Join Social Organizations
This is not the time of your life to become a couch potato, a homebody, and a wallflower. When you desire to become a human resource officer, you have to practice your social skills, hone your personality, and develop your talents, all while enjoying yourself.
And of course, when you join social organizations, you expand your network of contacts to include people that may have knowledge of the inner working of hiring companies. Don't dismiss the oldies and the yuppies with whom you think you have nothing in common. You will be surprised with the wealth of information people possess which you can tap into during your job search.
Be a Member of Business Organizations
Better yet, you can become a member of business organization like the local chamber of commerce and industry, the Rotary or the Lion's Club, even a trade organization related to your area of expertise. These professionals can assist in your employment search via insiders' information and professional recommendations.
To make a good impression, you can always volunteer for both leader and follower tasks in committees and activities. You now have the twin goal of talking to as many professionals as possible while impressing them with your volunteer performance.
Join Professional Organizations
Human resource-related professional organizations like the National Human Resources Association and the Society for Human Resource Management have websites and local chapters that you can visit and be a member of, respectively. Think of it as taking the bull by the horns.
Although the competition can be fierce for human resources positions, your colleagues may be able to provide assistance in terms of referrals, recommendations, and resources. The trick is utilizing their expert tips to your advantage through follow-ups, among other things. Furthermore, always maintain good relations with your colleagues because they can give a leg up or they can pull you down by the seat of your pants.
In addition, you might even be able to secure an internship with any of the human resource managers. Not only will you gain valuable experience, but you will also be able to secure valuable recommendations!
Be Friendly with the Neighbors
Now is the time to be friendly with the neighbors who may be able to assist you in finding work in the field of human resources. Don't discount the possibility that even your recently unemployed neighbor may have knowledge of available human resource positions in his previous company. It does not hurt to ask.
Of course, you can also talk to your family and friends about your situation. They might know of somebody who knows something about the right position for you. In time, you may even have a human resource post courtesy of a friend of a friend of a family member.
Use Social Networking Sites
The world is increasingly becoming smaller and smaller, thanks in large part to the wonders of the Internet. Nowadays, you have various social and professional networking sites to make yourself known to the companies and human resources managers looking for the right person, who very well might turn out to be you!
These networking sites include LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Ning, all of which you can be a member of for free. You can get in touch with many professionals in your field, advertise your job search, and widen your network of contacts. In this case, the goal is to get in contact with as many online professionals as possible until you have found the right work for you.
Of course, you can keep your online friends and colleagues even when you have found employment. After all, you never know when you will need their help and when you can extend a helping hand in return.
Participate in Employment Fairs
When you want to meet human resources officers who have a significant say on who gets hired, employment fairs are a must. You can find people and positions that can and will be able to help in your search for gainful employment simply because they tend to congregate in job fairs.
And while you are in these job fairs, always be ready with an updated résumé and business cards. This way, you will not be left to fumble for pen and paper to write down your name and contact number when an employer takes interest in your professional capabilities. Besides, it helps to make an impression of being ready for anything since the job of a human resource officer often involves dealing with the most variable product there is: people.
Ultimately, your search for work as part of the human resources department of your dream company can bear fruit. You just need to have patience, perseverance, and personality to stand out from the rest of the hopefuls that employ networking as a search tool.
