The current economic environment and the increasing number of well-qualified individuals seeking jobs means that you have to stand out from the crowd when searching for your ideal job. Doing so involves many kinds of preparation to optimize your chances, not least of which is being proactive in seeking opportunities. Many job seekers will regularly explore the vacancies posted on employment websites, company websites, and local agencies, but not quite so many will proactively contact companies seeking their ideal position. By doing this, the proactive individual will get ahead of a number of competitors looking for a coveted position. Many organizations are on the cusp of advertising vacancies or just beginning to consider hiring individuals with particular skills. If you contact such an organization pro-actively, you may well be the first in the queue for a position that has not yet been advertised, putting you in a very good position.

Your task: Research an organization that you think you think could provide you with an ideal employment opportunity and which you would like to work for. Identify, where possible, names and contact details for the HR department and a manager in the area or department of the organization. Now prepare two emails for your instructor with the following purposes: (1) write an email applying for a position and send it to any appropriate named contacts you can discover, with your CV as an attachment, and (2) for organizations where you cannot find anything other than a departmental or company email address, write an email that outlines your interest in the organization, provides an outline of your skills and abilities, and requests the names and contact details of key individuals who might help you in your job search.