Networking

Books on a curved bookshelf

Networking is the single most important thing you can do to help you find a job.

Make sure anyone safe knows you’re looking for a job. They can tell you if their employers open up positions, or put in a good word for you later. The more people looking out for you the better.

Informational interviews help you learn about careers of interest and company culture. Sometimes you will hear about job opportunities before they are even publicly posted.

Linkedin is a great way to make an impression on potential employers, but it can also help you identify people you know who can introduce you to someone in a field that interests you. (Linkedin is covered more fully on the digital job seeking document (doc) if you’re interested.)

Education

There are a lot of reasons it can be hard to get the job you want, and one of them is missing education requirements. If you have access to the Internet, there are a lot of great certification courses online to improve your resume. There are also, of course, in-person resources around Portland.

When looking for online certifications, avoid red flags:

  • If you’re thinking about getting an online degree, make sure the university is accredited. This is a link to the CHEA’s directory of accredited degree programs.

  • If the program requires a very substantial up-front financial commitment, look deeper into it.

  • Conflicting evidence is a bad sign. Err on the side of assuming things are scams. (Reddit can be a good source for crowdsourced information about a program.)

Find in-person GED classes here and here.

Portland Community College provides vocational training and classes that are available to non-degree-seeking students, as well as English for speakers of other languages.


if you’re feeling stuck…

It’s normal to get overwhelmed—after all, there’s a lot of information out there for job seekers and a lot of options. You have a couple options, though:

  • Talk to our workforce navigator, who is there to help you all the way up through the job search in English or Spanish. If you want individualized assistance with the process, reach out! We have people dedicated to working with you on your application and supporting you throughout your job search.

  • Do this with a friend. The best way to make sure you’re on track (and to keep yourself comfortable, productive, and motivated) is to work together. It can sometimes even be helpful to just have someone sit with you so you can talk about the process.

  • Remember that having done something is better than having done nothing at all. You’re already closer to your goal than you were before, and small steps make big steps when you add them up.