Page 7 - نموذج

404 15 Writing Job-Application Materials

• Through personal connections. A relative or an acquaintance can exert in-
fluence to help you get a job, or at least point out a new position. Other
good contacts include past employers and professors. Also consider be-
coming active in the student chapter of your field’s professional organi-
zation, through which you can meet professionals in your area.
• Through an unsolicited letter to an organization. Instead of waiting for an ad
or a notice on a Web site, consider sending an unsolicited application.
The disadvantage is obvious: there might not be an opening. Yet many
professionals favor this technique, because there are fewer competitors
for those jobs that do exist, and organizations do not advertise all avail-
able positions. And sometimes an impressive unsolicited application can
prompt an organization to create a position.
Before you write an unsolicited application, learn as much as you
can about the organization: current and anticipated major projects,
hiring plans, and so forth. The business librarian at your college or
university will be able to point out additional sources of information,
such as the Dun and Bradstreet guides, the F&S Index of Corporations,
and indexed newspapers such as the New York Times, the Washington
Post, and the Wall Street Journal. You should also study the organiza-
tion’s Web site.

Understanding the risks and beneFits
oF social Media and the Job search

Long before you plan to begin a job search, you should carefully consider how
you currently appear online. Employers regularly search the Internet while
screening job applicants. They are sure to visit sites such as MySpace and
Facebook. Employers also search for blog and online-forum postings written
by job applicants. Pictures of you at a raucous party, a blog critical of your
current boss, or an unflattering YouTube video can jeopardize a job search or
even a person’s current employment.
You should closely monitor the content and images posted on your own
sites and periodically search your own name to see what prospective em-
ployers are likely to find. When searching for a job, use your accounts on
social-media sites to make a good first impression before you are even in-
vited for an interview. Assume that prospective employers will visit your per-
sonal sites. Use their visits as opportunities to market yourself: display text
on techcomm Web and images that demonstrate your best qualities.
For advice on how to use Expand your networking activities online by using sites to connect
networking sites to your
advantage, see Alison Doyle’s with people who share your professional interests and to hear about job
“Your Professional Brand.” openings. Create a profile tailored to the type of job you seek, project a
Click on Links Library for Ch. professional persona, follow through with what you say you will do, and
15 on <bedfordstmartins.com/
techcomm>. help others make career connections (networking works in both direc-

15_MAR_67948_Ch15_398-438.indd 404 11/29/11 3:34 PM