Any success in getting jobs through Craigslist?

Have any of you reading this blog had any experience using Craigslist to get a job? I know that the posts show an email address with which you can reply, but it's a Craigslist email address. Usually company names are omitted in these postings.

I did see that you can subscribe to an RSS feed of search results in Google Reader or some other feed reader, which is pretty cool.

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I encourage you to check out my other blogs:
Daniel Johnson, Jr.
Journey Inside My Mind Blog
Journey Inside My Mind Podcast
QuotesBlog
Twitter.com/danieljohnsonjr

Related tags: getthatjob, get+that+job, job+hunt, job+search, career+advice, craigslist, daniel+johnson+jr

How I Got My Job!

Maybe you're currently out of work, underemployed, or are simply looking for some guidance on how you can improve your situation. Chances are you've struggled with losing hope. You may even be depressed. I know I have been.

That is why one of my favorite topics/labels on this blog has been success stories. These stories have encouraged and inspired me to have a fresh outlook and have even given hope when it has been lost.

Throughout 2008 I am aggressively looking for more success stories to share with others. To that end, I'm launching a new project entitled "How I Got My Job", in which I record 15-20 minute phone interviews where my guests share how they got one of their jobs and release them to the internet as a podcast. Think of it as Inside the Actor's Studio, but for job searching instead of acting.

Here's the basic premise: If you are currently employed or have ever been employed, you have been successful in getting a job. Just as there are certain common threads to each job hunting success story, there are bound to be some unique aspects as well. I look forward to capturing both kinds.

I will most probably record the calls via one of the live conferencing tools that are available and will give out the phone number and other information prior to the set time and date of the interviews. Because the guest will share about one job only, each episode will last about 20 minutes. If it looks like this idea creates an audience, I may look at doing a live show where I take calls. Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, as they say.

I hope that these interviews will encourage and inspire those who may have lost hope or need a fresh outlook. Maybe something heard during one of these interviews will help someone else in their own search.

So, what do you say? I know you've got some stories. Please email me so we can set up a time for one of your interviews: danieljohnsonjr [at] gmail [dot] com

I (and many others) look forward to hearing from you.

Make it a great day!

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Check out my other blogs:
Daniel Johnson, Jr.
Journey Inside My Mind Blog
Journey Inside My Mind Podcast
QuotesBlog
Twitter.com/danieljohnsonjr

Related tags: getthatjob, get+that+job, job+hunt, job+search, career+advice, networking, professional+development, daniel+johnson+jr

Baby Steps to a New Job

... at Google.

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Check out my other blogs:
Daniel Johnson, Jr.
Journey Inside My Mind Blog
Journey Inside My Mind Podcast
QuotesBlog
Twitter.com/danieljohnsonjr

Related tags: getthatjob, get+that+job, job+hunt, job+search, career+advice, success+stories, professional+development, daniel+johnson+jr

One Week Job

Have you heard that you'll have many jobs during your worklife? This guy's working on one different job every week for a year: One Week Job

Hat tip to Shea Gunther via Twitter

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking one+week+job sean+aiken

SUCCESS STORY - Getting a job despite your efforts not to

Sometimes the need is just so great that the company will jump through hoops to get and retain you, despite efforts you might make to the contrary.

I talked with a woman today who does Accounts Receivables about how she got her current job. She did that work for a group of doctor's offices before she went on maternity leave. She wound up finishing her Accounting degree before she came off leave, so she opted to look for a full-time job outside of her job with the doctor's offices.

She said she applied everywhere and doesn't remember when she was contacted by the recruiter who was hiring for her current position. Then when it came time for the interview, she had to reschedule a couple of times.

While on the job for awhile, the company came in and eliminated half of the department. Thinking her own job was in jeopardy, she found another one and put in her notice. The VP of Operations begged her to stay and sent a message to her boss demanding that she give the accountant a raise.

Please share your own job-hunting success stories here so everyone can know they too can Get That Job!

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search success+stories networking daniel+johnson+jr

Blog your way to your next job

Thanks to Bryan from Monster Careers, I now point you to this article that describes How Blogging Can Help You Get A New Job.

Develop and nurture your online presence. It may lead to your next job.

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking blogging daniel+johnson+jr self-branding

Twitter got her a job!

"Twitter got me a freelance job." -- Karina Longworth

Karina Longworth, who writes on her blog Vidiocy, sent that message to folks following her on Twitter. Read more about the details at her blog post: Vidiocy >> Twitter Got Me A Job

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking twitter

Job-hunting success story - right out of college

I am very proud of how I landed my first job out of college. It was 1994, and I had spent lots of time at the library, researching the hidden job market and looking for leads. I had posted a resume at the University of Cincinnati's Career Development and Placement office, and I guess they made a database available to recruiters.

My sister had recommended a book entitled 300 New Ways to Get a Better Job by Eleanor Baldwin. Nevertheless, I found that very useful and would recommend it to any graduate or especially students in an online degree program, since they don't have access to a career center.

So one summer day that year, Mark, the Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager for a company that manufactured decorative items for homes, called me. What was meant as an initial screening call turned into a full-fledged telephone interview. When I hung up, I had made an appointment for an in-person interview. Not having a car of my own, I was able to borrow a friend's. I spent the next days before the interview at the library, researching all I could on the company.

At the interview my enthusiasm for the position as an Environmental Engineer was strengthened, especially as I convinced Mark to take me on a quick tour of the plant. I made sure to share some of the information I had found from my own research, which seemed to impress Mark and Jim, the HR Manager who also attended the interview. At the end of the interview, I asked what more I could do to qualify for the job, conveying my strong interest.

Immediately when I returned home, I typed up a thank you note to both Mark and the HR Manager who also interviewed me. Then I both faxed and mailed it.

Within a week Mark called me to offer me the job. I accepted it and wound up moving an hour north to Dayton, Ohio, where I lived for ten years.

The Internet has certainly changed the way we can look for jobs and how employers can find us. This worked for me back in 1994.

Do you have a job-hunting success story you'd like to share? Please send it to me at daniel [at] getthatjobonline [dot] com.

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search success+stories daniel+johnson+jr

Note: I've updated this post to include some additional links to affiliates and others that I recommend you check out.

Job-hunting success stories uncovered during lunch

It appears to be so easy for the coworkers in my department to eat their lunches at their desks. We work on a floor below most of the company, and I've made an effort recently to head upstairs to the break room to eat my lunch with other people.

I have also spent time asking some of my fellow employees about their work. This is probably made easier to do because these individuals were all recently hired. I like to ask about their work backgrounds, and how they found out about the job they have now.

I'm finding that people are so much more interesting as you get to know them than they initially appear on the surface. Isn't that so true?

Here are some recent examples how some of these people got that job:

• J. worked for a worker's compensation managed care group that our company has used. Her boss knows our VP of Operations personally, since they regularly eat business lunches together, etc. When that company recently downsized, J. was left unemployed. That afternoon, her boss ate lunch with our VP of Operations, who also knew of her work, and, since we had a position to fill, hired her on the spot. So she was unemployed for 1 whole hour!
• S. had worked for over 20 years for the LA Times circulation group before retiring in 2001. Needing to supplement her income, she worked as a temp for a payroll processing company in California. Friends in Ohio begged her to move here, and she did so last fall. Having heard about our company while at her previous job, she stopped by the office, having seen the sign from the highway. She went in and asked for a job, for which, the company indeed did have an opening.

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking daniel+johnson+jr

Got That Job!

Hey! I am writing to inform you of my recent success at landing a job. That's right. Uh huh. (pardon me, while I do a happy dance.):

Before I say anything else here, I need to be clear that the opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of any employer, past or present.

On Tuesday, January 2, 2006, I'll be going back to work full-time. I'd like to tell you some of the things I feel helped me secure this job.

First, I'd worked with the company before as a full-time employee, and, although laid off in August, I'd made what I felt was a very valuable contribution to the company. Even after that time, I'd done some independent contracting work for them, further adding value to them.

I kept a good relationship with former coworkers and supervisors, often chatting with them at least once a week. They even offered to reach into their own networks to help me out.

Fast forward a couple months, and I get offered to come back. Now, since I'd had time to do some market research, I'd found out that I had been getting paid below the market rate for others with the same skills and experience.

I also began to seek the advice of others whose opinions I trust. When approached with an initial offer, I didn't just accept it. I opted to look at other things, such as a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether it would be better to stay an independent contractor versus being a full-time employee. Some of these valuable people in my network helped me work this out.

I also feel it was valuable that I didn't try to negotiate from a position, but instead on factual principles. What does that mean? I meant that in everything, as I presented my concerns and questions, I relied on facts - number of miles to be driven, mileage reimbursement rates, etc.

It was a nerve-wracking experience, but one I'm glad I went through. I'm really glad to be going back to work.

What that means for this blog is that posts may become more erratic. But stay subscribed to the feed, and you'll know when I do update.

Related tags:

getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking professional+development dan+johnson success+stories

Your Job Searching Success Story - with a Prescription

One thing I love about maintaining this blog is to present job-hunting success stories. They inspire us all, and we need the encouragement to know that success is available for us.

Instead of sharing one right here, I offer a prescription in bold, capital letters: GO SEE "THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS".

Here's a direct quotation from the IMDB User Comments page for the movie:

Chris is shown running throughout the movie. Remember the title of the movie: "The PURSUIT of Happiness." Chris places emphasis on "pursuit." Jefferson, when he penned the Declaration of Independence, did not promise Americans happiness, but only the right to pursue it. Chris says, at one point in the movie, paraphrase, "I am happy right now. It is a fleeting moment." We experience happiness in eyeblinks. The rest of the time we, like Chris, are chasing after it.

There will be some heart-wrenching moments that might make you feel uncomfortable, because of how real the circumstances are portrayed. But I think it behooves any job seeker to see this movie. Maybe even more than once.

Related tags: getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice success+stories professional+development dan+johnson the+pursuit+of+happyness

FeedRaider and Other Ways to Consume This Content

Four years ago when I started blogging, I had no clue about RSS feeds and syndication. I'd just go through my blogroll and manually check to see if someone posted something new.

Now there are so many ways to aggregate the "stuff" you want to consume on the internet, saving time from having to visit each website to see if new content is available. I used Amphetadesk for awhile, and I've been using Bloglines for the longest time. Over the past 16 months, I've used Juice as my primary podcast receiver.

While going through the visitor logs, I saw a referral from FeedRaider, so I decided to check out that service. I like you can show items from several feeds on one page and set up multiple pages as a way to categorize your content.

To that end, let me tell you about two feeds I've set up for this website:

•  General RSS Feed Goodness
•  Hear the Posts via Podcast

The second item, via Feed2Podcast, uses text-to-speech to create an mp3 of the posts you read here. So, whether you want to read or listen to the content, it's up to you. And, of course, you can always come here directly to see all the Get That Job! goodness.

Speaking of the goodness, I'm always looking for job-searching success stories to share here, so if you have something you'd like to share, please contact me at danimal0416+gtj [at] gmail [dot] com

Update: I just realized that some of you might be interested in what I'm consuming, so here's the link to my FeedRaider web presence.

As you were.

Related tags:

getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking professional+development dan+johnson aggregators amphetadesk bloglines juice feed2podcast success+stories

Unconventional Job Search Success Stories Needed

Hey folks, I've been contacted by a reporter for a well-known online career-related website, and she wants to know about unconventional career search strategies that have worked for you, especially if you're in your twenties when you got the job.

Here at GTJ, I'm always interested in your success stories because your sharing helps encourage others.

So let's get the sharing on!

Job-Hunting Success Story - Dan

NOTE: This blog is a great forum for you to share your job-hunting success stories. Please e-mail them to me at , and I'll post them here. Now for my recent success story...

Isn't it great when the job finds you?

Maintaining my network is how I landed my most recent position. Today I started some temp work in a fledgling IT department for a local Professional Employer Services(PES) company.

I first met J. seven years ago when I did some consulting work for his boss at the time. I helped him out here and there with some computer programming tips. We'd eat lunch together from time to time, and, at the end of the assignment, we exchanged e-mail addresses.

A couple years later he contacted me to do some consulting work in the same department. He had been promoted to a different position. The company I where I was working got the job and sent me there to do the work.

About a year later, J. contacted me because he'd left his former company to partner with someone else in a construction services company. He'd seen evidence of my web development, and he had me design and develop the company's website.

Now, he's the Chief Financial Officer for this PES company. It's been ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in the Dayton Business Journal and in Inc. magazine. He contacted me this week, and I'm now employed to help with some IT-related work.

And who knows where this might lead?

Job Search Humor Blog and a Success Story to Boot

First, this note via email:

Dear Dan,

I've looked at your blog and I really can relate.

I am writing to ask if you would consider linking my blog to "Get That Job." I am a communications writer with a penchant for humor. I've started a blog, entitled, "Does This Look Funny to You?," which consists of articles, one-liners, and column links. The columns are from my stint as a humorist for the employment publication, Career Magazine. I also have written a book-length manuscript, entitled "Blown Job: an unemployment odyssey," which chronicles my lengthy, frustrating, and comic search for employment. I am going to provide chapter excerpts on the blog, several of which I've already posted.

I invite you to take a look, and if you find my blog interesting, I would be most grateful if you would provide a link to it on your websites. I would be glad to reciprocate with a link on my blog.

The blog link is:
http://lookfunny.blogspot.com

Thank you for your time. I will be checking your site and I hope that I will see the aforementioned link there.

Sincerely,

Jill Salter

Head over there; you won't be disappointed. (Note to self; update the blogroll, heh?)

Secondly, you can read about Jill's recent success at finding a job at Sore Feet, Bleary Eyes, and a Big Fat Smile.

Please feel free to share your job hunting success stories, as they inspire and give hope to us all who are looking. You can send them via email, or post something in the comments.

Go Get That Job!

Job Hunting Success Story - Portrait Representative

What a great way to encourage your fellow job seekers -- by sharing your job hunting success stories!

I recently congratulated Emily B., a friend from church who found a job as a Portrait Representative. I replied, asking how she got the job and what it entails. She emailed me back:

I found an ad in the classifieds, responded, and then went for a interview; then I found out the next day that I was hired. All that only took about a week.

Well what happens, is that, as a photographer, I will go to the client's home and take the pictures. Then I will call those people to set up a time to meet to view the pics with them and help them pick out what package, etc. that they want. I get commission for those sales.

Wanted: Your Job Hunting Success Stories

That's right, gentle readers. I want to let others know about how you have successfully found a job. It may be your current one or a previous one - it doesn't matter. I want to encourage other job seekers with your success. You will receive no reimbursement from this, except for the gratification that your story has helped to inspire countless others who are where you once were.

Be specific, but don't mention any company names. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, and you may disagree with this approach - let me know and I may reconsider. Instead, use a generic title, such as "software development consulting company", "global consumer products company", and so on. If you would like some help, then let me know.

I will only use your initials or first name and last initial when presenting your success story. I am specifically interested in answers to the following:

• What position were you applying for?
• How did you contact the particular company?
• Describe the interviewing process.
• Did you work part-time or as a contractor/consultant with the company before being hired?
• How long was the process from your first contact with the company to your first day of work?
• Describe your emotional state during the process. Were you anxious? Excited? Stressed? Impatient? Frustrated? Let us know.

So email me your job hunting success stories at danimal0416 AT gmail.com (replace the " AT " with the "@", of course), and we'll get these published here at "Get That Job!"

Welcome!

A hearty welcome to visitors taking the job hunting seminar at Sinclair Community College. I signed up for the seminar because I'm wanting to better my own job situation, and I originally started this weblog once I found the abundance of information available online.

Here we post a job- or market-related topic, question, anecdote, quote, tip, etc. You read the topics, decide if any of them are of interest to you, and use them as you see fit.

I especially want to encourage you to share your job hunting success stories. We've had a few in the 1.5 years this blog has been around. Nothing more encouraging to others searching for employment than to hear how someone else got their job!

Now go Get That Job!

Job Hunting Success Story

Sue T. responded to a recent post and shared her job hunting success story:

Cheers !!!

I finally got a job!!

I got my job through a website called www.jobs.net.

I was doing my daily job search at my local workforce one in Florida, and I stumbled across this website, which I'd never heard of before. I decided to check this site out, and I found a position called yacht finance specialist (a.k.a administrative assistant). The funny thing about this position was it posted on August 18, 2003, and it was still on their site on November 12, 2003. I called the employer, and the reason why they did not find anyone was because none of the other candidates had passed the credit check. The company is owned by a bank, and passing a credit check is required.

In the post to which Sue responded, we posed some specific questions. Below we've listed the questions along with her answers.

• What position were you applying for?
  Administrative Assistant
• How did you contact the particular company?
  I called the company and then faxed them my resume
• Describe the interviewing process.
  It was pretty simple. They were only interested in me because they had already posted this position on careerbuilder.com and had not yet found anyone qualified for it.
• Did you work part-time or as a contractor/consultant with the company before being hired?
  No
• How long was the process from your first contact with the company to your first day of work?
  I interviewed for the position on November 18th. I returned on December 1st and was hired after I found out I passed the credit check.
• Describe your emotional state during the process. Were you anxious? Excited? Stressed? Impatient? Frustrated? Let us know.
  I kept wondering why the credit check was taking so long.

Wanted: Your Job Hunting Success Stories

However it is that you got to this weblog, I'm encouraged that you've stopped by. Hopefully, you'll find what you're looking for.

Now, let me take this moment to ask you for something. I want to let others know about how you have successfully found a job. This may sound odd, especially if you're currently between jobs. Nevertheless, you probably have had a job before, and I (and I'm sure that many others) would like to know how you got it.

It may be your current one or a previous one - it doesn't matter. I want to encourage other job seekers with your success. You will receive no reimbursement from this, except for the gratification that your story has helped to inspire countless others who are where you once were.

Be specific, but don't mention any company names. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, and you may disagree with this approach - let me know and I may reconsider. Instead, use a generic title, such as "software development consulting company", "global consumer products company", and so on. If you would like some help, then let me know.

I will only use your initials or first name and last initial when presenting your success story. I am specifically interested in answers to the following:

• What position were you applying for?
• How did you contact the particular company?
• Describe the interviewing process.
• Did you work part-time or as a contractor/consultant with the company before being hired?
• How long was the process from your first contact with the company to your first day of work?
• Describe your emotional state during the process. Were you anxious? Excited? Stressed? Impatient? Frustrated? Let us know.

So email me your job hunting success stories at danimal0416[nospam]@yahoo.com(remove the [nospam], of course), and we'll get them published here at "Get That Job!"

Thanks!