The goals of this second research class session are completely different from the previous class. Now (finally!) we will begin to identify specific employment vacancies from the many sources available online and through other sources such as networking and researching on employer’s websites.

Beginning with the resources on the Career Center website, we will search for vacancies and begin compiling a list of opportunities from these websites:

· The Hiram College Job Bulletin of current vacancies

· Online employment databases listing vacancies for recent college graduates.   See also Sites by Field.  

There you will find employment databases for both experienced and entry level job seekers.

BUT there are many more databases then can possibly be listed on the Career Center website. Bookmark the ones you have already identified that list the types of vacancies you hope to find and begin your search for additional websites to help you. They may include:

· Resources on the web pages of colleges and universities in your geographic target area or at universities where academic programs specialize in your interests; talk with your adviser or other faculty for suggestions.

· Links from professional associations and conferences

· State or federal government web sites either specializing in employment or related to your occupational goals

· Nonprofit or international organizations that link jobseekers to vacancies such as Careers in the Common Good, Good Works, the Idealist, and Monster Nonprofit.or Global Careers

As you locate resources online where vacancies are posted, add them to your Resource List in your Portfolio.

Be creative and resourceful as you search online BUT…

Don’t limit your search just to websites. Network with Hiram College alums and other professionals to get "insider information" from professionals who work in the careers that interest you.

Part One - In class Session One, we began to learn about networking.  Forgotten already?  Try it again.  Here are a few more sites that give examples of networking interviews to learn about careers.  Experience - choose Advice and Info - then Finding your Calling.  Browse around and find a profile from someone in a career that interests you.  also try about.com, choose Job Q&A.  Education sites are good here.

When you are clear about the purpose and value of networking, write a script that you could use when telephoning or emailing either a Hiram College alum or another professional and put it in your Portfolio.

Part Two – Always begin your networking by starting as close to "home" as possible – with your contacts from your internship or summer job, family friends, parents’ friends or roommates’ parents etc. etc. To complete this activity, locate three contacts and, using your script from Part One, contact them to ask for ideas about vacancies in your career area. Make notes on the results of your networking conversations in your Portfolio.

Part Three – now locate three Hiram College alums using the Alumni Database in the Career Center. If you are not on campus, you may email me at craigkm@hiram.edu asking me for an alumni contact in a certain industry or profession, and I will provide you with that information since our Alumni Database is not yet online.

Contact them by phone or email – use your judgment about what positions they hold and how they can help you to decide the best contact strategy – and, using your script, ask them for suggestions of employment options or advice about your job search. Again, record a summary of your results in your Portfolio. And send those Thank-you notes!

Top

        Class Session Eight