“Few things are as discouraging as a long, seemingly futile search for a job. Nothing quite drags the self-esteem down than the long silence after you’ve sent out a resume.
In their new book, Unlock The Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough, Duncan Mathison, executive career consultant and former vice president of Drake Beam Morin, and Martha I Finney, careers expert and employee engagement consultant, encourage job seekers to never give up.”

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“Here they share five tips for job search survival:”

“1. Prepare for an extended search. When the job market shrinks, it takes longer to land a job. Adjust your finances and your expectations now to extend your staying power. Stopping the search until the economy improves is like the farmer who will go hungry at harvest because they didn’t plant seeds in the spring. Do not give up. Keep planting those seeds.”

“2. Don’t waste your time on long shots. If you are only applying to posted jobs and those seem far and few between, your tendency is to cast a wider net by applying outside your geographic area or outside of your expertise (“I could do that job!”). This is a dead-end strategy and you will only face more painful rejection and depressing stories of 500 applicants to one job. When it comes to job postings: focus, focus, focus.”

“3. The right job for you is out there — it just won’t be advertised. Employers cut recruiting budgets when times are tight. Instead hiring managers use less expensive and informal word of mouth strategies. As a result a higher percentage of available positions are in the “hidden job market”. Job seekers must significantly expand the quality and quantity of their networking efforts to find unpublished jobs.”

“4. Leave the resume at home. The secret to good networking is to help your network help you. Instead of a resume, give people in your network (everyone you know) a list of 50-75 employers who you think would hire people with your type of skills. Do not ask if the companies are hiring. Instead ask if anyone knows people who work there — particularly managers who might hire and manage people with your skills.”

“5. Contact managers directly. Get their name, get an introduction and introduce yourself to them. Your introduction can be a simple, “I understand you have people with my kind of background and skills working for you. I don’t assume to know if you have job openings but I would like to meet you and learn more about the type of people you like to have on your team and share with you a bit about my background.” They may say “sure”, they may say “send a resume” or they may say “no”, but now they know about you. Remember the ONLY thing managers can do to assure their success is to meet and hire great people.”

Hiring in the field of education takes place year round, though the majority of hiring happens from March through mid- September. December graduates should consider submitting applications for substitute positions.

Talk with your cooperating teacher about needing to leave the classroom for interviews, career fairs, and other Special events related to finding a job. If you didn’t do this at the beginning of the semester, remember, it’s never too late. Cooperating teachers understand the importance of finding a job and will usually work with you to the best of
their abilities.

Prepare a resume and cover letter and have it critiqued by a Career Development Center staff member. Don’t wait to complete your student teaching to start putting your professional resume together.

Begin identifying and asking people to be your references and write letters of recommendation for you. Be proactive and cultivate relationships with people who would be strong letter writers. Consider asking a principal to observe you teaching so you can later ask them for a letter of reference. To assist your references with how to write a letter of recommendation.

Regularly watch for job openings posted on/in…
• School district websites.
• Local newspapers and papers from cities you might be interested in moving to. Many newspapers’ are online.

__ TALK WITH YOUR COOPERATING TEACHER

__ PREPARE YOUR RESUME

__ ESTABLISH REFERENCES AND ASK FOR LETTERS

__ COMPLETE THE WECAN APPLICATION

__ REGULARLY CHECK JOB POSTINGS

Pay attention to each district’s application procedures as they vary from district to district. Candidates may be eliminated from the hiring process if they do not follow directions. If you have questions about the application process or the materials requested, call the district. Within one week of applying to a district, follow up to confirm that you have submitted the proper information and ask when they will be notifying people if they have received an interview.

Networking is one of the most important aspects of your job search. Networking may happen directly with people
you know or with people you just meet. Just think – that person sitting next to you on the airplane may be related to
someone who does the hiring for a school district that you are interested in. First, contact everyone you know. You
can take a direct approach and ask for job leads or try a less formal approach and ask for information, advice, and
referrals to other people. For more information on networking see www.uwm.edu/Dept/CDC/research_talk.html

It is essential that you develop and maintain a system to record and organize your job search materials including:

• Job advertisements for jobs you applied for. Print these immediately from websites before they are remove.
• Copies of application materials you submit to each district.
• Dates you applied for jobs, when to make follow up contact, and dates of actual follow up.
• Names, dates, and times of job interviews. Dates you sent thank yous and additional follow up.
• Names of people to network with. Names, dates, and times of informational interviews.
• Daily, weekly, and monthly goals and rewards you give yourself for reaching goals.

__ LOOK CLOSELY AT DISTRICT APPLICATION PROCEDURES

__ ATTEND A TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR

__ DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN A JOB SEARCH SYSTEM

__ NETWORK – IT’S WHO YOU KNOW

Before beginning your education job search, you may want to take some time to reflect on your personal goals and priorities. Ask yourself “what is it that I want out of my teaching career?” Through the establishment of realistic, specific and attainable goals, you will be able to realize what will make you most happy.

Here are a few points to consider:

* Be Realistic. Make sure your goals are attainable. Also, let your goals be those things you truly wish to accomplish. Don’t let your goals be based on a popular fad or trend, or because everyone else is doing it. Do what you do because it is the right thing for YOU!
* Write Down Your goals. Create a plan. Once you create a plan, mentally develop your plan.. How? Begin by writing down your goals and review them often. Maybe even place them on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. This is a way to remind yourself daily why you get up and do what you do. You are trying to get somewhere. Remind yourself where you are trying to get, and remind yourself often by reviewing the goals you have written.
* Solicit Information. Seek out people with goals similar to yours. Especially seek out those persons who you identify as having some level of success in an area. Then ask them how they reached their goals. Listen and learn. Everyone has a story to tell.
* Now that you have defined your goals and priorities, you will need to begin your job search. As overwhelming as this may seem, it is important that you remain focused and diligent.

Below is a list of resources that often prove beneficial when searching for a job:

* Networking: Make connections with employers and professionals who can help with your job search. This involves being proactive about your job search and taking the initiative to make things happen. You may want to connect with friends, family members and contacts made through friends and family. This is no time to be reluctant, let others know you are looking for a job as most people will want to lend a hand. Additionally, you will want to look into professional societies, professional meetings and symposiums that provide an opportunity to link up with employers and professionals.
* Job Fairs: Employment fairs provide excellent opportunities to learn about careers while making initial contact with individuals who may be able to give you vital information and insight as to how to obtain a desirable position.
* Local Employment Agencies: These agencies will provide assistance in finding jobs and have a database of available opportunities. You will find this information useful in identifying hiring practices within your field and within your region.
* Newspapers & Internet: Both the newspaper and the internet are great sources of information providing direction on imminent jobs, articles on future trends and careers, opening of new businesses and companies that are hiring.
* Directories: Utilizing directories such as the local yellow pages and a business-to-business directory will provide you with essential information, allowing you to identify employers and organizations where you can inquire about available positions or future possibilities.
* Cold Calls: You should plan to “cold call” any employers at which you do not have a potential contact. Cold-calling covers the writing and calling of hiring managers to inquire about job openings and possibilities. You will then submit your resume and cover letter to various companies in an attempt to establish a relationship.

Finding a teaching position can be difficult, even during the best of times. In periods of economic difficulty, it can seem down right impossible. As the global economy continues to suffer, prospective teachers need to be more aggressive than ever in locating and securing a teaching position. If you are in the unlucky position of having to look for a teaching job, don’t despair. Teaching jobs are still available, but it may take more effort to obtain one. Consider using the following techniques to increase the likelihood that you will secure a position.
Know Where to Look

While there are an assortment of places where you can find teaching opportunities from numerous school districts, there are still districts that only post on their website. Be sure to learn how the school district you are interested in announces job openings. It could be a teacher job fair, teacher newsgroups, bulletin boards, etc. While it can be difficult to look at websites for multiple school districts while job searching, doing so will decrease the likelihood that you will miss a posting that may be perfect. Add the sites to your Internet favorites and visit them often to make sure you don’t miss an opportunity.
Your Teacher Resume Needs to be Perfect

Create an attention grabbing, aesthetically pleasing, accomplishment-based resume to ensure you will stand out from the rest of the candidates. Search the Internet for resume examples, there are a variety of different options to be found. Be sure to select a format that will effectively highlight your talents and qualifications as a teacher.
Accentuate Your Relevant Teaching Skills

Remember, you will likely be up against a large number of candidates, so make sure you explicitly point out the strengths that you possess. These may be the factors that stick in the hiring committee’s mind, and may help you win out over other candidates These strengths will also serve as keywords in your resume, which is critical to securing an interview.
Point out What you Can Do

Do you have an extra or unique skill you can point out that would benefit the school? Be sure to mention other ways you could be an asset, such as coaching sports groups, teaching a literacy club, or facilitating a drama club. Many schools are interested in hiring someone who can perform a double duty, or that help out will extra-curricular activities.
Be Knowledgeable About the School

Even if your only reason you are applying to work at a particular school is that they happen to have a vacancy, do not convey that in your cover letter. Make sure that you learn about the school district for which you are applying, because if you do not sound interested in the school district, they will likely not be interested in you. Find something unique about them that is of interest… or in an area you know your expertise would be helpful. For example, if they had low reading scores, and you were excellent in helping increase reading scores by using effective reading strategies.
Present Yourself Professionally

You are applying for a position as a teacher, so act extremely professional at your teaching job interview. Schools are less likely to hire someone who seems timid and nervous at an interview. After all, if you seem insecure in front of a hiring committee, how will you be in front of a class? Make sure that you get rid of your job interview jitters and present a confident front. Schools are looking to hire someone who can impart knowledge and lead a classroom, so let them meet that person at the interview.

Teaching jobs are increasingly hard to secure. The market is flooded with qualified candidates who are eager to secure a full time position in their field. If you are serious about getting a teaching job, you need to be aggressive, and make sure that you prove yourself in your interview. If you WOW them with your knowledge, skills, and professionalism, it will be hard for them not to offer you the teaching position.