Module 2: Job Search Strategies

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Module 2 Job Search Strategies
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• Has anyone felt unorganized
• in their job search?
• Has anyone had a feeling that there are more job
  openings out there than you are aware of, but
  arent sure how to access them?

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Introduction and Learning Objectives

• Employ several traditional and nontraditional
  job-search strategies, techniques, and resources
• Utilize a job-search checklist and log to
  organize job-search efforts at the local, state,
  regional, national, and international levels
• Conduct research on potential employers
• Identify transferable competencies, skills, and
  personal attributes gained from military,
  homemaker, volunteer, and other paid/unpaid work
  experiences
• Understand your ethical responsibilities during
  the job search

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Traditional Job Search Strategies

• Pursuing advertised job openings
• Main advantage easier to access positions
• Main disadvantage many are aware of openings
• What percentage of available jobs are
  actually advertised?

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Non-Traditional Job Search Strategies

• Leveraging personal contacts and networking
• Main advantage jobs not widely known outside the
  organization
• Main disadvantage lack of familiarity or comfort
  with approach and length of time and effort
  required
• How can there be so many jobs
• available but unknown
• to job seekers?

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Networking and Resources

• A basic network might include
• Former Marines and Marine Reservists
• Family members
• Former classmates and co-workers
• Veterans and military organizations
• Close friends
• Local professionals (e.g., doctor, minister,
  banker)
• See Networking Resources handout

Marine For Life
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Researching Companies and Organizations

• Research topics can include
• History, mission, and goals
• Strategic initiatives
• Special recognition
• Products and services
• Financial performance indicators
• Structure
• Job tasks, duties, and responsibilities
• See Company Research Topics handout

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Identifying Transferable Skills

• Utilize these handouts
• Functional Transferable Skills
• Basic, Advanced, and Executive Competencies
• Personality Characteristics
• Homemaker Competencies

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Identifying Transferable Skills (cont.)

• Describe the common work tasks performed on a
  daily or weekly basis
• Active-duty Marine
• Military family member
• Customer service representative
• Cashier
• Day-care provider
• So, what are your skills?

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Job Search Checklist

• See Job-Search Checklist handout
• Plan of Action
• Helps ensure that critical job-search steps and
  resources are not overlooked
• Organize into geographic sections
• Start attending all CRMC job-search
  skill-development classes
• See Schedule of CRMC workshops handout

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Job Search Checklist (cont.)

• Create résumé and cover letter
• Have both critiqued by CRMC staff
• Visit appropriate job search Web sites

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Job Search Log

• Good tools for following up on job-search
  activities
• See Job-Search Log handout
• See When and How to Follow
• Up with Employers handout

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Job Search Ethics

• What ethical obligations and considerations do
  you think a job seeker has when conducting a job
  search?
• How about an employer?
• Six ethical considerations of the job search
• Receive fair and honest treatment by employers
• Make an honest effort to apply for only those
  jobs you would actually accept if they were
  offered

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Job Search Ethics (cont.)

• 3. Be honest during the screening process
• 4. Dont renege after accepting the job offer
• 5. Dont leave a recently started job for another
• 6. Dont let potential employers factor in
  military retirement pay in the compensation
  package

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Job Search Ethics (cont.)

• Name attributes and characteristics that
  employers value and would like to see in
  employees
• What values, characteristics, and attributes do
  Marines possess?
• See Ethical Considerations and Marine Corps Core
  Values and Attributes handout

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Summary and Lessons Learned

• Today, we have
• Covered a number of job search strategies and
  resources
• Learned how to research employers
• Learned how to identify transferable skills
• Discussed ethical responsibilities in the job
  search
• Please take a moment to list three things you
  learned in this module that will make your
  job-search efforts more productive and successful