I need a full time job. How should I look?

Prepare

• Read a copy of the Center's A Guide to Career Planning and Job Hunting which includes more information on job hunting.
  • Click here! to begin learning how to write your resume.
  • Click here! to begin learning how to write your cover letter.
• Come for counseling to decide on a new career goal if you are changing careers.
• Subscribe to a listserv (emailed discussion group) in your career area to learn about what is going on in your field.
• Learn how to create your resumé.
• Learning to interview effectively.

Identify Advertised Openings

• Go to our password instructions for positions listed exclusively for MSU graduates on College Central, our web-based job listing service, supported by the Alumni Association!
• Go to the web sites of the organizations or firms that interest you. On-line job postings and on-line applications are becoming very plentiful.
• Go to the web sites of professional associations in your field to find listings.
• Use the Riley Guide to find sites specific to your professional area.
• Use our Internet Resources to identify even more job opportunities.
  • Identify and use journals in your field of interest that post job listings.
  • Use the want ads of several newspapers viewable on the web.
  • Attend job fairs advertised through the Center.
• Use employment agencies
• Check the first page of our web site for info about our Career fairs held in November and April.

Identify Potential Employers

You need not wait for a position to be advertised in order to send your resumé and a great cover letter to companies and organizations. To locate potential employers in your field of interest, use the following resources and ideas:

• Through the Center
  1. Use the National Association of Colleges and Employers' annual directories (available in the Career Library) listing employers who expect to be hiring in different fields.
  2. Use other occupational directories available in the blue section of the Career Library.
  3. Read company literature by going to individual firms' web sites.
  4. Take advantage of Vault's company research.
• On your own
  1. Network, network, network. Create a list of everyone you know. Ask them if they know anyone you might talk to. Do this - it works - often better than formal ways of job hunting, since people like to hire people they know.
  2. Use in-house postings. (Work as a temp so that you can see available positions or get your employed friends to look at listings of available jobs within their organizations.)
  3. Read professional journals and newspapers in your field.
     • Determine trends. Find out who's leaving, who's been promoted, and which organizations are growing. Send your resumé to those organizations where you believe new people will be hired.
     • Write letters asking for advice to people who have written articles you like.