What do you think about working in a store or behind a counter?  Do you assume those types of jobs are for kids or those with little education and experience?  It’s easy to dismiss retail jobs but in reality these can be great stepping stones to other careers and positions you may enjoy.  Sometimes people also give retail jobs a chance and find that they really enjoy the work that they do and wind up keeping the position because they like it, not because they feel stuck with it.  Let’s take a closer look at how these positions can be a great choice for anyone looking for a career today.

For one thing, retail jobs can give you a behind the scenes look at how the retail industry works overall.  People that work the counter or cash register are not the only employees in these types of companies; you need buyers, store managers, personnel managers, regional directors, and even franchise directors as well.  Sometimes those who start working the cash register can learn the business so well that they move up to selling and training franchise interests, and this usually pays a lot of commission.  Starting with retail jobs in the stores themselves gives you a great advantage over the competition as you know the “ins and outs” of the business and the company overall.

Purchasing and management are two great career paths for those who start with retail jobs.  Someone that works in purchasing needs to decide what inventory to keep on the floor and how much.  This can be very exciting as you get to see new lines of merchandise before anyone else and have a real hands-on approach to how stores are run.  As for management, there are endless opportunities from actually running a store or franchise to managing personnel, tracking inventory, and areas such as these.  The opportunities to move up with retail jobs is virtually endless!

Some too have found that they really enjoy the fast pace of most retail jobs and wind up staying right where they are.  There are of course problems dealing with customers and keeping a store running, but usually keeping everything stocked and organized can be very enjoyable.  There is usually an entirely different atmosphere with retail jobs than there is with most offices.  Everyone works as a team to keep the store running and yet no one is stuck in a cubicle or office.  And times seems to pass much quicker during their shift for those who work retail jobs than for those who work in an office where they may have some downtime or may need to constantly wait on responses and feedback from coworkers before they can move forward with projects.

There are many opportunities with retail jobs that most people don’t even realize, so don’t turn your nose up at them.  They’re not just for students and kids, and they can offer some great career paths and choices for anyone!

Even in today’s tough economic times, there are still jobs to be found.  Unfortunately these positions won’t appeal to everyone as they may require certain skills that many people don’t have, but even without an advanced education or skills you can still find employment – if you know where to look.  Let’s talk about some little known places where you can look for jobs; be sure you’re taking full advantage of these resources in order to secure employment.  Remember, your competition will be looking at these places so you need to be sure you’re checking them out as well!

First, remember that your state probably has a department that is designed specifically to find people jobs.  This might be the Department of Health and Human Services or something else, but usually if you visit your state’s website you can easily find where they have these jobs posted.  Many employers prefer to use the state’s site because in a lot of cases it’s free for them to post their ads.  They even typically post skilled positions and executive slots as well, so don’t overlook this area regardless of the type of work you do or amount of experience you have.

You can also find jobs online at sites that you might not have imagined.  For example, Craigslist has a section for employment of all sorts.  You may not find a CEO position advertised there but you can find many opportunities.  If you’re looking for something to help you out in the interim, you may find many local jobs advertised where you can find temporary employment to get you through this time.  Remember that sites like these are updated just about every day, so be sure to keep checking back as often as possible.

When searching for jobs, remember too that you can check out a company’s website itself.  Many companies post their openings on their own website and no place else, assuming that job hunters will look for these spots as opposed to going out and looking for the candidates.  Find local companies for which you’d like to work and browse their website.  Remember to look at all the jobs offered as you never know what might catch your eye.  If you’re looking for an accounting position, you might find something in purchasing or human resources.  You might also find something that you can work temporarily while you search for a better position for yourself.

Sometimes you can also find jobs advertised on a college or university website.  Often these are entry level positions meant for those in school or those who have just graduated, but they may also work for you.  It used to be that schools would have an old-fashioned corkboard where employers could post jobs but now they use the internet just like everyone else.  Check local colleges and universities, and this means community colleges as well.  Keep your eyes open at all these places and remember to keep checking back regularly and you’ll be sure to find your spot!

Looking for a job today is serious business.  It’s very tough out there and any job you find will probably have literally hundreds of applicants vying for it.  This means you need to be sure that you’re responding to as many jobs as you can possibly find in order to improve your odds!  To this end it’s important that you use as many job search websites as there are.  Unfortunately many applicants concentrate only on the major sites such as monster.com and hotjobs.com and overlook literally dozens of other resources available.  So where are these elusive job search websites and how can you be sure that you’re using them to your fullest advantage?

Many job search websites are geared specifically toward certain fields or career choices.  For instance if you work in accounting your online job search should include the word accounting in your hunt.  The same goes for nursing, medical, child care, engineering, manufacturing, and any other field you may choose.  If you include a word or two regarding your industry you’ll find many more job search websites that are designed specifically for you.  These sites might also lead you to companies hiring in your particular field, some of which only use these sites or which may redirect you to their own website in order to apply for jobs.  Using industry specific job search websites means that they will get fewer mass responses and generic resumes, which also means they may not even be posting their ads on those other sites such as monster.com and hotjobs.com!

You might even find listings of job search websites in industry specific magazines.  For example, automotive jobs and sites might be listed in magazines about cars, architectural jobs might be listed in magazines about homes and design, and so on.  If you get any of these magazines, be sure to check the back section where they usually have classified ads and may also list job search websites.  Even magazines like Discover and Scientific American have jobs listed in the science and technology industries and fields.  If you don’t subscribe to magazines in your industry, you might consider going to the bookstore to pick up some or even checking their own website to see if they have their classifieds listed online as well.  They may not be thought of as job search websites but this might lead to some jobs that your competition doesn’t know about, so check them out!

To really find the most job search websites you’ll need to set aside time to really search the internet.  Just glancing at the first few sites that you find won’t be enough.  And when you do find those job search websites, make sure your browse them thoroughly and read the articles they usually have posted.  Many can tell you how to update your resume, how to handle interviews, and things such as these.  The more help you get during your job search, the better it will be for you!

Obviously a lot of job hunting these days will need to be done online.  Even for employers who place a classified ad in a newspaper, the paper will probably post the ad on their website as well as in print.  So using job search sites is imperative for anyone out of work today, but when looking for an opening, there are many tools available to you on those sites above and beyond the actual job listings.  Understanding what’s being offered on those job search sites and learning to use them to their maximum potential is going to help anyone looking for a job.

Many job search sites offer much more than job postings.  Most contain helpful articles full of tips for job seekers, with subjects ranging from how to update your resume to questions you might face in today’s interviews, cities that are showing economic growth, and how to handle a job relocation to another city or state.  When you find job search sites that offer these types of helpful articles, remember to linger for some time and really browse those articles, taking your time to read through everything you can.  You might assume that you’re ready to start interviewing but then learn from what you read on those job search sites that today’s questions are not at all like questions you’ve faced before.  You might also find out that your resume is out of date or missing information that employers today are looking for.  Take your time and linger when reading through these articles and try to absorb as much information as you can.

Remember too that when you’re looking for jobs through these job search sites that you should consider a different line of work than just what you’ve been doing for so long.  You might find that your degree in accounting can help you land a payroll or purchasing job, or that your clerical skills can work well in human resources.  If you take your time to read through the different postings on those job search sites and really consider the descriptions, you may find that you have many more opportunities available to you than you ever imagined.  Of course you won’t realize this unless you actually read those ads, so take your time when skimming through them!

There are many job search sites you can try above and beyond monster.com and hotjobs.com.  More and more job boards are showing up on the internet every single day, and some are very industry specific.  When doing an online search for job search sites be sure to use a descriptive word for your industry, such as “accounting jobs” or “nursing jobs” rather than just looking for “jobs.”  This way you may find some websites you hadn’t imagined and may also come across some openings that other candidates have never heard about.  As with any other internet search you do, the key is to take your time and be prepared for some serious browsing.

If you’re looking for a job in today’s tight economy and tough job market, you want to be sure you’re taking advantage of all the job search resources that are available to you.  Overlooking some resources or areas for your job search isn’t going to help you find all the job opportunities that are out there, and your competition for those jobs is just going to be that much worse.  And other applicants might be taking advantage of those job search resources, taking your job from you!  If they know where and how to find those jobs, you need to know the same thing.  So what and where are those hidden job search resources and how can you be sure you’re taking advantage of them?

Many hidden job search resources can be found online; you simply need to know how to find them.  When doing an online job search, don’t just type in “jobs” to your search engine.  Instead, use specific words to describe those jobs such as “accounting jobs” or “retail sales jobs.”  Very often different fields or industries have specific job boards they use to advertise open positions, and when you use these terms in your search you’ll find those boards that much easier.  These boards are great job search resources because they may also offer articles with tips and suggestions that are specific for your search or your industry.  They may talk about what employers are looking for or may even suggest the cities where there is job growth.  This is very good for anyone that has a specific skill set that might be underutilized in one area but needed in another.  So take some time to hunt online for these job search resources and then take the time to really browse everything they offer by way of suggestions and information.

Remember that your friends and family can also be considered as job search resources.  Many jobs are found through nothing more than word of mouth, so don’t hesitate to talk to your friends, family, other members of your religious group, people you meet at the gym, or others you know from night classes or wherever else.  They may know of a hiring manager at a company or of a position that’s not advertised anywhere else.  Think of them as hidden job search resources and don’t hesitate to mention that you’re looking for a job, your skills, and so on.

Other hidden job search resources can be found at a company’s website itself.  If you go to a company’s website you can usually find a place where jobs are advertised and they may also tell you what they’re looking for by way of skills and experience.  If you still have a job now, check out your own company’s website as there may be vacancies in areas you hadn’t imagined.  Don’t ignore your own human resources department as well; they may have hidden job search resources for employees exiting the company and may be able to help you.