If you are currently unemployed and need income to provide for yourself and your family, your full-time job should be getting another job. You cannot expect to get another job without putting some time and effort into it. Here is a simple plan that should garner you interviews and hopefully bag a new job.

Set a target – apply to five companies every day. That’s 25 to 35 companies a week. You may not get an interview in the first week or so because it takes time for employers to respond.

Aim – After two weeks, you should be getting anywhere between two and eight interviews per week.

Hired – When employers start inviting you to interviews, don’t stop applying to five new employers every day until the day you accept a job offer. If you stop contacting companies when you start interviewing, your flow of interviews will dry up in about two weeks. It will take you two more weeks to get the flow going again.

Finding a good job takes work. Here are some tips to help you set a target:

1. Ask friends and relatives if they can help you get a job interview where they work. Networking is one of the best ways to get a job.
2. Cast a broader net by reaching out to your network on Twitter or through email. Keep your message simple. Tell what kind of work you are looking for and where you want to work. Ask your friends if they will re-post your message or forward your email to their friends.
3. Follow your favorite companies on Twitter. Follow the people who follow these companies, too. Join the conversation, make friends, and ask for their help.
4. Facebook and LinkedIn are not only great places for you to connect with friends and colleagues; it is also a great place for recruiters to connect with you.
5. Check the employment pages of your favorite companies and to increase your odds of landing an interview ask your “network” if they know someone who works inside the company. Ask the “insider” if they would hand deliver your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager. Follow up a week later by calling the hiring manager and asking for an interview.
6. Answer some help-wanted ads, whether posted in print or online. Some places to search for job announcements include: Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, IllinoisJobLink.com, online newspapers, plus the help posts on Craigslist.com, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
7. Call or send a letter to the hiring manager and ask for an interview.
8. Look for “Now Hiring” signs and request an application.
9. Attend a job fair where you can meet dozens of employers, face to face, in one day, all in one place.
10. Sign up with a temporary agency. Working for a temp agency is a great way to get your foot in the door at a good company, learn new skills, gain experience, make contacts, and build references. You may be offered a permanent position after your temporary assignment ends.
11. Express Employment Professionals will be in Waterloo conducting hiring interviews from 9 to 11 a.m. on Oct. 11, Nov. 7 and Dec. 12. To be scheduled for an interview job seekers must complete an online application at www.expresspros.com and be sure to note Edwardsville as the location. To be put on the interview schedule, call 939-3332 or stop by Room 19 in the Monroe County Courthouse.
12. Visit your school’s career center and ask if you could get a referral to a recruiter, hiring manager, or alumnus and if they have any upcoming career fairs planned.
13. Visit your local One-Stop Career Center. To find the nearest One-Stop Career Center, visit www.servicelocator.org

Kathi Weilbacher is a Career Specialist at the Southwestern Illinois workNet Center located in the Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo, offering assistance with employment and training. She can be reached at 939-3332 or kweilbacher@co.st-clair.il.us.