• Cover Letter
• Interviewing
• Job Fair Tips
• Job Fairs
• Job Search
• Online Job Listings
• Resumes

• Alumni Career Network
• Choosing Your Career or Major
• Getting a Job
• Graduate School
• Internship Program
• Personal Counseling
• Upcoming Events

Job Search Skills

• Determine exactly the type of position you want.
  Do a thorough self-assessment of your values, interests, abilities and strengths. This will enable you to develop a reasonably specific job objective. Look at Career Services’ Career Planning and Placement Services web pages to assist you in this process.
• Start your job search early.
  Give yourself ample time to find an abundance of opportunities. Many recruiters and job seekers start the process many months before graduation.
• Consider beginning your job search at Career Services.
  Make an appointment to meet with a placement professional to assist you in developing effective skills for resume and cover letter writing, interviewing and job searching.
• Utilize the resume referral services through Saint Xavier University.
  Have your resume uploaded on Career Services’ database, Cougar Jobs, to be sent to inquiring employers.
• Search through web sites of job listings, including those linked to Career Services’ web page.
  Look at job postings using the given search criteria and post your resume for employers to view on-line through career searching links, such as those listed on Career Services’ Job Listings Web page. In addition, Career Services is affiliated with ISCPA, which has opportunities posted on its Web site.
• Take advantage of on- and off-campus job fairs.
  Contact a placement professional to learn ideas on how to effectively market yourself at job fairs, such as those posted on Career Services’ bulletin board, on its resume referral database, and on its Upcoming Events Web page.
• Peruse through the job listing binders at Career Services.
  Look at career position announcements currently available in your field of study, including those posted in the Multi-Listings section.
• Search through newspaper and professional publication classifieds.
  Look through want ads sections of major Sunday newspapers like the Chicago Tribune, local newspapers like the Daily Southtown, and various industry-specific journals like Advertising Age. Web sites for many of those journals are listed in publications like The Directory of Business Information Resources.
• Look for information through industry directories.
  Find out about current career opportunities through company Web sites that are posted in general directories. Look for contact information of major companies in specific industries through publications such as The Chicago Job Bank, How to Get a Job in Chicago, The Human Care Services Directory, and The Illinois Directory of Public Schools.
• Gather information from professional associations.
  Utilize the resources offered by professional associations in your field of study, like the American Chemical Society, the American Marketing Association, the Illinois CPA Society, etc. Some organizations provide valuable insight about gaining entry into various careers, while others have current job listings linked to their web pages. Web sites for many of those organizations are listed in publications like The Directory of Business Information Resources.
• Begin networking.
  Develop contacts through family, friends, faculty and employers.
• Use as many resources as possible to apply for jobs, and do so aggressively.
  Since employers use a wide variety of forums for recruiting job candidates, it is important not to limit yourself to only a select few. You must also be willing to follow up with prospective employers relentlessly, so that your name remains visible and current for consideration in recruiters’ consciousness.