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Need specific information for finding employment in St. Louis, MO?
ABOUT
FINDING A JOB IN ST. LOUIS, MO
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Employment Opportunities -
Page 2
100+
Resources for improving your employment situation!
Let's
get started. What is your definition of employment?
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A
hobby I get paid to do.
For just about every one of us, no matter what
you call it, employment is a necessity. Some of
us just have more fun at it than others, depending
on our situation and our outlook!
Some look at the work place as a great place.
We are around friends. We are challenged and enjoy
participating and contributing. We are compensated
for our talents and efforts, and we give back
to the employer as much as we can because we know
we are appreciated. We look forward to going to
work, at least for the most part, most of the
time.
Others of us look at the work place as a place
we are forced to go each and every dreaded day.
We dream of escaping. Some of us may even dream
of winning the lottery and never going to work
again, ever. Of course some of those who love
their work would still like to win the lottery
so the don't have to go to work, but they still
would choose to go to work, at least part time.
What
is the difference? Is it a difference of personality
or the place that we work? Most
productive and happy workers feel appreciated,
that they feel they have a future with their company,
that they are expanding their skills and future
options. Of course income, insurance and others
perks such as days off, free parking and more
also are part of the equation.
Do
you feel your current job fits this description
and that you control your destiny? Are you happy
at work? Do you go the extra mile, do you do everything
you can do promote the success and profitability
of your company? If not, please read on! Whether
you are looking for new employment or to increase
your value to your employer for a raise or promotion,
this can be an exciting time for you as you plan
your future.
If you're looking for that new job, we're here
to help you research and land the right, job!
We'll point you in the right direction to find
the job you want, with great hours, pay and benefits.
Just remember that if you're currently employed,
your dream job may be just a department away or
continuing education class away. In either case,
you need to start by analyzing your skills and
your goals, then move forward.
If you're wanting to stay with your current job,
simply pretend that you are starting the job search
process with them. Begin honing your work skills,
resume writing and interviewing skills and start
your job search, for the right position that meet
your requirements. In any case, if you've taken
all the steps we will outline, you'll be prepared
to make a good presentation and get the job or
the promotion!
Here's a quick checklist
of the steps to take!
Follow
the checklist!
Self assessment
Career selection
Self preparation
Employer Research
A
few words about keeping a good attitude.
Before we start, we hope you realize that this
may be a very difficult and stressful time for
you and your family. So, let's call it a new challenge
and opportunity! We'll do your best to lead you
to the resources you need to find that perfect
opportunity but you be sure to find as much support
as you possibly can, even taking into consideration
that you may need counseling for financial or
marriage needs. We'll provide those links later
in this section.
When
you're ready to get started.
Of
course we will explore many options, from headhunters
to employment or temp agencies to government work
force assistance. We will explore counseling and
financial assistance programs as well as ways
to improve your resume or interviewing skills.
A good place to start your job search is by
calling your local
Work Force office to find out what options
for assistance are available to you. I went through
the program there and I have to tell you, it helped
me tremendously, particularly with mock interviews
and my resume.
Here
are just a few of the programs they offer.
* Job Listings
* Resume posting
* Resume Assistance
* Interviewing Assistance
* Training and counseling
* Keeping a good job
If you need help but are worried about calling
because you are having financial difficulties,
most of these services are free. You'll also find
that for many of the government services are free,
but if not, they may be able to help you on a
sliding scale or even at no cost to you.
Find
support from nonprofit organizations as well!
Another
source of support is a local nonprofit organization
called Business
Persons Between Jobs. Businesspersons Between
Jobs is a nonprofit organization, located in St.
Louis, Missouri, consisting of professionals in
career transition. As a dynamic networking organization,
BBJ is continually changing and stands ready to
offer highly experienced and qualified individuals
for your organization.
BBJ welcomes the opportunity to help you find
your next career challenge or to help you find
the correct professional for your growing organization.
Use
these sources to keep a positive attitude and
explore all options open to you, including advancement!
Even if you need continuing education or remedial
education. The local community college has a variety
of options for you and you may qualify for funding
through loans, grants or other instruments and
programs. You may even qualify for a grant or
loan to pay for your schooling!
You can do much of this on-line, but one of your
best options will be to check with the local work
force to take a personal assessment test to determine
your skills and the best job opportunity for you.
Once you have explored all your options, you are
ready to start looking for companies you would
wish to work for, then target your efforts on
those companies!
Getting
a raise or promotion at work.
Remember,
your best option may be to stay with your current
employer, so you just want to improve your skill
set for a raise or a new position with the company!
At one time, getting a raise at work was just
a matter of showing up on time each day and doing
a good job. Or by being willing to work overtime
or a different shift.
Of
course prospective employers are going to look
at your past record for attendance and job performance,
but they are also going to look at your education
and your skills set, and how you can fit into
their program. If you can learn a new skill or
improve your current skills set, you can easily
find a new job or even ask for a raise at your
present position. Continuing education and certification
should be a life long goal in the new economy.
Today, getting a raise or promotion at your present
job is mainly about increasing your contribution
to the company by increasing your skills set.
The fact is that employers are going to look at
your past record for attendance and job performance,
but they are going to place more emphasis on your
education and your skills set, and how you will
contribute to the company in the future with your
new skill set.
So, if you have asked for a raise but have not
received it, you will either have to increase
your skills for your current job, apply for a
different position in the firm, or go find a job
with a new company. Either way, it's best to know
what you offer your employer compared to the rest
of the work force so you can justify a raise or
higher remuneration with a new employer. :)
Finding
the right employer.
Now
you need to review the companies in the community.
Start at the
St. Louis Business Directory, Sorkins'
Directory of Business and Government and
the public
libraries before you start looking at specific
jobs in the marketplace. You can also find much
of this information at the local Work Force office
or Business Persons Between Jobs office, or your
temp agency or placement service.
Don't count on getting the first job you see that
interests you. Concentrate on finding the right
type of job and the right company first, then
once you've found the right type of job and company,
then you start looking at which of these companies
have job openings. One of them is probably looking
just for you! Be sure you have sharpened your
resume and interviewing skills first, so when
they do call you, you are ready!
Honing
your resume and interviewing skills.
Being self employed for nearly 20 years, I had
no idea how truly complicated writing a good resume
could be, or what it really takes to be good at
interviewing. It's an never ending process of
adapting your resume and answers to the prospective
employer, and it's always stressful going to interviews.
Thank goodness I found both the Business Persons
between jobs and the Work Force office. They were
both able to help me understand the process, and
the Work Force even hooked me up with advisors
from the community college to help me with this
process.
You
may also opt to utilize the
on-line tips for writing a good resume, but
your best option is to try to get professional
and sometimes free assistance from the Work
Force or the Businesspersons Between Jobs
organization. One of my advisors at theWork Force
even sat at her computer and helped me create
it on her computer! My
new resume is 100 times better than the first
three that I did by myself and with the help of
a job hunter! I can't tell you how important it
is for you to utilize this resource.
I was also able to sit in on workshops for interviewing
techniques, and had mock interviews to practice!
I was even able to take the tape home for review.
You cannot get this type of experience anywhere
else without paying big bucks for it. Use these
services to expand your skills and you may increase
your income for years to come.
If you are utilizing a temporary or employment
agency, or even a headhunter, they may be able
to help with your resume or interviewing skills,
but don't count on it. Their main job is to find
an employer who will hire you.
Now
it's time to find the right job!
Where
to start? Statistics from Work Force and other
organizations show that many job listings do not
ever make it to the classifieds, and most jobs
are filled by other means. All the information
I have read tells me you will have the best results
finding a job by networking with other people.
Networking is talking to talking to friends, former
employers, fellow employees, etc. and even from
volunteer work. Of course you will still want
to check the classified ads and the Internet,
just be sure this not the only place you look
for a new job.
Of
course most everyone thinks about starting out
with classified ads, and this is a good place
to start, if you realize that you may end up utilizing
one or more of the other resources to find the
positions you want, especially if you are in the
professional field.
Start
with the local newspapers - such
as the Post, one of the best source for local
classified ads for employment.
Placement Services (Headhunters)
If
you'd like a list of headhunters such as Robert
Half or Haldane
and Associates, check the newspapers or search
for them on the Internet. Just be sure to ask
if they charge you for their services, or if the
employer pays. If you pay, it can be very expensive
unless you get the job that you really want and
can justify the expense with a larger income.
Again, For any of these
sources, just open the yellow pages in your phone
book under employment, or check the Internet yellow
pages or search engines, simply type in the key
words St. Louis Employment and you will come up
with plenty of options.
The final word on this is that I advise starting
with research on the Internet, classified and
the other services, but the best place to start
your job search is with a counselor and support
group at either the local
Work Force or the Business
Persons Between Jobs offices. The local Work
Force works with the Missouri Department of Economic
Development and local community colleges to help
you find your job with little expense on your
part. It really is the best place for you to start
today!
Now, once you have the company you want to interview
with, here are a few quick tips!
Make
your office mobile and never miss a call, fax
or e-mail!
Before
you actually prepare for the job search, take
a few minutes to get mobile. That's right, set
up a mobile office so you can work and play relaxed,
knowing that you wont' miss an important phone
call, fax or e-mail even if you are out of the
office or even out of town.
This all can be done with the use of the Internet.
Most of these services are free or at least very
inexpensive.
If you go through this site, you can set up most
of these services for free.
You
can create a simple free website where you can
post your website, accept e-mail, read your e-mail,
check your to do list, look up a phone number
in your address book and more. You can even store
your resume on-line in your filing cabinet so
that you can retrieve and edit it from any computer,
anywhere!
If
you'd like more information on these services,
and how to use them, send an e-mail to jddavin@mynewoffice
and we'll tell you how to get our weekly newsletter.
You
should also have your free calling card to hand
to prospective employers and anyone who can help
you your jobs search with referrals. You can order
250
FREE calling or business cards here, in color!
We use them ourselves, and they are fantastic!
You simply go on-line, fill out the simple form,
decide if you need a rush order or not, then they
are shipped right to you! They're very professional
as you can see, and they're free! A no brainer.
This can be a defining moment in your earning
potential. That's why there's simply too much
to tell you all here about interviewing, so please
be sure to review everything you've learned at
the local
Work Force or the Business
Persons Between Jobs and good luck to you!
You should do just fine along a you've gone through
the free practice interviews!
Of
course there are many things to consider after
the interview, such as the thank you letter and
hopefully a follow up call to discuss wages and
perks! Of course you'll want o send a thank you
letter even if you don't get the job. If you did
not know that you should send a thank you letter,
or you need examples, just review the materials
from your local
Work Force or the Business
Persons Between Jobs meetings. :)
These are all things that you will learn when
you visit the work force or join a group such
as the Business Persons Between Jobs. We keep
mentioning them over and over, but it really is
the best place to start, and finish your job search.
We'll also add many of these ideas to our free
newsletter. Click here to get your copy by sending
e-mail to betterjobs@mynewoffice.com
Keeping
that perfect job once you've found it!
Whether you 've just found your new job or realize
your current job could be perfect if you could
change just a few things, fight to keep improving
your skills and make it the right job! It really
is easier to keep a good job or grow into a new
position with a good company than it is to look
for a new job. Be sure to look at continuing education
as a necessity of life today, and work at keeping
your current job by being a valuable employee
to your employer.
You will benefit from a seminar by the Work Force
which tells you how to be a good employee and
how to make the most of your time and skills to
keep the job and to move up in any organization.
Relocating
to a new community - a big move in more ways
than one!
If you are are you relocating for a new job,
we understand that it' an exciting time and
a large undertaking. In fact we experienced
this event recently when my wife took a new
position in St. Louis, Missouri and we needed
to make a move to a new community and adjust
to life in the big city. We'd like to share
a few resources that were helpful to us in our
move. We've found that if you follow the links
to these sites, print out the guides that are
supplied and follow them, you will have a much
higher probability of having a smooth and enjoyable
move to your new community and job.
Once
you do have a prospective employer, you'll want
to compare the cost of living for each respective
community to assure yourself that you can afford
to take the new, "higher paying" job
in the new community. You might even find you
will be making more money and spending less
money with your new move. Let's hope so! You
can compare the cost of living for about any
community by clicking here for the "Cost
of living Guide".
To
start, you'll need to find and compare places
to live. Either in a new home or apartment. This
is a big decision, and one many times dictated
by finances and future career options. We can't
tell you about your future career options, but
we can show you how to calculate
your monthly house payments for a buy/rent
analysis.
Once you've decided, you can visit realtor.com
to find a real estate agent to help purchase a
new home, or apartmentguide.com
to view all the available apartments in the area.
If you buy a house, you'll also need to find
a mortgage institution, which is the entity
that will loan you the money for your home. If
that did not make sense and you need a glossary
of terms, click here! If you will be renting,
you may need renter's
insurance if you decide to rent.
Oh,
and don't forget to make your change
of address with the post office. You can do
it from this link on the Internet quickly!
If
you're feeling stress or just down, here are
some motivation tips!
Looking
for new employment is always stressful.
Volunteer work will make you feel you're helping
someone, which is good for you in general, but
especially in this time when you may be suffering
from low self esteem and concentrating only on
your problems, which are not always as bad as
they seem by the way.
You may want to find sources for motivation and
encouragement on the net as well as from friends,
professional therapists and clergy. Becoming active
in your church is one of the very best sources
for support.
Get
active in your church or find a new one in your
new community!
Now is a great time to build your faith and to
get support from old and new friends! There are
many excellent churches here in St. Louis and
many resource on the Internet to build your faith,
so take the time to visit them for support.
Click here for more resources for your faith
from our faith site. We'll be adding a list of
churches in the future but just go throught the
yellow pages under churches to find a good church
today and just get started making new friends.
It will help you and your new friends when you
get active and give something back!
The
best plan is to make a plan for the future. Find
what you do best, love the most, and be the best
at it! Change your attitude and change your attitude
of work. Continually improve yourself , your work
skills, your attitude and you will see that your
work environment will be changed too, even if
it's not the perfect job, yet!
As
we asked at the beginning of this document, what
is your definition of employment?
Work.
My job.
My career.
A place to learn.
A hobby I get paid to do.
We hope you make employment a hobby that you get
paid to do, or at least enjoy your work. Let's
make the most of it!
That's all for now. Best of luck to you in all
your endeavors!
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A wish for successful
computing to you!
Sincerely,
John E. Davin
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A directory of resources for those looking for employment
opportunities
(A new job!)
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