Preparing to Use This Directory 
Preparing to Use This Directory
The National Job Hotline Directory gives you a head start in your job search. Here you will find job hotlines for individual employers: businesses, government agencies, non–profit organizations, and schools from elementary through university. These hotlines offer detailed job descriptions and instructions for applying for jobs that range from top management to custodial engineer. But, before you start calling job hotlines, you need to first answer a few basic questions:
Determine your job skills. Before you start dialing, you should prepare yourself so that you will get the most for your time and money when calling job hotlines. If you are at all unsure of the type of work for which you are qualified, you should conduct at least a rudimentary assessment of your job skills. If you are honest with yourself, the National Job Hotline Directory will serve as your road map to that “job of jobs.” A number of superb books that guide you through this self–assessment are listed in the “Job Quest Catalog”. For readers in a hurry, here’s a quick and easy guide to evaluating your career skills and prospects.
Your abilities really determine the kind of job to seek. If you are a skilled automobile mechanic you obviously won’t be looking for a position as an advertising executive.
It is crucial that you be honest with yourself. Not everyone is qualified for every job. Make a list of your education, experience and special skills, and your hobbies. For the college graduate this is relatively easy. For the young, single mother with only a high school education and little work experience, this can be a real challenge. Still there is a job for everyone.
Take a look at this list which could belong to a young woman who is a single parent. She has plenty of marketable skills and, no doubt, you do too.
Education: High School Diploma
Typing: 2 years
Shorthand: 1 year
Deaf Communications: 2 years
English: 4 years
Experience: Volunteer at school for people who are deaf
Volunteer at nursing home
American Sign Language interpreter at church
Special Skills: Communicate well with people who are deaf
Work well with older adults
Adept at public speaking
Hobbies: Play guitar, reading, jogging, quilting
The key to your success is to list everything you can think of. You can always edit the list later to make it more practical.
Before we look at how to match your skills to a job, it is worth remembering that as long as the work you do is honest there is no such thing as a bad job. Whether you are sweeping the carpet at night in the CEO’s office or sitting in the CEO’s chair making the decisions during the day, each job is essential.
Determining jobs for which you are qualified. Look at your list. At this point, you must be terribly honest with yourself. You may see yourself living in a mansion, driving a Jaguar, and spending long vacations in exotic places. It’s a wonderful dream, but for most of us the only chance we have at living that dream is to win the lottery. The vast majority of all jobs will not produce the kind of income needed to support that lifestyle. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you are probably qualified for a job that will more than just pay the bills.
The first thing you must do is to decide which of the items in your list relate to each other. Using the sample list, we see that in all four areas the individual has listed items that support her ability as an interpreter for the deaf. She also shows some secretarial abilities as well as possible skills in geriatric care. In this short list, we see three areas to consider. Your list may not be as forthcoming as this example. If you are having difficulties at this point, you may want to contact your local state–operated Job Service office and request to meet with a job counselor. At this meeting be serious about your efforts. While this is a free service to which you are entitled, don’t waste your time, or theirs, trying to make yourself out to be something you are not. These counselors want to help you. Let them. You can locate Job Service offices in the state government section of your local phone book. Each state gives a different moniker to these offices. The Professional’s Job Finder gives you the correct names for the Job Service offices in every state as well as information on how to reach them.
“To apply or not to apply?” — that is the question. Should you apply for that “dream job” even if you are not the most qualified candidate, or should you skip it because you think there will applicants more qualified than you?
Surprisingly, the most qualified individual does not always get the job. Of course, you won’t get the job if you are not even remotely qualified. But if you meet minimum requirements, you should apply. How, then, do you match your skills to the job?
First, you must be sure of what the employer is seeking in a new employee. Does the position require a certain education level? Are specialized technical skills required? Does the employer require previous work experience? Most job hotlines routinely provide the answers to these questions.
These are the basic queries, although not the only questions, and you should look at them in depth.
Second, you should review your resume and cover letter to make sure that you are highlighting the areas most important to the potential employer. Remember to take a good look at your hobbies. These can be extremely important if they are job related in any way; but beware they can be a two–edged sword. You might not want to mention a hobby that frequently takes you out of town for whole weekends. Many employers want employees who are available for emergency work on weekends. Click here to visit the Job Quest Catalog that includes several excellent guides to resume and cover letter preparation, many of which include numerous examples. Use the “BACK” icon on your browser to return to this page.
Third, evaluate your work experience. If you have not actually had a job in the field, you may still be qualified. Ask yourself, have I done volunteer work in the area? Did an internship in college give me valuable work experience? Did I take classes in high school that simulated work experience? Have I produced any projects in school that might be applicable? Don’t sell yourself short. If you have these types of experience, add them to your experience list.
Fourth, the way you present yourself throughout the application process is very important. If you submit a dog–eared resume, you may go to the bottom of the stack or, worse, the circular file without anybody actually examining its contents. If you submit a handwritten resume or cover letter, chances are nobody will read it. If you speak with the potential employer or his representative on the telephone and are too chatty or inarticulate, they may form a negative opinion before you get to the interview. You will severely damage your chances of getting hired if you arrive at the interview and are poorly dressed, unsanitary (always bathe and use deodorant), arrive late, appear to be rushed, seem to be interviewing on another employer’s time, or don’t give your full attention to the interview. To be blunt, your doctorate in engineering, 20 years of work experience, half a dozen patents, and membership in every professional organization pertaining to your field may not make you a shoe–in if you carry an offensive odor and your pager is constantly buzzing.
Fifth, and most important, be honest in your self evaluation when matching your skills to the job. Anything less spells disaster.
No one wants to work for the employer from hell. That “dream job” does not include a fire–breathing dragon in the big office at the end of the hall or a company about to be sold and downsized.
A rule of thumb is that most successful companies did not become that way by running sweat shops. Today, companies are seeking ways to keep their employees happy. During your job interview, feel free to ask a perspective employer for an overview of his organization. If one is not forthcoming, then build your own using these sources:
Remember, you have a right to know about an employer. This employer could well be the “employer from hell,” and you might want to look elsewhere if the Chamber of Commerce hasn’t heard about it but the Better Business has received complaints, a local union wonders what happened to the last 100 men and women it sent there to work, a related professional organization gives it a seal of disapproval, the company’s stock fell by 20 percent last week, or its employees leave at the end of the day in a dead run with scowls on their faces.
Just as important as applying to a good employer, is whether the employer offers jobs in the field where your abilities lie. This can be tricky because many companies hire people in many fields. For example, manufacturers hire nurses to operate their first aid stations. Some enlightened companies hire day care professionals to care for employees’ children on site. Almost every employer needs secretaries and computer operators. While it is not advised that nurses look for positions primarily at manufacturing plants and forsake hospitals, or that mechanics limit their search to school districts, don’t disregard them.
This chapter continues with the following sections:
Click here to go to the next section “Using This Directory Effectively.”
Click here to skip to “Pre–Call Check List.”
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