Houston Jobs Search Tips

If you're not having much luck finding Houston jobs, it may be time to kick it up a notch. Resist the temptation to be discouraged, because discouragement leads to pessimism and it's even more difficult to find a job when you're convinced that you won't! The competitive Houston job market can be tough. But don't give up - the perfect job may be only an email or phone call away.

Here are some extra tips to help you find work in Houston.

Use a temp agency. Many companies hire support and administrative staff through a temp agency. When someone goes on maternity leave, or there's an extra project that needs a few more hands, temp agencies can bring in trained-and-ready staff for the temporary project. In a down economy, many companies prefer hiring temps rather than full-time workers. When looking for jobs, keep in mind that many temp agencies specialize in one area. Some will only have clerical jobs available, while others will focus on factory jobs and construction work.

Be sneaky. Here's a great trick for finding jobs that aren't widely advertised: use search engines (Hotjobs, Monster, etc.) to find out which Houston-area companies are hiring in your field, and then go to each company's website and look at their employment opportunity section. Many companies post jobs on their websites that they don't report to public sources.

Create a solid resume. Your resume should include your past employment (with active-tense descriptions of your accomplishments), education, qualifications, and special skills. You should have two resumes ready to go at a moment's notice. One resume should be printed out on high-quality white paper (fitting everything on one page is ideal), and another should be an electronic file, compatible with most computer systems, for emailing and uploading to the web. Finally, ALWAYS have someone proofread your resume for typos before sending it out.

Follow up on leads. Everyone can go to a website, upload a resume and click "submit," and in this competitive market, rest assured that everybody does! But it takes a dedicated job-hunter to go the extra mile and follow up with a thoughtful email to the hiring party.

Don't overdo it - many of these people are quite busy and don't have time for much interaction. But sending an email to an actual person (rather than an impersonal "sir or madam") and writing something like "Thank you for the opportunity to work for your company. I just uploaded my resume to the website, and I look forward to hearing from you soon" will win points and help you stand out from the crowd.