Your Job Search Office

Organizing is one of my passions. Why? Because I am not particularly good at it… but I want to be. Practice makes perfect, though, right? When it comes to my home office and my home, in general, there is no secretary -- or maid -- to help me out. Hubby is a student and we have a small home, so I know that keeping organized in small spaces, when your budget is tight, and when you have a lot of balls up in the air is critical to saving time, energy and sanity.

I subscribe to a few blogs and message boards that focus on organizing and de-cluttering.

I like Unclutterer – http://unclutterer.com – especially the featured “Uncluttered Workspace of the Week” http://unclutterer.com/category/workspace-of-the-week

and its accompanying flickr photo pool:
http://flickr.com/groups/unclutterer/pool

Tell me, though, can people actually do any work at such handsome desks? Mine look nothing like that, but I’d love them to and I steal ideas constantly.

KISS (Keeping It Simple for Seekers):

These are the basics for a home, closet, locker or laptop-bag based job search “office”. You need:

1. A designated space. Whether it be at home, the library, the career centre or the park, you need a place to do your job – finding a job is a job, after all – that works for you and minimizes distractions.

2. Desk – looking at some of the photos in the Unclutterer Flickr pool, the definition of desk can be quite flexible, but the fact is that you need space to spread your materials out on.

3. Chair – make it a comfy one, but not too comfy.

4. Access to a compute and the internet, your own, the library’s, a friend’s or at the employment centre

5. Have a supply of good quality resume/letter paper, envelopes and stamps. Yes, in most cases you may email your resume, but remember that face-to-face connections with potential employers are best. If you can drop-off your resume in person, do so, and remember to take hard-copies with you to any interviews you have. Reviewers often read copies sent from another department. Choose a color of paper that copies well: white, cream, light gray or light blue-gray. Use full-sized envelopes and don’t fold your resume.

6. A few file folders. Keep good records of contacts, job leads, positions applied for. Most of your folders will be on your computer, but you’ll need hard copy files, too. Create a filing system that works for you and use it. Search the net for ideas on personal and small-business filing systems.

7. A phone and a quiet spot for conversations with employers. Don’t answer calls from recruiters when the background noise is inappropriate. If you don’t know who’s calling, let it go to voice mail rather than wrecking your professional image with an employer.

8. An answering machine or voicemail subscription means that no employer's calls go unanswered. Include a reliable friend's phone number for messages on all correspondence if you do not have an answering machine. With so many people subscribing to voice mail, you may be able to save a few dollars per month by getting a free answering machine for your home phone from Freecyle.org . Ensure your outgoing message is professional.

10. A printer that does good-quality documents, whether it be your own machine or you go to a print shop. Spots, streaks, lines are unacceptable.

11. Subscriptions to newspapers, trade magazines, newsletters, etc. Online subscriptions make your office portable. Many newspapers have their classified ads and career sections online and accessible for free. Check libraries for editions in hard-copy and online journal subscriptions, too.

12. Current yellow pages are a good source of company names and contact info. Check your library for local and out-of-town editions and business directories. Superpages is one online alternative or just search the net for the kind of organization you are looking for in specific, named communities

13. A good pen for signing your cover letters, writing thank you notes and offer letters. Don’t forget to sign your cover letters before you mail them! Emailing your letters? Insert a scanned image of your signature in the right spot.

14. A box of simple, professional “thank you” notes should be in your desk drawer for after interviews or to thank anyone who helps you in your search.

Your job search office doesn’t have to big or pretty, but it does need to be comfortable and organized to be efficient.


...Pam