Great Pajama Jobs

CHAPTER 9Job Hunting Advice from Steve

People looking for remote jobs often tell me they find the process frustrating. They apply for posted jobs and never hear back—the “black hole” syndrome. Steve Dalton, program director for daytime career services at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and author of The 2-Hour Job Search: Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster, sympathizes, but he also has important advice: You need to know how to look for work in this age of virtual job search.

“Sadly, every year I see dozens of very smart people voluntarily subject themselves to situations with high competition and low odds of success (online job postings, most commonly),” Dalton writes. “Submitting résumés online lets job seekers feel like they're looking for a job, but it's like watching someone beating up a vending machine completely unwilling to accept that it just ate his or her money.”

The Two-Hour Job Search

After reading The 2-Hour Job Search, I interviewed Dalton for my column on NextAvenue.org to hear more; below you'll see my eight favorite tips he offered.

Now about that “two-hour” notion: In reality, the two hours are not how long it will actually take you to get hired, but the time it will take to winnow down your list of forty potential employers and find networking connections who can be your insider booster or advocate. That's a person who can bring your résumé to the right person, make an introduction, and help you get an interview.

“In practice, you start ...