Searching for a job can take a lot of time and energy. You may become overwhelmed and may not know where to start. Perhaps you have been turned down a few times and are feeling discouraged. You may ask yourself, what if I never find a job? What if my qualifications are not good enough? Maybe you've resigned yourself to accepting any job you're offered, even if it doesn't appeal to you.

People do get discouraged when they feel that things are out of their control. However, things don't have to be completely out of your hands when you're looking for work. There are a number of steps you can take to increase your chances of finding one. You have to be prepared to take initiatives and put time into your job search. An effective job search can take weeks, not just a few hours.

You may ask, what can possibly take so long? Perhaps you think that looking for work is only a matter of looking through the classified ads in the newspaper or going to your local Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services office. No! This is not the case. When searching for a job there are three main steps involved, all of which take a great deal of time and energy to complete effectively. Putting time into your job search will result in the following:

•   You will feel like you have taken charge of your future
  
• What your experience, your qualifications, and your goals
   
• Your chances of finding a job that fits into your plans for the future will have greatly increased

These three steps are crucial. This handbook will provide you with instructions for working your way through each of them. Put time into your search. In the end, you will be rewarded.