Job searching has changed tremendously over the last 10 years, and a lot of traditional advice does not match how a successful job search works today. For example, go out and pound the payment is really no longer relevant. This piece of advice has been around for years. However, today, in a lot of areas, if you show up in person, it would relay that you are unprofessional or just out of touch.
Most employers provide specific instructions on how they accept applications, and it's usually limited to electronic submissions. and normally through a specific online application system they have set up. Now retail and food services continue to be the exception to this. In-person and applications are more common in those fields.
So where do you look for a job? A recent study analyzed the success of external and internal sources of hire and found the top six to be employer referrals, job search engines, current employees, job boards, recruiters, and company career or websites. In order to improve the odds of you landing a job, diversify your search across all of these areas. I've provided you several ideas here just to check into if you are on the job market. If you want to get in touch with someone who works in the area that you know and start networking with them, there are government job fairs and college career fairs.
In fact, Mississippi State offers a career fair in the fall and the spring. This is open to current and former MSU students and there are sometimes virtual options as well. So check the Career Center's website. They have an events page and you can find more details. Also, you want to look into the job search engines like Indeed.com, Monster.com, I'm sure CareerBuilder.com.
We've all heard of these. There are specialty job boards and these are niche websites that... Apply to a specific trade and then of course you have social media platforms, which is becoming more and more popular with employers a Few tips for social media follow your follow different companies in fields that you're interested in school districts Trades etc and just stay current and get engaged like some posts that they do comment professionally on some posts and get your name out there start building a network follow career experts and professional organizations.
Follow people who are passionate about their jobs. I've listed two recommended readings here regarding tips for using social media while job searching. These are not required, but they are beneficial if you're in the job market.
Stay current on the trends in the field that you're interested in. Look for trade magazines and websites and contact your alumni organizations, whether it be your fraternities, sororities, honor societies, clubs, things that you were in and start reading that. networking with those people because they are at the same time probably graduating and they may know contacts that you don't know.
Finally, here's two other recommended readings just on job search, searching in general. Again, not required, but highly beneficial if you're on the market.