Job Hunting Tips and Resources:
Is There Life and a Job on the Internet after 40?
New Media Career Day, July 31, 1999
by Mora Chartland

It’s a Step-by-Step Process
1. Take off some time if you can.
2. It’s about hard work (a LOT of hard work) and a bit of luck.
3. Investigate everything, even if the idea sounds far-fetched.
4. Talk to everyone you know and ask for help, advice, encouragement, etc.
5. Join Alumnae Resources. Take classes, attend support groups, use the Resource Center.
6. Attend job and career fairs and organization meetings.

A Bit of History (or what happened to me)
1. In high-tech since the early 80s working for software companies.
2. Laid off 3 times in my career; this last time the first day back after a 2-month sabbatical.

Your expectations vs. others’ expectations of you.
1. Try not to put a time limit on how long it will/should take you to find your next position.
2. Hold out for what you really want if you can
3. Be prepared for the unexpected, i.e., it takes time to find the right job.
4. Consider contract and temp work, it exposes you to all sorts of things.

The Biggest Challenge
1. Figuring out what I wanted to do.
2. Be patient and really explore all options once you’ve decided on a direction.
3. Conduct informational interviews.
4. Decide how badly you want something, ex. F&B industry vs. Internet $.

The Biggest Mis-steps
1. Not joining AR soon enough.
2. Trying/thinking I could do it all on my own.
3. Spending too much time looking for positions online rather than networking, ex. BD advice.

Networking & Why It’s Important
(It’s about WHO you know)
1. Network, network, network, make yourself known.
2. Check out/join Internet groups and associations.
3. Check out Craig’s List Tech Events section.
4. Get on Listservs and introduce yourself.

Join organizations and volunteer (programs and membership) Support Systems.
1. AR support group.
2. Mini-support groups.
3. Friends and family: stay close to those who support you the most and stay away from the toxic people

Resumes/Suggested Resources:
Posted my resume only on sites that had the edge I was looking for, such as:
Craig’s List
Jobs4Women
Classifieds 2000
TopStartups.com
ResumesOnLine
Net-Temps
HeadHunter

How I Got My Latest Position
1. Craig’s List: a recruiter working for my new employer saw my posting.

Handling Age/Gender
1. Never consciously considered it an issue.
2. Never knowingly experienced age discrimination.
3. Sell the benefits of your experience, stability and focus.

Job Search Sites
Craig’s List
Jobs4Women
BrainTrust
HotJobs
WetFeet
MarketingJobs
JobsJobsJobs
Classifieds 2000
Women in Technology International

Daily/Weekly Site Checks
Red Herring
The Industry Standard
Raging Bull
SF Business Times
FastCompany
Upside
E-commerce Times

Organizations/Associations/Events
Alumnae Resources
Craig’s List
SF Women on the Web
Silicon Valley Web Grrls
Society for Internet Advancement SF
Industry trade publications, check events/conferences sections

Classes/Reference Material
AR: Turn Your Job Search into a Marketing Campaign by Erik Cederblom
AR: Strategic Job Searching
AR: Flourishing in the First 90 Days of Your Job
AR: Informational Interviewing
AR: Power Savvy Skills for Women
Organizer Extraordinaire
I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was by Barbara Sher; DTP Trade paperbacks; $12.95