how did you find your new job lately?

[Gary_Yngve]

i know a lot of people here have had been laid off or quit in the past few years and have since found new jobs.

 

how did you find those jobs?

 

-network/inside connection?

-contact the HR dept of companies directly?

-go through a job board such as Monster or CareerBuilder?

-go through some niche job board / niche web community?

-Craigslist or similar?

 

do you think the job seeker -> employer matching process is broken?

[sobo]

Network/inside connection, Gary.

I never really wanted to believe that, but it's true. At least for me in my last two jobs over the last 14 years.

[selkirk]

I may be an anomally but I ended up find one through Monster.

My theory when I started looking was to open every door I possibly could. I ran down any network connections through the dept, interviewed with a couple of companies visiting UW, searched and applied through every job database I could find. Of course the folks we've hired since then have primarily been folks found through networking.

 

The one piece of advice is apply for anything your interested in even if your not qualified. I think the job I ended up getting required 5 years of industry experience, but they hired me straight out of grad school.

[Hugh Conway]

monster.com - they found me (past 3)

 

It works if you have specific, unique, searchable attributes in your resume. The search conversion ratio (they made contact) was ~5%. The conversion ratio on applied for positions was <1%

[111]

The one piece of advice is apply for anything your interested in even if your not qualified. I think the job I ended up getting required 5 years of industry experience, but they hired me straight out of grad school.

 

I second that. My boss said he wanted someone new who didnt know a thing about the industry so he didnt have to "untrain" any bad habits.

[Gary_Yngve]

Thanks for everyone who replied so far. For what it's worth, I'm not seeking advice on finding a job -- I have several offers -- just curious how other folks have found their jobs. Looking forward to see what others have to say.

[nkane]

Craigslist. But it was hard to find one!

[Couloir]

If there is any possible way you can take what you do and start a company, DO IT. For the longest time I kept coming up with excuses not to do it, but when I finally did, all the questions were answered.

 

One of the big ones was health insurance. I got an HSA (health savings account) and am paying just a little more than what I paid into my former employers plan to add my family. And actually it ends up being a better deal because not only can I write off the premiums, but the money I have to pay into the account is a tax-free inventment fund. And the money that I have to pay for a doctor visit, prescription, et.al. is also tax deductable. It's a great deal.

 

And the biggest benefit? Free time. My commute is from my bed to my office. I ride my bike to my son's school everyday (a little less when the weather is nasty) and grab him when he's done. I am completely in charge of my own time. Yeah, there can be stress, but it's your own deal and you can do things however you want. Working as an employee blows as far as I'm concerned. I wish I would have done this a lot sooner.

 

And though I have nothing whatsoever to do with this book, I recently read it and I highly recommend it: The Four-Hour Work Week.

[sobo]

I'm curious, Couloir. What do you do for a living?

[ClimbingPanther]

Nepotism, baby

[AlpineK]

I've run my own business for years. I started out doing one type of work, and when I started my own business it was doing the same thing I'd done for years. I got all my jobs through Networking/connections.

 

Recently I've been forced to slightly change what I do for work. I'm not sure how it's going to work out, but I'm relying on the fact that I know a ton of people in my industry. To some degree we're competitors, but it doesn't do anybody any good to try and screw over friends.

[Hayduke]

-go through some niche job board / niche web community?

 

I used firecareers.com. It's the best board for those searching for a job in the fire service.

[catbirdseat]

My climbing buddy said he needed lackey so that's how I got my current job.

[sobo]

My climbing buddy said he needed lackey so that's how I got my current job.

Proof positive that there's a place for everyone in the world...

[Lub]

Any advice for finding a bilingual job in Portland?