[EKUAlum05]

Some advice:

1. Take Career Builder and Monster with a grain of salt. There are a ton of job postings on there, but there are also a bunch of jobs you may want to avoid. Telemarketers, cold calling sales jobs, and other jobs with extremely high turnover use these sites very aggressively due to the massive amount of people on them. These companies are very good at impulsing you into interviews or multiple interviews and may be a HUGE waist of your time.

Also, as a small company I never post my openings on these sites because we simply don't have the time or resources to have to weed through the huge amount of resumes and interviews required in the hiring process.Just like there are many undesirable employers, there are also undesirable applicants.

2. Take advantage of your State Universities. Most of them have job boards and conduct job fairs regularly. Most can put you on a mailing list. Morehead State has an especially active department as I posted an opening there a couple years back and they still send me an email about every 2-3 weeks letting me know of upcoming career fairs I my want to participate in.

3. A little research goes a long way. Most of your large companies will ONLY post their openings on their own website to avoid some of the things I outlined in point #1. I would research which companies are growing, which companies are planning to build new facilities, and then go to their respective websites to see if they have a "Career Opportunity" tab.

4. Network like crazy. EKY is at a disadvantage because it's rural nature takes away things like "Young professionals" groups and the like. I still recommend attending social events and different functions where you have an increased likelihood of running into business owners and people in management positions. Think about events put on by Chambers of Commerce, cultural events that require sponsorships (plays, concerts, art exhibits, etc), and ground breaking ceremonies. Don't be afraid to introduce yourself and engage conversation, but don't be too forward with your intentions.

When I hire the first thing I want to do is either look at someone I already know or someone who is recommended by a friend.