The attitude of many job seekers is to be meek and timid, as if the person supplying the job is doing him a favor by granting him the time of day. Really, they both need each other equally. The employer is looking to make 3-5 times the cost of hiring the new employee from the work that he provides, so who is doing whom the favor?

If you are timid in your job seeking, you are likely to get passed over or just plain ignored. However, if you are confident in your ability to really add value to the organization, be firm and let your voice be heard!

Send a letter to the decison maker describing yourself and your accomplishments. Be specific to the organization you are targeting, because then the words will have an effect on the decison maker. After a few days, call the decision maker and follow up on your letter. If he did read the letter (and you’d be surprised how often they actually will), they will be more willing to talk with you and even grant you an interview.

At the end of the day, a job search involves selling oneself to the person making the hiring decision. In order to get a job, you need to convince the person making the hiring decision on your ability to provide value to his/her oragnization. They have a need that needs to be filled, all they need to know is if you are the person that fills that need.

Being timid and meek doesn’t go very far to convince the person on your abilities. But if you exedue confidence, strength of character, and a pleasant persistence, that will get you far in your success on the job search.

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[Most of these tips regarding job hunting and resume preparation come from Dan Miller's great book, 48 Days To The Work You Love. Dan is a career coach who has successfully guided thousands of people along their career paths.]

The most common method of looking for a job is to scan the Help Wanted ads in the paper. However, according to published statistics, answering an ad in a local paper leads to 8 jobs out of 100. Also, the higher level job you seek, the less effective this method becomes. (If you don’t believe me, look at this week’s Hamodia Help Wanted section.) This is the lazy man’s way to look for a job. Don’t bother looking there, all you will accomplish is to get discouraged.

The hands down most productive method of finding a job is to apply directly for a job without it first being advertised. Sure, it puts you on the tough end of the bargaining table, but it beats everyone else to the chase. First you research the companies that will need your skills the most, and should be a good fit for you to work there.

Second, you need to apply for the job that you feel you can be a great fit for. That means either finding someone who knows someone, or a person of influence to speak on your behalf, or getting yourself in the door for an interview. Using methods like this lead to over half of all jobs, and it ensures that both you and your employer get the best person for the best job.

It takes research, fine tuning, and a dose of chutzpa, but finding your own job is within your reach. Even if you’re just coming out of kollel.

P.S. More tips on creating a resume and finding a job to follow.

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