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Planning the Job Search 15 401

— What subjects do you like? Think about what you have liked or disliked
about your jobs and college courses.
— What kind of organization would you like to work for? Profit or nonprofit?
Government or private industry? Small or large?
— What are your geographical preferences? If you are free to relocate, where
would you like to live? How do you feel about commuting?
• Learn about the employers. Don’t base your job search exclusively on infor-
mation in an ad. Learn about the organization through other means as
well:
— Attend job fairs. Your college and your community probably hold job
fairs, where employers provide information about their organizations.
Sometimes, a single organization will hold a job fair to find qualified
candidates for a wide variety of jobs.
— Find out about trends in your field. Read the Occupational Outlook Hand- on techcomm Web
book, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, for information about To find the Occupational
your field and related fields. Talk with professors and with the staff at Outlook Handbook, click on
your job-placement office. Links Library for Ch. 15 on
<bedfordstmartins.com/
— Research the companies that interest you. Visit their Web sites, and search techcomm>.
for information about them on the Internet.
• Prepare a résumé and job-application letter (a cover letter). Whether you apply
online or send paper documents, you will need a résumé and a letter.
Start planning early by obtaining materials from the career-placement
office. Talk with friends who have gone through the process successfully;
study their application materials. Read books and visit Web sites about
different aspects of the job search.
• Prepare a portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of your best work. You’ll want on techcomm Web
to give a prospective employer a copy of the portfolio to showcase your For more on online portfolios,
skills. For technical communicators, the portfolio will include a variety see “Developing Your Online
of documents made in courses and in previous positions. For technical Portfolio” by Kevin M. Barry
and Jill C. Wesolowski. Click
professionals, it might include proposals and reports as well as computer on Links Library for Ch. 15
simulations, Web sites, or presentation graphics. A portfolio can be pre- on <bedfordstmartins.com/
sented in a loose-leaf notebook, with each item preceded by a statement techcomm>.
that describes the item, explains the context in which it was written, and
evaluates it.
Often, a portfolio is digital, presented on a CD or on a Web site. Items
typically presented in an electronic portfolio include a résumé, letters of
recommendation, transcripts and professional certifications, and reports,
papers, Web sites, slides of oral presentations, and other types of docu-
ments you have written or created as a student or an employee.
Because the portfolio is electronic, it can include all kinds of media,
from simple word-processed documents to HTML files, video, audio, and
animation. And it’s relatively easy to update an electronic portfolio: just
add the new items as you create them. One important point that comes

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