go-to-work.com Blog

This is an open question: Where can you find jobs? You tell me. One solution would be a big database with all U.S. employers. By accessing this database you should be able to find all employers in any area of the U.S.. And filter your search for employers of a certain type–for example all publishers in an Orlando, Florida zip code. That would be exactly what you need to focus on in your job search inquiries. You could send letters or resumes to a specific group of employers and know that you’ve covered them all. You could make a list of their web sites and check for vacancies daily. If you know of such a database please share it here.

President Bush advises job seekers to stop crying and hit the street. He has stated that Americans should get off their duffs and find a job! “McDonalds is hiring – what’s wrong with that?” he asks. He states that he already has a job (even though he doesn’t need one being a multi-millionaire). He seems to imply that you should do what he did…analyze your assets and adapt to change. (Failed businessman runs for political office.) Well he’s right about that part. Adapt or die. However, does this mean to run down to McDonalds? No, that’s not adapting; that’s giving up. The President says that you can work your way up the ladder. That can be true, but it does not mean you stay on the same ladder. If you plan to open your own restaurant someday, then working at McDonald’s may be a very good idea. Learn from what works.

If you have few choices and just need to earn an income, always go after the job that has the most intangible benefits to you, a place where you can learn some new skill or meet plenty of people to network with. That is how to work up your ladder. So, should you take a “McDonalds” job if nothing else is available? My opinion is: only as a last resort. Much better to find a small business where you can work with the owner and learn every aspect of the business. Then you’ll have a real education. —————-

Attention is either negative or positive. Employers want to see something positive. You resume is sometimes all that represents you in your job quest. I once was invited into a CEO’s office to review some resumes for a forthcoming vacancy, about a dozen or so. I was amazed at the poor quality of what I saw from people with degrees from A.A. to Ph.D. In the end, the winning candidate was one with an average-looking resume, but one with a personal touch and good details of his knowledge and accomplishments.

It is critical that you get some feedback on your resume. There are plenty of sample resumes in books. Go to the bookstore to the career section. One popular book is the Adams Resume Almanac. Your local library has these type of books.

Generally, you can’t go wrong with these FIVE rules of resume writing:

Feel free to submit a comment for your own list of “the five most important resume rules.”