There are no Guarantees in Job Search

“Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for something.” — Unknown

I remember the first time I went to Las Vegas with some of my friends. We were in our early twenty’s, no experience in gambling but eager to win (a bad combination). Every gambling game has some level of chance to it. Now take Poker as an example. There are definitely skills you must have if you expect to win: confidence, a deep understanding of the game, the ability to “read” others in the game, the ability to bluff and not show what you are thinking. But even if you have all of those skills, chance still comes into play and the very best Poker player will still lose if chance goes against him (and if you’ve watched the World Series of Poker you will know what I mean). Of course there are times when the person with the worst Poker skills manages to win – chance at work again. Job search is much the same. To find the very best job in the shortest period of time requires the best of skills. But being in the right place at the right time is equally as important, so in many cases “chance” comes into play much like Poker (not that I think that job search is purely a game of chance). So how do you increase your chances of landing the best job? Hone you job search skills and let everyone know (headhunters, companies, friends, etc.) you are looking for a job. Today’s post includes job search site recommendations from readers.

JobOpenings.net – Lots of information on this site. The left hand side of the page has a section for job seekers, with links for Featured Jobs, Jobs by Location, Jobs by Industry and more. Middle of the page has links for Job Seekers, top ten careers, Jobs and Job Search engines, careers by industry and more. Check out the careers blog too.

FM Grads – This site is dedicated to helping graduating college students start their careers by finding the right job. Top of the page has tabs for Products & Services, Successes and Careers. Center page has links for Workshops and Career Opportunities while the left hand side have the same links as the tabs on top.

American Job Finders – “HELPING AMERICAN’S LOCATE JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT IN TODAY’S ECONOMY” is the tag line for this site. There are tabs at the top of the page for Career Advice, Job Search and Submit a Resume. Right hand side of the page has sections for Career Resources (with lots of links) and Jobs by State. There is a search bar center page, just type in a functional role (your state or United States0 and click find jobs. There were over 533,000 job opportunities when I checked the site. Don’t forget to get your membership (which is FREE!).

Lucid Jobs – Great name and great interface! Top of the page are tabs for Jobs, Forums and more. You can select your country from the top (very top) right hand side of the page. Center page leads with a simple search bar (with over 24,000 job opportunities when I checked the site). This is followed by icons for Job Seekers which include Resumes, Jobs, WebCV, Video Resume and more.

Jobsyellow.com – This site is the “Yellow pages” of jobs. Top of the page has links for Search Jobs by City, Search Jobs by Employer, Search Jobs by Job Title and more. Below the tabs is a simple search bar where you can search by keywords and location. Center page is an amazing list of links to help you target your search, starting with Jobs in Major US Cities, Jobs For Fortune 1,000 companies, Jobs by Occupation and more. You can find companies hiring by using the Search by Employer link.

Good luck in your search.