8 Things to Do While Searching for a Job

August 15, 2012 by Taylor Studios in Professional & Industry Tips

Last night I watched a segment on 60 Minutes about the unemployed. They interviewed several people that had been unemployed for a couple years or more. Many of them felt employers discriminated against them because they had been out of work for so long. They thought this was unfair.

Most of my career has been as an employer. Yet, I have lost a job before. However, I have always worked. Besides working on the family farm since about eight year’s old, my first job was at age 14 at a horse stable. Yep, I could clean stalls with the best of them. On the family farm, I walked beans, shoveled silage for the cattle, built fences, baled hay and the list goes on and on. During the final months of getting my MBA, I started my first business. Once I graduated it was very difficult to pay the bills. I took a waitress job to make ends meet and to support the start up.

There was a period during the start-up days of Taylor Studios Inc. when we needed supplemental income. I went back to the family farm for work. I think my brother paid me $4 an hour. Taylor Studios’ wasn’t self-sufficient yet, so I was searching for another job in my field. I remember my mom coming out to the field as I was discing to let me know a potential employer had called to offer me the job. Six month’s later Taylor Studios Inc. took off enough for me to let my other paying gig go and that was the last time I ever worked as an employee. During all these jobs I also worked at building Taylor Studios Inc.

The 60 Minute story said some of these college educated folks did not want to take jobs that did not use their education and skills. As an employer I do not like this point of view. I want to know the person is willing to work no matter what. I suggest doing the following to increase your odds of being offered a job:

Showing that you are a go-getter even though you haven’t had a job would increase the confidence of a potential employer. I don’t think it is unfair to not hire someone that hasn’t done much for over two years.

What do you think?