Take this job and...take it?

We started talking about jobs. It seems like the sort of topic everyone has some experience with, but actually getting a job can be a mysterious process. Even generating a resumé can be frustrating. At the beginning of working life, the problem is too little experience. However, as one accrues education and work experience it becomes an overbearing list of possibly unimportant information.

Let's say you have your resumé put together, where do you go to find the jobs? Of course it depends on the field, but the basic gist seems to be to find an organization you want to work for and see if they have openings. Job search sites like Career Builder have openings posted, but it is difficult to find what you're looking for.

But an even more important consideration is what exactly you should be looking for. Experience doesn't necessarily dictate what you are potentially qualified to do. Don't think of what you have done in a specific sense ("I mixed these chemicals." or "I taught these specific classes."), but think in terms of generally what that is. Focus on more general abilities that may be related to the job.

Then we proceeded to chop through our resumés and came to the consensus that different resumé formats are suited to various careers and interview styles. A job fair situation for a teacher might benefit from a one-page resumé that features testimonials (and might be a bit visually busy), given the fact that you are the person physically handing a principal the resumé that you can explain and elaborate upon. However, a technical position as an engineer or a research scientist would rely more on the general and specific skills entailed in the job. Then if you were to tailor a resumé to a management position, there may be another format that is well-suited. It is helpful to look at a variety of examples online and also have different people take a look at your resumé.

The whole job search is an inherently dishonest and at times dirty business. At it's worst it can be double-edged dishonesty, given the fact that each party might have an entirely self-serving interest that does not necessarily align with finding the best fit employer and employee. It is a necessary part of work, however the fact that there is a lot of guesswork involved in analyzing one's successes and failures makes it tough to get good at.