Kéto's Tampa Bay Job Search Guide

As some of you may know, yours truly was laid off from my law firm on March 1, 2009, joining millions of fellow Americans and thousands of Tampa Bay area professionals directly affected by the economic downturn. Thankfully, I re-entered the workforce on April 27, 2009 after 7 weeks of participating in a grueling & often disappointing job search, application & interview process with multiple businesses and technical recruiters in Tampa Bay. During this time, I attended job fairs, visited employment centers, trolled LinkedIn for networking contacts & spoke with many fellow Tampa Bay professionals who also have suffered layoffs, particularly in automotive sales, banking & finance, IT, and other sectors. We compared notes among each other as well as with those associates who are already employed, and identified several sources of jobs, employment organizations, and job boards which offer promising job leads locally. Below, I took the time to summarize the findings & highlight some of the best sources of job opportunities. I look forward to your feedback, and let me know if I left out any important sources:

http://tampabay.jobing.com (Angela Rosario, Community Relations Manager lives locally in Tampa Bay). Jobing is a worthwhile site because it's a job site focusing on Tampa Bay job seekers with jobs IN Tampa Bay, unlike CareerBuilder or Monster which start nationally and drill down locally. Seekers simply upload their resume once, perform a job search based on preferences, location (city/county), salary, job function, etc., and voila, a comprehensive list is generated with all the information you need to know regarding matching positions. Positions include GEICO, Hilton @Home reservations (PT evening work from home), credit unions, banks, etc. In Their Own Words: Jobing.com is the nation's largest, locally-focused provider of employment media, founded by an HR professional for HR professionals. Jobing.com is a unique online community that provides the forum, resources, and technology to connect employers, job seekers, and community organizations. [The site features] expert blogs, workshops, community partnerships, Career Expo job fairs, JobingVideo, Jobing.com CareerCenter, and Go Jobing magazine.

http://www.usajobs.gov has some very competitive government job offerings. The site offers over 46,855 U.S. Government job opportunities worldwide including jobs available due to Pres. Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The salaries alone for some of these positions should pique the interest of qualified candidates. Some jobs may require willingness to move to Washington, D.C. or other federal locales; others are closer to Tampa Bay. (Obviously state, city & county jobs in Florida are out of the question at this point as Florida government is seriously out of money).

http://careers.bankofamerica.com Bank of America is hiring throughout Tampa Bay. Obviously BoA recently acquired Merrill Lynch and will lay off 30,000+ over the next 3 years, so seekers will want to be careful what departments you apply to, but there are quite a few part time (PT) Teller jobs as well as full time (FTE) professional positions.

http://careers.suntrust.com A number of Tampa Bay positions require sales background, but for someone who has sales experience, portfolio management, insurance license, etc. SunTrust may be a good opportunity.

http://www.indeed.com Indeed.com is a search engine for jobs, allowing job seekers to find jobs posted on thousands of company career sites and job boards.

University of South Florida USF publicly lists job descriptions at http://usfweb2.usf.edu/HR/Employment/CareerOpportunities.html.
Career Services for USF alums: http://www.coba.usf.edu/services/career/Alumni/index.htm.
If you are on the USF College of Business Administration (COBA) or MBA listserv, you will receive a weekly list of networking events and job opportunities in the Tampa Bay area. Subscribe at http://www.coba.usf.edu/services/career/Students/listserv.htm.
Also view networking resources at: http://www.coba.usf.edu/services/career/Students/networking.htm.

http://www22.verizon.com/Jobs This is the Verizon Career site which includes IT jobs. In Their Own Words: Looking for a rewarding career that motivates and challenges you every day? Look no further. Explore our Verizon businesses to find your dream job.

http://www.workinretail.com WorkInRetail is yet another job board which may be helpful to seekers interested in expanding their opportunities. Jobs include retail positions in Automotive, Department Stores, Electronics, Food & Beverage, General Merchandise, Grocery & Drug Stores, Home & Office, Hotel & Hospitality, Retail Banking, Sporting Goods & Fitness, and more. In Their Own Words: WorkInRetail.com is the nation’s best retail job board specializing in retail corporate, management and hourly jobs. Whether you are an experienced store manager, a Vice President of Merchandising or just starting a retail career, find your next opportunity at WorkInRetail.com

http://www.careerbuilder.com CareerBuilder is a more user friendly job site than Monster.com. The site offers positions in Contract & Freelance, College & Internships, Customer Service, Diversity Opportunities, Executive, Health Care, IT, Human Resources, Part Time, Retail, Sales & Marketing, and more. In Their Own Words: As the U.S.'s largest online job site, CareerBuilder.com puts over 1 million jobs in front of poised job seekers wherever they are - at home or at work - in print and on the Internet. More than 23 million unique visitors come to the site every month to check out the opportunities in every industry, field and job type.

http://careers.jpmorganchase.com/career/careerhome Chase is hiring. Logon the website, and navigate to careers in the Tampa market. Keep in mind, JPMC recently acquired the failed Washington Mutual Bank and is from time to time subject to mass layoffs. In Their Own Words: JPMorgan Chase has a presence in more than 50 locations worldwide and offers an exciting variety of career opportunities globally. Apply for jobs, explore different career paths, create job search agents for email notifications of available positions and learn more about all of our lines of business, as you consider joining our exceptional team.

LinkedIn.com Never underestimate the importance of building & maintaining your own professional network using LinkedIn. It may shorten the time it takes to find a job, as yours truly discovered. (Most professional positions are gained through personal and professional networking). Members only connect with the people they want to connect with, and each connection in turn is connected to "N" number of business contacts. Starting is as easy as uploading a resume and completing your profile through a series of activities and steps. Search your own contacts or those of others to find out who your fellow college alumni are, who works at company XYZ, etc. Feel free to email your LinkedIn friends for introductions to professionals in their networks that you may not yet know, and also ask your connections for networking tips. You may be pleasantly surprised at how many associates offer to assist you in your job search.

Recruiting & HR Firms Recruiting firms can be especially helpful for finding jobs in a number of professional industries (IT, healthcare, business, management, sales, communications, etc.) A few recruiting firms operating in Tampa Bay are IT Resources, KForce, Criterion Executive Staffing, Veredus, etc.

http://www.workforcetampa.com Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance is the leading workforce development organization in the Tampa Bay region. In Their Own Words: TBWA offers services to businesses to help connect them to job candidates and other value-added workforce development services. Whether you’re a professional, re-entering the workforce, a military veteran or looking to enhance skills for better earning power, TBWA can assist in preparing and referring you to leading employers. Are you entering the workforce for the first time? If so, let us help inspire the confidence you need to reach your goals. Logon the Career Candidate Services tab to upload your resume & perform your job search. TBWFA is also linked with Employ Florida Marketplace, and is a great resource for those performing a job search while participating in Unemployment Benefits.

https://www.employflorida.com Employ Florida links all of Florida's state and local workforce services and resources. The partners are Workforce Florida, the state policy and oversight board, and the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the state agency which administers workforce funds. At the local level, there are 24 regional workforce boards that administer more than 80 "one-stop centers." The Employ Florida toll free number is 1-866-FLA-2345.

http://www.cdcoftampa.org Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa Inc. (CDC of Tampa, Inc). The CDC recently opened the Chloe Coney Urban Enterprise Center (next to Bank of America | 1907 E. Hillsborough Avenue | Tampa, FL 33610 | Fax: (813) 231-4680), a one-stop center which provides resume services, job training (1,500 clients yearly), work-force re-entry for those who have had past run-ins with the law, assistance to first-time home owners, community revitalization, career computer lab, etc. Youth programs are housed at the Audrey L. Spotford Youth & Family Center in East Tampa. The organization, for whom yours truly formerly provided business planning & development services, primarily serves residents of East Tampa, although anyone who walks through the doors is welcome.

DISCLAIMER: This Tampa Bay Job Search Guide is not an attempt to provide a comprehensive listing of ALL Tampa Bay job search resources. These are simply the major job search resources that have been brought to our attention. We hope this information is of assistance to our readers or friends who are also in the job market. Please keep in mind during your job search that often, some of the best and most rewarding opportunities are with companies and businesses that you may have never heard of but which may have a long-term presence in Tampa Bay due to their roots.