I was working at my last job for 10 years, which I got from a reference. My old co-worker was working there and called me up that they had a position there. I got an interview and the rest is history. A lot of job opportunities come this way. So it is very important to keep in touch with your friends and ex-coworkers. It’s good to network with people in your field as well. Get on LinkedIn and add all your friends, co-workers, and people you meet in the field. You can also take classes online or at your local community college to add more skills to your resume.
I got laid off in July 2009 due to downsizing. I asked all my friends and could not land an interview. I went on Monster and Dice and posted my resume. I also created a spreadsheet to keep track of what job’s I was applying for. This comes in handy when EDD asks for proof you are looking for work. I applied at over 100 companies. I wanted to work near home, so I looked around my area to see what companies were nearby. I went to their websites and checked under careers. I applied at all the companies that had positions in my field. I modified my resume for each job, to better fit their job requirements.
I always had trouble answering those HR questions you sometimes get asked in interviews. I have been asked those questions on phone and in person interviews. I did some searching online and found this helpful PDF called HR Interview Questions. It contains 64 of the toughest interview questions. It was very helpful going over the questions.
I finally got a call in Sept 2009. I was interviewed on the phone by the company’s recruiting office. I then got another phone interview with the department supervisor. That went well, I answered all the technical questions. I was then called in for an in person interview. It was one of longest interview processes, I have been through. There were 4 scheduled interviews, the first two groups were 8 each of my would be co-workers. A few of the questions I was asked, were the ones I practiced from the HR Interview Questions PDF. The next interview, was with a senior Engineer. My last interview was with the supervisor of the department. All the interviews went well that day. A few days later, I got called and was offered the job 🙂
It took me about 3 months to finally find a job. It does requires some work, don’t give up. I know it is tough out there. I have a few family members having a hard time finding work.