From networking to Internet sites to job career centers,
searching for jobs can be daunting
You need someone to show you the money, someone who can help you bring home the bacon and allow you to pay the rent. You need gainful employment. But where can South Valley residents go to find the perfect job?
“The best way to find a job is by word of mouth, which we call networking,” said Maria Fehl, deputy director of One Stop Career Center in Hollister. “A lot of employers hire people who are referred to them, especially in small communities like this. Many also hire existing employees. We try and help people network here at One Stop, too.”
Initial services at One Stop are free, including resume preparation and interview workshops, and computers are available for job searches. One Stop can also help people who have been laid off receive scholarships from the government to upgrade their skills and get additional vocational training, Fehl said.
Another way to find a job is to go places where you’re interested in working. For example, Hollywood Video frequently has vacant positions posted in the front window, and In-N-Out Burger in Gilroy recently advertised for a janitorial position by distributing fliers in drive-thru take-out bags. Starbucks stores throughout the South Valley post fliers for monthly job fairs potential baristas can attend.
“Our job fairs are generally the first Tuesday of every month, and the job fair is for all the Starbucks locations in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister,” said Rachelle Anders, an assistant manager at the First Street Starbucks in Gilroy. “You can get hired on the spot at the job fair, or you can turn in an application that we hold onto so we can call you when we need someone. But managers don’t get hired at these job fairs. Managers have to go to the Starbucks Web site to get job information.”
At Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Gilroy, open positions are often posted by the time clock so current employees can apply for jobs that may help them move up in rank, said Tracy Crosby, the food and beverage operations manager. If management is looking for an external candidate, they post the job in the local newspaper.
“We get a lot of job ads. For example, from the 20th of February to the 27th of February, we had about 135 job ads,” said Carrie Gault, South Valley Newspapers’ classifieds manager. “We’re about half the price of the (San Jose Mercury News), and when local companies need people, they’re going to advertise in their local paper, so that’s where you’d look for a local job. We list all the job ads for the city, all the outlets, nurses, automotive, real estate, everything.”
People in specialized fields may use additional resources such as trade magazines or Web sites designed for specific jobs to find new employment. For example, teachers can attend job fairs hosted by the California University or California State University systems that have programs for future teachers, said Chuck Schallhorn, the social science division chair and president of the teachers’ association at San Benito High School.
“When I was doing my job-hunting in 2001, I used www.edjoin.org, which is a job opening listing service,” Schallhorn said. “This one is California-specific, and a lot of states have similar, centralized services. Currently (on www.edjoin.org), there are 7,206 job vacancies and 1,365 agencies, different schools and districts, using edjoin. It’s a great thing.”
If you’re looking to change fields of work or if you aren’t sure what kind of job you’re interested in applying for, the career and transfer center at Gavilan Community College can help.
“We don’t have a job placement center, and we don’t do resume building or that sort of thing, but we have wonderful assessment programs that are available to community members for a nominal fee,” said Jan Stewart-Amstutz, a career and transfer specialist at Gavilan. “We can help identify transferable skills as well as what people are interested in, so they can say ‘I’ve never done this, but these are the skills you’re looking for and these are the skills I have.’ That way, we broaden the perspective on what jobs are available to you.”
Where to Find Your Perfect Match
– Friends and family
– Trade school Web sites
– Trade magazines
– Office Team in Morgan Hill (408) 776-6587
– Kelly Services in Hollister (831) 637-7123
– Westaff in Gilroy (408) 842-1222
– Garnett Staffing in Morgan Hill (408) 778-0729
– Childcare Careers in Gilroy (408) 848-0009
– One Stop Career Center in Hollister (831) 637-5627
– Gavilan Community College (408) 847-1400
– South Valley Newspapers (408) 842-6400
– http://jobstar.org (general)
– hotjobs.yahoo.com (general)
– www.careerbuilder.com (general)
– www.caljobs.ca.gov (California government positions)
– www.californiajobs.com (California-specific)
– www.craigslist.com (Bay area-specific and more)
– www.healthjobsusa.com/ (health care)
– www.physicianrecruiting.com (doctors)
– www.teacherjobs.com/ (teachers)
– www.edjoin.org (teachers)
– www.k12jobs.com/ (teachers)
– www.spj.org (journalists)
– www.monster.com (general)
