The key to creating a successful job search strategy is knowing what career field you are interested in pursuing. You must clearly define:

The type of positions or type of work you want Industries you want to work within Geographical location(s) to which you are willing to move/live The size of company within which you wish to work

Once you have clearly defined the types of jobs you want, you can start creating your job search strategy. Your strategy must include:

The way you locate job openings can vary based on your career choice. If you are not sure how a job search is done for your specific field, consider conducting informational interviews, speaking with a career advisor or your professors, or looking for strategies online. Some common ways to find job openings:

Network either in-person or online

• Tell everyone you know (friends, family, professors, supervisors, co-workers, people you serve, people you meet) the type of job(s) for which you are looking to be hired. You never know when someone will know of an opening or have a connection to a company or industry.

• Contact KSC's Office of Alumni and Parent Relations to locate alumni working in your career field and/or company of interest

• Join professional associations and attend their meetings/conferences

• Use the power of Social Media to connect with a professional network who can be helpful in your job search. Use sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook. To learn more about social media and the job search process, visit ACA's social media guide page.

Find online job posting boards or websites. To locate both general or career niche specific sites use:

• Google - in the search bar type: the career field/job title/ + careers/jobs. For example - public relations jobs

• Join groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Yahoo which provide job listings or suggested job sites

• ACA's online resource guide

• ACA's "What Can I Do with a Major in…" or "Connecting Careers and Majors"

• Websites of the professional organizations within your career field

Use KSC's Job Wise - Local, regional, and national companies and organizations post job openings to recruit KSC students and alumni for various openings. These range from part-time positions for pay while you are in school; summer jobs for either experience or pay; internships related to your field of study (paid and unpaid) as well as career opportunities when you are ready to graduate.

Locate and develop a list of companies for which you would be interested in working. Locate the companies through online searches, local Chamber of Commerces and the yellow pages.


• View the company website to search for openings

• Contact companies directly by either phone or by e-mailing/mailing your resume. Through direct company contact you may learn about an opening before it is posted. If you e-mail or mail the company your resume, you must follow-up with a phone call.

Attend Career Fairs. Visit ACA's Event page to learn about Career Connection Events (on-campus job fairs) and off-campus job fairs. Look for additional job fairs online or through local papers.

Look at the classified ads (either online or hard-copy) in local newspapers. Not sure what newspapers are available? Use newspapers.com to locate local and regional newspapers.

Employers Recruiting KSC Students

Before applying for a job, you should know something about the organization and its needs. Researching companies will assist you in writing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews and discovering what companies are looking for in employees.

• Information on the products, services or clients of the organization

• History of the company and/or its organizational culture

• Mission and goals of the company

• Upcoming events /promotions / news worthy happenings

• Financial statistics and expected growth

• Geographical location(s) of offices

• Types of career paths in your field

• Current issues and trends in the industry/field

• Visit the company's website

• Use online sites such as Hoovers.com, Standardandpoors.com, Vault.com, Guidestar.com and newslink.org

• "Google" the company

• Talk with people who work there - alumni, friends, family, social networking connections, etc.

With all the information you gather and the different jobs for which you apply, it will be difficult to keep track of what you have done. You want to create a system that records the contacts you have had with an organization. Your records should include: contacts, dates of contacts, materials sent (resumes, cover-letters, thank-you notes), titles of jobs to which you applied, interview dates, follow-up materials sent and referrals made.

Develop a tracking system that works for you!

Looking for a job is hard work and takes time. Don't get discourage if you do not have a job within the first couple of weeks of your job search. Approach the search as a job, be persistent, and stay positive and confident.

If you are not getting any responses to the resumes you sent, or any offers after job interviews, schedule an appointment with an ACA career advisor.

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