OK. You've been sacked, made redundant, fired, have just left school or have recovered from a medical condition. These days money - as they say - is the 'root of all evil' but, it is also what keeps us fed, sheltered and dressed.

Let's face it, Centrelink money helps, but there is no pride in telling people that you are 'between jobs' when they ask what you do.

You need a job.

You have done your assessment on whether you are ready to look for work and have decided that you are. You then ask yourself "but where do I look for work?" Here are a few ideas.

Newspapers

Newspapers are a good place to start to get an idea of what type of jobs are out there. In the job advertisements in the paper you will find the types of skills employers are looking for in your chosen field, remuneration packages (how much money you will be earning), and whether the job is full time, part time, casual etc. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the best days to look in the paper for work.

Job Network Members or Private Employment Agencies

Job Network Members (JNM) and Private Employment Agencies approach employers or have employers approach them to help them employ someone. The employer lets the JNM know what skills and qualifications they are looking for and then the JNM screens all the people they have in their database for the person or people that will best suit the job.

If you register with Centrelink, you must register with a JNM within a couple of weeks. When you go to see the JNM, make sure you give them as much information about yourself as possible. This will enable the database to recommend you for a broader range of positions.

The only drawback with JNM is that if you are not registered with them you may not be able to apply for an advertised job you are interested in. The same applies if you are working more than 15 hours per week.

Private Employment Agencies will let you apply for positions as long as you are registered with them. If you see a position you like and you are not registered with them, they will ask you to come in with all your details and register before they put your resume forward for the job.

The World Wide Web (WWW)

There are literally thousands (about 1,900,000 if you type in 'employment') job sites on the internet. Not all these sites will have jobs on them, but a majority will.

Some sites show jobs for Australia and abroad. Make sure you put in the search what you are looking for so the results are more correct.

Here are some sites you can visit

• www.jobsearch.gov.au - This site is the same as the touchscreen at Centrelink
• www.monster.com
• www.mycareer.com.au
• www.jobs.qld.gov.au - Queensland Government positions
• www.psgazetteonline.gov.au - Australian Government positions
• www.careersonline.com.au
• www.careerone.com.au
• www.defencejobs.gov.au - Defence Jobs

Check company web sites as well, such as Queensland Nickel or the Copper Refinery. You will often find jobs advertised here. You can even apply online for some of the jobs from these sites.

Cold Canvassing

Cold canvassing is when you approach businesses seeking employment even though the business has not advertised a vacancy. There are several ways you can cold canvas. These are:

• By Telephone
• Sending a Letter and Resume to businesses/organisations
• Personal Visits

Here are some general tips on how to effectively carry out your Cold Canvassing.

• Pick an area to target businesses in. Maybe there is a retail centre or an industrial area of town that you would like to work in
• Go through the yellow pages or jump on the internet and find all the businesses in your chosen career that are in that area and write a list. Write down their business name, phone numbers and addresses
• Phone each company and ask if they have a human resources manager or personnel manager and get their name and position. If the company doesn't have either, ask for the person you contact for employment and write down their name and position
• Produce a canvass letter and address each letter to the person you need to contact
• After you have written all the letters, attach a resume behind them, put in an envelope (an A4 is usually the best, as your resume stays flat) and send to the companies
• Use a diary or book to record the companies you send letters to, who the contact person was and what date you sent the letters
• A week later contact the businesses by phone and ask for the contact person, ask this person if they have received the resume and if there are any vacancies at this time
• One week later get dressed up and make a personal visit to these companies with your portfolios. Take extra copies of your resume in case they need another one
• Contact the business by phone again in a month just to see if they need anyone
• Repeat the process for different areas. Remember to record dates, times and contact people for each time you contact the business