Article 2

When people start looking for a new job, they typically begin by looking for genuinely
better ones than that which they left. As time passes, as they become more
desperate, everything starts looking like an improvement over unemployment. But
following this path can easily set you up for greater failure or disappointment into the
future.

So let's say you decided today to begin your job search. Which jobs are you going
to apply for? Naturally, whether you are going through paper and ink classifieds, or
an internet job site, you'll begin by applying for the jobs that excite you most. Then,
as you finish applying for those jobs, you will seek out others that are still
acceptable, but less appealing. And after awhile, if you still don't have a job, you will
begin scrounging around for something that is, at least, minimally acceptable. Most
would agree that this is a pretty common way of going about a job search. Now let's
compare this timeline of how we search for jobs with a timeline of how we commonly
apply for jobs.

When searching for jobs, we often begin with a resume and perhaps some cover
letters. We (hopefully) have had a friend or two look them over before we sent them
out. But if time goes by and we haven't gotten the responses we wanted, that's when
we begin to get a little bit desperate. We consider hiring professionals seeking out
recruiters, finding professional help and assistance for cover letters and resumes.
We buy books and read websites looking for tips and ideas to improve our chances
and... wait a minute! Do you see the problem with these timelines?

Often people apply for the jobs they want and it's only after getting a couple of polite
rejection letters (or more likely, simply hearing nothing at all) that they start to
wonder, “Is there something wrong with my resume? My references? My cover
letters?” Imagine that! You've spent a couple days, weeks, or months of your life
trying to get into the job you truly want and every resume you've sent off has never
had a chance because it never presented you in a good light. Not only has it
destroyed your chances of getting into these fantastic companies today, but it may
well have black-balled you for the future as well. A lot of companies ask applicants
whether they have ever applied to work at their company before and in this day of
computers and databases, you'd better not lie. And when Human Resources comes
across someone who has applied before, and was not hired, they surely must
assume there was something that caused that application to be rejected. Don't
waste your best efforts at getting into the best companies that you most want to
work for. Use OJNJ's Employment Verification Services and know for certain that the
resumes you put out, and the information that are obtained from them, present you in
the best possible light. And do it today, before you send out even one more wasted
resume.

When do most people begin taking their search seriously? When do they connect
with the professionals who make helping people find jobs their living? Do they do it
immediately? Or not until AFTER they've exhausted that first round of great jobs on
their own?

Do you really need to be told how backwards this logic is? How ridiculous it is to
wait until later to seek out the most valued professional resources? In the case of
OJNJ's Employer Verification Service, how many great companies might have heard
very bad things about you before you decide to hire OJNJ and adjust your resume
accordingly? How many opportunities might be lost before you get serious about
your job search?

The key to getting the best possible job is to get the help you need immediately
when you need it. Do not wait until you've flooded the best jobs, with mediocre
applications. Start here. Start right.