This document discusses various techniques for thinking outside the box when conducting a job search. It begins with exercises to assess a job seeker's strengths and areas for improvement. It then discusses starting with a confident mindset and various non-traditional job search strategies like informational interviews, internships, volunteer work, social media networking, temporary positions and using professional organizations. The document provides examples for each strategy and emphasizes the importance of staying actively engaged in the job search process through creativity and networking.

1. Thinking Outside the Box
with Your Job Search
Angelique Torres
Consultant, The Career Place
Employer Outreach Specialist, Endicott College
Email: angelique.torres1@gmail.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/angeliquetorres
Twitter: @Angelique.Torre1

2. Exercise
 What are your areas of pain in your job
search?

3. Start Off with Confidence and
a Winner’s Mindset
 Remind yourself of past successes
 Confront your insecurities
 Remember that no one is perfect
 Be thankful for what you have
 Concentrate on strengths, not weaknesses
 Embrace yourself and your true potential
 Find a confident role model

4. Exercise
 What are some ways in which you have
been looking for work?

5. Learning Objectives
 Understand and identify different job
search techniques
 Apply different techniques to your
overall strategy
 Feel energized and motivated to gain
employment
 Commit to at least one action as a
takeaway

6. Self-Assessment
 What is your timeline?
 What are your skills and experiences?
 What are you good at?
 What do you like to do versus what you
don’t like to do?

7. Job Search Box
Online Job Boards
Career Fairs
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking
Networking

8. Outside the Box: Networking
 Career Centers
_______________________________________
 Informational Interviews
 Internships
 Professional Organizations
 Social Networking Sites
 Temporary Positions
 Volunteer Opportunities

9. Informational Interviews
 An informational interview is an
interview with the purpose of gaining
information about an industry,
company, career path, and/or yourself.
 Example: Outreach to contact at
Randstad

10. Internships
 Unpaid v. paid
 Students v. non-students
 Example: Unpaid Internship at
Northeastern University

11. Professional Organizations
 Find a professional organization in your
area of interest
 Example: Career Counselors
Consortium, Northeast

12. Social Networking Sites and
Why They Matter
 The Social Media Revolution 2012:
http://youtu.be/0eUeL3n7fDs
Is Social Recruiting Real?:
http://youtu.be/KU51MSNZrLc

13. Best Practices with Social
Media
 Decide why you would like to use social
media and for what for
 Come up with a goal on how often you
would like to post (i.e. at least once a
week)
 Come up with ways to engage with
those that are in your network (i.e. ask
questions)
 Be consistent in the brand you portray

14. LinkedIn
 Craft your profile (headshot, headline)
 Start and expand your network
 Ask for advice
 Ask for recommendations
 Search jobs
 Make sure your profile meets 100%
completeness

15. Facebook
 Control your privacy settings
 Complete your profile
 Find your contacts
 Non-stop networking
 Join groups and fan pages
 Register for events
 Think about creating two separate
profiles, one professional and one
personal

16. Temporary Positions
 Contract/Temporary Positions through
Staffing Agencies provide an opportunity for
both the job seeker and employee to test the
relationship
 Seek partnerships with Staffing Agencies in
your area of interest
 Example: Randstad has placed me in two of
my positions at Genzyme Corporation and
Lesley University

17. Volunteer Opportunities
 By nature, these opportunities are
unpaid
 Opportunity to build skill set and your
resume
 Example: Steering Committee at the
Career Counselors Consortium and
presenter at The Career Place in
Woburn, MA

18. Exercise: Creating a Career
Strategy
In small groups, discuss the following:
- What would you like to do?
- What are your connections?
- What are your next steps?

19. Key Takeaways
 Job search is a process that takes
creativity, effort, commitment, patience,
and time
 Gaining employment is achievable
 STAY ACTIVE!
 It’s all about networking, building your
brand, and making yourself more
competitive in today’s job market

20. Resources
Books
 I Got My Dream Job and So Can You, Pete Leibman
 Highly Effective Networking, Orville Pierson
 How to Shorten the Odds for Job Search Success - and Much More - 101 World Class
Expert Facts, Hints, Tips and Advice on Job Search Techniques, Valerie Nichols
 Job Search Networking Tactics - 4 Tips For Leveraging Conferences to Build Industry
Contacts Quickly - And Much More - 187 World Class Expert Facts, Hints, Tips and Advice
on Job Search Techniques, Martin Walker
 Rick Gillis: Really Useful Job Search Tactics: A Handbook of Contemporary Job Hunting
Techniques, Rick Gillis
 Twitter Job Search Guide, Whitcomb, Bryan and Dib
 What Color is Your Parachute, Richard Nelson Bolles
Websites
 http://amby.com/worksite/search.html
 http://learn.linkedin.com/
 http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20042.htm
 http://www.highlyeffectivejobsearch.com/thebooks/networkingbook.htm
 http://www.quintcareers.com/job_reality_checks.html
 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/2095.pdf