Job searching in Washington DC.

[bhunt70]

I'm in the unenviable position of possibly losing my job in the very near future and I've been out of the job search market for some time now. What are some of the tried and true methods of searching for a job these days. My first instinct would be the internet, the information superhighway, but I feel that the rate of success is minimal compared to physically "beating the street". The newspaper seems like the old version of the internet when it comes to job searches. Am I wrong?


Truthfully, most of my jobs have always come from "I know someone that's looking for someone..." type searches. Luck with who I knew. This seems like the first time I've had to go into it cold. So what methods have you been successful with?

[swag]

1. What sort of work do you do or want to do?

In Washingon, DC, I landed some very good permanent full-time positions just starting out as a temp who was liked and then recruited by the employer. I got a few of my friends in on the same track, and some of them have done quite well and advanced dramatically in these careers that started out with simple temp assignments. I think the hiring environment has changed quite a bit since those days, but the same thing worked in Portland years later: started as a temp, tried to do a good job, was well liked, liked the employer, got hired.

Temping has its advantages (some flexibility) and its disadvantages (no benefits), which need to be weighed by the individual.

Best to you.

[bhunt70]

2. thanks for the info.

I just finished posting some things on the Washington Post website when it occured to me that temp agencies were an option. I did some temp work back in the day and remember what it's like. The good thing is I would get to go out and show people what a great job I could do. The downfall IS the lack of benefits. Well, I shouldn't burn that bridge just yet but it's a good thing to keep in mind. Thanks