Job Search Quiz: How Effective Is Your Campaign?

Think you are running a good job campaign? Maybe. Let's see how you stack up. Look at the list below and check the things that you are doing.

Job Leads
Which of the following sources of job leads have you used?

Career guidance/placement centers
Ads in professional magazines
Ads in local newspapers
Directories of employers in your area
Job search networking groups
News stories of employer activities
Government job information centers
State employment service
Talks with fellow job seekers
Bulletin board job postings
Professional associations/women's centers for which you may be eligible
Asked people who turned you down for leads

Job Search Tools
Did you do the following . . .

Attend a seminar on resume writing
Have your initial draft resume critiqued by at least two people
Revise your resume since you began your campaign
Slant resume content to the job in question
Attend seminar on letters of application
Revise each letter to fit job in question
Take part in interview training (mock interviews)
Talk to your prime job counselor at least once in past week

Contacts
With whom have you discussed your job plans or asked for help . . .

Family
Friends and neighbors
Past employers (summer jobs, etc.)
Teachers
School/agency career counselors
Fellow job seekers
People you worked with on past jobs

Job Search
Which of the following job search techniques have you used?

Registered with school/agency career center
Participated in campus interviews
Attended job fairs
Wrote employers of special interest
Registered with state employment service
Telephone job search
Unsolicited walk-ins on employers
Took civil service examinations
Responded to want ads

Support
Which of the following have you done?

Found an older person (mentor) to advise you
Used information interviews to learn more about your field or obtain job leads
Asked all those you use as references for permission
Sent a copy of your latest resume to all those you use as references

Interviews
Do you . . .

Spend at least two hours learning about an employer before the interview
Make your career goals clear
Point out why your talents and background are related to the vacancy
Have several good questions to ask
Clarify what happens next and when
Record notes on the interview while fresh in your mind
Always write a thank you letter after each interview

Effort
Do you . . .

Spend at least 40 hours on job search activities (if a full-time job seeker)
Make at least ten new contacts a week
Keep on making new contacts, even after completing a hopeful interview

Now go back and count up how many you checked. Give yourself two points for each one and add up your score. If you did everything, you'd end up with 100 points. But few are going to score over 90. If you got 80 or higher, you are doing well. If you are between 60 and 79, your campaign is OK. Lower than that, try to use more of the techniques indicated.