Networking and Patience: The Most Important Aspects of the Job Search Process

A tax accountant from St. Louis describes his initial struggles with the job search process. He also explains the most important aspects of the job process, and what everyone must do to find their dream job.

I am currently a tax accountant at a mid-size accounting firm in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. An accounting profession fits my personality because I have always been good with numbers and it does not require to give presentations to the entire office. I was always a shy person, so I did not like attending the networking events during college and after graduation. Now, however, I believe that networking is more crucial for accountants. There is a small amount of people that have accounting degrees, so accountants are always willing to help someone else out. It is a much more tight community than most professions, so networking is the best way to get introduced to everyone.

I found my current job through a friend that knew someone that also works at my company. I had previously tried to find a job using job sites like Monster and CareerBuilder but did not have any success. I also tried to find a job using Craigslist. This led to more interviews and was more successful than the job sites, but I was still unable to land a job using these methods. It took me about five months after I graduated college to find a job. I did not search intensely the first few months; afterwards, however, I spent about 2 to 3 months of searching actively before I got a job.

The single most important thing that I learned about the professional job search process is that it requires a lot of effort to land a quality job. I learned this after I spent the first few months of my job search not aggressively pursuing jobs. I was used to getting what I wanted without having to put a lot of effort into most things. I spent little time studying while I was in school. Also, I was recruited by several colleges before I graduated high school. This led me to believe that my grades and the college I attended would be enough to get a great job. I would sit at home and watch movies all day and expect some company to call me and immediately decide to hire me. You are never going to get a job by just sitting at home and doing nothing. After I realized this, I worked diligently and was able to get a job rather quickly.

If I could give someone three pieces of advice for conducting a successful job search, they would revolve around networking and a positive attitude toward the entire process. The first piece of advice would be to never underestimate the importance of networking. The second would be to never get discouraged over the entire process. The final piece of advice would be to always prepare for your interviews. I had to implement these steps while I was searching for a job, and it ultimately helped me land a great job with a wonderful company.

I did not think that I needed anyone's help to find a job, but I was wrong. I always felt that networking was a way managers used to pat their egos. I did not feel like sucking up to someone just to get a job. After I was unsuccessful at the start of my job search process, I finally started networking. This led me to find an old friend that knew of a job that would be perfect for me. He was able to call the company and have his contact put in a good word for me. This ultimately led to an interview and I got the job eventually. I have found that managers are much more likely to hire someone with a recommendation from someone they trust than someone else.

I also had to use my second piece of advice to help me land a job during my search process. The entire process was taking longer than I thought it would, and I was getting discouraged. I thought that I was never going to find a job. I would get interviews but I would never hear from that company ever again. This made me change my entire approach to trying to find a job. I went from focusing most of my time and effort on job postings on Monster and Craigslist to networking. It is very important to be willing to change your approach if you are having a tough time finding a job. If your approach is not working, then there must be something wrong with it.

The final piece of advice that I would give someone that is about to go through the job search process is to properly prepare for the interview. The interview is probably the most important aspect and will ultimately determine if you get the job. I was not prepared for many of the job interviews that I went to and it took longer to find a job. I am not particularly good at talking to new people, so I would want to get out of the interview as fast as possible. I would give quick and short answers and would not ask any questions at the end of the interview.

Eventually, I was asked by one hiring manager why I was interviewing for a job I was not interested in. I was extremely interested in the position but my lack of interview skills made me seem apathetic toward the job. Everyone has something that they need to work on for a job interview, especially extremely shy people. I found that if I did mock interviews with someone that I knew, then I gradually became more comfortable at interviews.

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