Make your job search successful by knowing what kind of job you want, what kind of environment you want to work in, and where you want to live.

Develop your career objective

A career objective is your goal. Where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing? If you are focused, you should be able to describe what kind of job you are looking for in a sentence or two.

Decide what skills you want to use and identify a career objective that will be a good match for your interests, abilities and personality. The Explore Majors and Careers section and the Employer Research page can help you with this.

• Make an appointment with a career counselor
• Use the Online Resume Writing Workshop
  View the Career Objective Guide from Florida State University

Decide where you want to work and live

Decide where you want live and work and research what is available there. Start with the areas' Chambers of Commerce and newspaper websites.

Other ways to find places to live:

• Find Your Spot
• Relocation Supersite
• Money Magazine's Best Places to Live
• BestPlaces
• USA CityLink

Find potential employers

• Tap into the Hidden Job Market
• Use your Network
• View Job Listings

Develop a Targeted Campaign

Send a cover letter and resume to each employer that you discovered during your research. You may be responding to an advertised position or inquiring about possible upcoming positions within the organization and displaying your strong interest in the company.

Who to send the letter to?

Do not send the letter to Whom It May Concern or Dear Sir or Madam. Using you research, find the human resource contact information. Or better yet, find the hiring manager for the department in which you are interested. Do this by:

• Review your network of contacts; someone in your network may have that information.
• Use the resources listed on the Researching Employers page.
• Contact the company directly and ask for the name of the person running the deparment.

Demonstrate you understand the employer and the position

Do not send out a generic letter and resume. If you want to work for this employer, impress them. Know why you want to work for them, and tell them how you will benefit them. Focus on the reasons to hire you. Monster Careers , by Jeff Taylor and Doug Hardy, lists the "five business reasons to hire."

• Can you improve product or service quality?
• Does the employer need to improve customer service?
• Can you help cut the cost of doing business?
• Can you create new products or services?
• Can you market the company's products or brands?

Learn about the company and craft a message linking your skills and abilities to their needs. And then be sure to follow-up.

If it is an advertised position, analyze the position description carefully to make sure you let the reader know you meet all the qualifications they request. Use the Position Description worksheet to do this.

Review the Resumes and Letters links to help write your correspondence.

Prepare for the interview

Prior to the interview, review the self assessment you have done and do some more in-depth research on the employer to prepare for the interview.

• Interviewing Tips
• Complete a mock interview with Patty Practice

Follow-up and keep records

Send a thank you letter within 24 hours after the interview.

Keep accurate records of all contacts and correspondence during your job search. This will ensure that you can make good follow-ups and will be prepared at any time to discuss your job search. Be professional in all aspects of your job search to get the best results.

Let us know about your job

You've accepted a position. Congratulations! Be sure to let Career Services know about your employment status.