Classified Ads versus Networking

[Micheal Uhl <MU17692 -at- USAV01 -dot- GLAXO -dot- COM>]

I think Rick Lippincott is on to something when he questions the wisdom of
approaching networking as being far superior to responding to classified
ads when job hunting. I do both, and I've gotten more interviews from
the companies whose ads I responded to. The two contract jobs I've had
since coming to the Research Triangle Park, NC area came through responding
to employment advertisements in the Raleigh News & Observer.

Networking provides valuable intelligence, to use a military concept. You
can discover which companies are worth pursuing and which are better
ignored. We have some real sweat shops around here and it's great to know
who they are. That way one doesn't waste time sending letters and resumes to
these places.

Networking also increases your odds of success in an interview, regardless of
how you got it, in two ways:

          (1) the interviewer may already know you, or they may
              know someone who knows you and they can give that
              person a call and check you out--unofficially; and
          (2) you were able to learn a lot about the company by asking
              people who already work there or worked there in the past.

My advice to job hunters is to read the newspaper's classified ads
religiously. Take notes; look for trends and which skills are currently in
demand. When I say, "keep notes," I mean record who's hiring when, even for
jobs you're not interested in. I pays in the long run to know what's going
on.

-Mike Uhl (uhl~m -at- glaxo -dot- com)
 Glaxo Inc. Research Institute
 Research Triangle Park, NC