{"id":484,"date":"2018-11-14T18:59:26","date_gmt":"2018-11-14T18:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-personalfinance\/?post_type=chapter&p=484"},"modified":"2019-01-18T14:37:13","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T14:37:13","slug":"finding-a-job","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-personalfinance\/chapter\/finding-a-job\/","title":{"raw":"18.2 Finding a Job","rendered":"18.2 Finding a Job"},"content":{"raw":"
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Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\n
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  1. List and describe venues for finding job opportunities.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Explain the value of networking.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Trace the steps in pursuing a job opportunity, specifically your cover letter, r\u00e9sum\u00e9, and interview.<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Identify the critical kinds of information that should be provided in a job offer.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    A job search is a part of everyone\u2019s life, sooner or later. It may be repeated numerous times throughout your career. You may initiate a job search in hopes of improving your position and career or changing careers, or you may be forced into the job market after losing your job. Whatever the circumstances, when you look for a job you are seeking a buyer for your labor. The process of having to \u201csell\u201d yourself (your time, energy, knowledge, and skills) is always revealing and valuable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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    Finding a Job Market<\/h2>\r\n

    Before you can look for a job, you need to have an idea of what job market you are in. The same macro factors that you consider in your choice of career may make your job search easier or harder. Ultimately, they may influence your methods of searching or even your job choice itself. For example, as unemployment has increased in the wake of the most recent financial crisis, the labor market has become much more competitive. In turn, job seekers have become much more creative about advertising their skills\u2014from broader networking to papering a neighborhood with brochures on windshields\u2014and more accepting of job conditions, including lower compensation. A good place to start is the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s \u201cOccupational Outlook Handbook.\u201dSee, for example, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http:\/\/www.bls.gov\/oco<\/a>, and \u201cTomorrow\u2019s Jobs,\u201d http:\/\/www.bls.gov\/oco\/print\/oco2003.htm<\/a> (accessed July 20, 2009).<\/span> The handbook is updated annually. For hundreds of industries and specific jobs it tells you the training and education you need, what you will earn and what your job prospects are, what the work entails, and what the working conditions are like. The site also offers valuable tips on conducting job searches.<\/p>\r\n

    Knowing the job classification and industry name will focus your search process and make it more efficient. Once you understand your job market, look at the macro and micro factors that affect it along with your personal choices. For example, knowing that you are interested in working in business, transportation, or the leisure and hospitality industry, you are ready to research that field more and plan your job search.<\/p>\r\n

    You are looking for a buyer of your labor, so you need to find the markets where buyers shop. One of the first things to do is find out where jobs in your field are advertised. Jobs may be advertised in<\/p>\r\n\r\n