing your job search, writing a resume, and making the most of an interview. Job Search Guide: Strategies For Professionals, another U.S. Department of Labor publication, also discusses specific steps that jobseekers can follow to identify employment opportunities. This publication includes sections on handling your job loss, managing your personal resources, assessing your skills and interests, researching the job market, conducting the job search and networking, writing resumes and cover letters, employment interviewing and testing, and sources of additional information. Check with your State employment service office, or order a copy of these publications from the U.S. Government Printing Office. Phone: (202) 512-1800 for price and ordering information.

Job matching and referral. At a State employment service office, an interviewer will determine if you are "job ready" or if counseling and testing services would be helpful before you begin your job search. After you are "job ready," you may examine available job listings and select openings that interest you. A staff member can then describe the job openings in detail and arrange for interviews with prospective employers. Career counseling and testing centers can test for occupational aptitudes and interests and then help you choose and prepare for a career.

Services for special groups. By law, veterans are entitled to priority at State employment service centers. Veterans' employment representatives can inform you of available assistance and help you deal with any problems. Summer Youth Programs provide summer jobs in city, county, and State government agencies for low-income youth. Students, school dropouts, or graduates entering the labor market who are between 16 and 21 years of age are eligible. In addition, the Job Corps, with more than 100 centers throughout the United States, helps young people learn skills or obtain education. Service centers also refer applicants to opportunities available under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982. JTPA prepares economically disadvantaged persons and those facing barriers to employment for jobs.

Federal job information. For information about employment with the U.S. Government, call the Federal Job Information Center's Career America Connection, operated by the Office of Personnel Management. The phone number is (202) 6062700, or write to: Federal Job information Center. 1900 E St. NW., Room 1416,Washington, DC 20415.
It is also possible to obtain this information directly on-line by accessing the Fedworld information network on the Internet. This is a central access point for locating and acquiring information about U.S. Government employment. Access Fedworld at the following World Wide Web address: http://www.fedworld.gov.

Private employment agencies. These agencies can be very helpful, but don't forget that they are in business to make money. Most agencies operate on a commission basis, with the fee dependent upon a successful match. You or the hiring company will have to pay a fee for the matching service. Find out the exact cost and who is responsible for paying it before using the service.

While employment agencies can help you save time and contact employers who otherwise may be difficult to locate, in some cases, your costs may outweigh the benefits. Consider any guarantee they offer when figuring the cost.

College career planning and placement offices. College placement offices facilitate matching job openings with suitable jobseekers. You can set up schedules and use available facilities for interviews with recruiters or scan lists of part-time, temporary, and summer jobs maintained in many of these offices. You also can get counseling, testing, and job search advice and take advantage of their career resource library. Here you also will be able to identify and evaluate your interests, work values, and skills; attend workshops on such topics as job search strategy, resume writing, letter writing, and effective interviewing; critique drafts of resumes and videotapes of mock interviews; explore files of resumes and references; and attend job fairs conducted by the office.

Community agencies. Many nonprofit organizations offer counseling, career development, and job placement services, generally targeted to a particular group, such as women, youth, minorities, ex-offenders, or older workers. Many communities have career counseling, training, placement, and support services for employment. These programs are sponsored by a variety of organizations, including churches and synagogues, nonprofit organizations, social service agencies, the State employment service, and vocational rehabilitation agencies. Many cities have commissions that provide services for these special groups.

Employers. It is possible to apply directly to employers without a referral. You may locate a potential employer in the Yellow Pages, in directories of local chambers of commerce, and in other directories that provide information about employers. When you find an employer you are interested in, you can send a cover letter and resume or file a job application even if you don't know for certain that an opening exists.

Applying for a Job
Resumes and application forms. Resumes and application forms are two ways to provide employers with written evidence of your skills and knowledge. Most information is common to both the resume and application form, but the way the information is presented differs. Some employers prefer a resume while others require an application form.

There are many ways of organizing a resume. Depending upon the job you are applying for, you should choose the format that best highlights your skills, training, and experience. It may be helpful to look at different examples. Examples can be found in a variety of books and publications

What Goes Into a Resume
A resume summarizes your qualifications and employment history. It usually is required when applying for managerial, administrative, professional, or technical positions. Although there is no set format, a resume should contain the following information:

Name, address, and telephone number. Employment objective. State the type of work or specific job you are seeking. Education, including school name and address, dates of attendance, curriculum, and highest grade completed or degree awarded. Experience, paid or volunteer. Include the following for each job: Job title, name and address of employer, and dates of employment. Describe your job duties. Special skills, knowledge of machinery, proficiency in foreign languages, honors received, awards, or membership in organizations. Note on your resume that "references are available upon request. Also, ask someone to read your resume and suggest ways to improve it.

In completing an application form, make sure you fill it out properly and follow all instructions. In general, the same type of information is included on an application form as in a resume. Don't omit any information asked for and be sure to check that all information provided is correct.

Cover letters. A cover letter should be sent with a resume or application form, as a way to introduce yourself to employers. It should capture the employer's attention, follow a business letter format, and should generally include the following information: the name and address of the specific person to whom the letter is addressed , the reason for your interest in the company or position , your main qualifications for the position (in brief), a request for an interview, your phone number.

 Evaluating a Job Offer:
Once you receive a job offer, you are faced with a difficult decision and must evaluate each offer carefully. Fortunately, most organizations will not expect you to accept or reject an offer on the spot. You probably will be given at least a week to make up your mind. There are many issues to consider when assessing a job offer. Will the organization be a good place to work? Will the job be interesting? Is the salary fair? Does the employer offer good benefits? If you have not already figured out exactly what you want, the following discussion may help you develop a set of criteria for judging job offers, whether you are starting a career, reentering the labor force after a long absence, or planning a career change.

Job Interview Tips Preparation:
Learn about the organization.
Have a specific job or jobs in mind.
Review your qualifications for the job.
Prepare answers to broad questions about yourself
Review your resume.
Practice an interview with a friend or relative.
Arrive before the scheduled time of your interview.

Personal Appearance:
Be well groomed.
Dress appropriately.
Do not chew gum or smoke.

The Interview:
An interview gives you the best opportunity to show an employer your qualifications, so it pays to be well prepared. Each interview is different, however. Answer each question concisely. Respond promptly. Use good manners. Learn the name of your interviewer and shake hands as you meet. Use proper English and avoid slang. Be cooperative and enthusiastic. Ask questions about the position and the organization. Thank the interviewer, and follow up with a letter.

Test (if employer gives one): Listen closely to instructions. Read each question carefully. Write legibly and clearly. Budget your time wisely and don't dwell on one question.

Information To Bring to an Interview: Social Security number. Driver's license number. Resume. Although not all employers require applicants to bring a resume, you should be able to furnish the interviewer with information about your education, training, and previous employment. References. An employer usually requires three references. Get permission from people before using their names, and make sure they will give you a good reference. Try to avoid using relatives. For each reference, provide the following information: Name, address, telephone number, and job title.

The organization. Background information on an organization can help you decide whether it is a good place for you to work. Factors to consider include the organization's business or activity, financial condition, age, size, and location. Information on growth prospects for the industry or industries that the company represents also is important. Here are some questions to ask.

Is the organization's business or activity in keeping with your own interests and beliefs? it will be easier to apply yourself to the work if you are enthusiastic about what the organization does.

How will the size of the organization affect you?

Large firms generally offer a greater variety of training programs and career paths, more managerial levels for advancement, and better employee benefits than small firms. Large employers may also have more advanced technologies in their laboratories, offices, and factories. However, jobs in large firms may tend to be highly specialized.

Jobs in small firms may offer broader authority and responsibility, a closer working relationship with top management, and a chance to clearly see your contribution to the success of the organization.

Should you work for a fledgling organization or one that is well established?

New businesses have a high failure rate, but for many people, the excitement of helping create a company and the potential for sharing in its success more than offset the risk of job loss. It may also be as exciting and rewarding, however, to work for a young firm which already has a foothold on success.

Does it make any difference to you whether the company is private or public?

A privately owned company may be controlled by an individual or a family, which can mean that key jobs are reserved for relatives and friends. A publicly owned company is controlled by a board of directors responsible to the stockholders. Key jobs are open to anyone with talent.

Is the organization in an industry with favorable longterm prospects?

The most successful firms tend to be in industries that are growing rapidly.

Where is the job located?

If it is in another city, you need to consider the cost of living, the availability of housing and transportation, and the quality of educational and recreational facilities in the new location. Even if the place of work is in your area, consider the time and expense of commuting in your decision.

It is easy to get background information on an organization simply by telephoning its public relations office. A public company's annual report to the stockholders tells about its corporate philosophy, history, products or services, goals, and financial status. Most government agencies can furnish reports that describe their programs and missions. Press releases, company newsletters or magazines, and recruitment brochures also can be useful. Ask the organization for any other items that might interest a prospective employee.

Background information on the organization also may be available at your public or school library. If you cannot get an annual report, check the library for reference directories that provide basic facts about the company, such as earnings, products and services, and number of employees. Some directories widely available in libraries include the following:

Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Directorv

Standard and Poor's Register of Corporations

Directors and Executives

Moody's Wustrial Manual

Thomas' Register of American Manufacturers

Ward's Business Directory

Stories about an organization in magazines and newspapers can tell a great deal about its successes, failures, and plans for the future. You can identify articles on a company by looking under its name in periodical or computerized indexes such as the following-however, it probably will not be useful to look back more than 2 or 3 years.

Business Periodicals Index

Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature

Newspaper Index

Wall Street Journal Index

New York Times Index

The library also may have government publications that present projections of growth for the industry in which the organization is classified. Long-term projections of employment and output for more than 200 industries, covering the entire economy, are developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and revised every other year-see the November 1995 Monthly Labor Review for the most recent projections. The U.S. Global Trade Outlook, published annually by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the successor to the U.S. Industrial Outlook and presents detailed analyses of the globalization of U.S. industry and growth prospects for six industrial sectors. Trade magazines also have frequent articles on the trends for specific industries.

Career centers at colleges and universities often have information on employers that is not available in libraries. Ask the career center librarian how to find out about a particular organization. The career center may have an entire file of information on the company.

The nature of the work. Even if everything else about the job is good, you will be unhappy if you dislike the day-to-day work. Determining in advance whether you will like the work may be difficult. However, the more you find out about it before accepting or rejecting the job offer, the more likely you are to make the right choice. You may want to ask yourself the following questions:

Does the work match your interests and make good use of your skills?

The duties and responsibilities of the job should be explained in enough detail to answer this question.

How important is the job in this company?

An explanation of where you fit in the organization and how you are supposed to contribute to its overall objectives should give you an idea of the job's importance.

Are you comfortable with the supervisor?

Do the other employees seem friendly and cooperative? Does the work require travel?

Does the job call for irregular hours?

Some jobs involve regular hours-for example, 40 hours a week, during the day, Monday through Friday. Other jobs involve variable hours, including night, weekend, or holiday work. In addition, some jobs routinely require overtime to

meet deadlines or sales or production goals, or to better serve customers. Consider the effect of work hours on your personal life.

How long do most people who enter this job stay with the

company?

High turnover can mean dissatisfaction with the nature of the work or something else about the job.

The opportunities. A good job offers you opportunities to learn new skills, increase your earnings, and rise to positions of greater authority, responsibility, and prestige. A lack of opportunities can dampen interest in the work and result in

frustration and boredom.

The company should have a training plan for you. What valuable new skills does the company plan to teach you?

The employer should give you some idea of promotion possibilities within the organization. What is the next step on the career ladder? If you have to wait for a job to become vacant before you can be promoted, how long does this usually take? Employers differ on their policies regarding promotion from within the organization. When opportunities for advancement do arise, will you compete with applicants from outside the company? Can you apply for jobs for which you qualify elsewhere within the organization or is mobility within the firm limited?

The salary and benefits. Wait for the employer to introduce these subjects. Most companies will not talk about pay until they have decided to hire you. In order to know if their offer is reasonable, you need a rough estimate of what the job should pay. You may have to go to several sources for this information. Talk to friends who recently were hired in similar jobs. Ask your teachers and the staff in the college placement office about starting pay for graduates with your qualifications. Scan the help-wanted ads in newspapers.

If you are considering the salary and benefits for a job in another geographic area, make allowances for differences in the cost of living, which may be significantly higher in a large metropolitan area than in a smaller city, town, or rural area.

You also should learn the organization's policy regarding overtime. Depending on the job, you may or may not be exempt from laws requiring the employer to compensate you for overtime. Find out how many hours you will be expected to work each week and whether you receive overtime pay or compensatory time off for working more than the specified number of hours in a week.

Also take into account that the starting salary is just that, the start. Your salary should be reviewed on a regular basismany organizations do it every 12 months. How much can you expect to earn after 1, 2, or 3 or more years? An employer cannot be specific about the amount of pay if it includes commissions and bonuses.

Benefits can also add a lot to your base pay, but they vary widely. Find out exactly what the benefit package includes and how much of the costs you must bear.

Check the library or your school's career center for salary surveys such as the College Placement Council Salary Survey or salary information compiled by professional associations.

Detailed data on wages and benefits are also available from:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Compensation and Working Conditions, Division of Occupational Pay and Employee Benefit Levels, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE., Room 4160, Washington, DC 20212-0001. Phone: (202) 606-6225.

Data on weekly earnings, based on the Current Population Survey, are available from:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE., Room 4945, Washington. DC 202120001. Phone: (202) 606-6400.