A successful
job search campaign will be multi-faceted. It will involve many
sources of job leads, contacts, and information and support. Leave
no stone unturned in the process of finding the best position for
you.
The
most successful job search campaigns draw job leads from a wide
range of sources. The following list is intended to inspire you
but not limit you. Be creative as you consider where you could learn
about opportunities. Remember that 80% of the jobs never go public.
They are referred to as the hidden job market, and they are
the positions which are filled by inside candidates and other "insiders"
who find themselves "in the right place at the right time".
You could attribute that to luck but, if you asked, you would probably
find that those individuals worked very hard to position themselves.
Most likely they talked to a lot of people and attended numerous
professional meetings; they read widely and made themselves experts
on what was happening in their field.
Some sources
of job leads and professional contacts:
Colleagues
in your present organization and field
Professional
association members
Alumni/ie
Network
Faculty
and classmates
Family
and friends
College/University
career services
Job
fairs and career expos
Placement
agencies (public and private)
Job
banks (including internal postings)
Newspaper
ads (local as well as major urban)
Libraries
Trade
journals
Directories
Newsletters
Keep
Your Campaign Going
Set
up a flawless record keeping system so you can follow up on all
the leads and possibilities you uncover. You will want to maintain
copies of all correspondence and detailed notes on interviews, conversations,
and library research.
Develop
a pattern of gathering job listings, making telephone calls, doing
library research, writing letters, attending professional meetings,
and conducting informational interviews. All of these activities
can lead to your being selected for job interviews. Build in a reward
system to keep yourself motivated and a support system to keep yourself
sane.
Consider
the Employer's Perspective
Taking
a look at how employers fill vacancies in their organization may
offer some additional clues about conducting a successful job search.
When openings occur, managers have a problem to solve. This is added
on to their many other responsibilities.
With
the hope of solving the problem quickly, managers will usually look
in-house first. Is there anyone who is ready to be promoted? Is
there someone who would consider a lateral move? These solutions
are appealing because the candidates are "known quantities"
who are familiar with the organization. Start up time would be minimal.
If a candidate does not emerge from within, managers will likely
look at their network of professional and personal contacts. Again,
the solution is relatively simple as the managers are looking at
a selective pool of potential candidates.
If
these steps fail to yield a viable candidate, managers may be forced
to broaden the scope of their search. At this point they are likely
to contact Human Resources for assistance with a more formal search
both inside and outside the organization. They may decide to engage
an employment agency to recruit and screen candidates. This alternative
is expensive but efficient.
Deciding
to run an advertisementin a major newspaper is often a last
resort when no other avenues yield a winning candidate. There is
a reason for that. As long as the search stays small, the focus
is a positive one, looking at promising prospective candidates.
Once the search is opened to the public domain, hundreds of candidates
may apply, and the process of selection becomes negative. If there
are 140 applicants, 130 are going to have to be told "No"
right away. Usually no more than 10 candidates will be interviewed
and seriously considered. If your resume is one of the 140 received,
what are your chances of being selected for an interview? Landing
a job that has been listed in the newspapers is extremely difficult.
If
you agree that this is a fair representation of how an employer
goes about filling a vacancy, how do you want to use this information
to refine your job search strategies? Can you see that it will be
to your advantage if you have been interviewing for information,
attending professional meetings, and building a network of contacts?
These activities expose you to opportunities long before newspaper
ads are run.
Keep
Your Spirits Up
Looking
for a job is a challenging full time job. You can do all the right
things and still have doors closing in your face. A support systemis essential to keep you from becoming discouraged. You need
to have people to talk to, ideally, people in similar circumstances.
Many schools and community organizations have organized Job Hunters
Support Groups; if you can't find one, start one!
If
time is passing with only disappointing results, you may need to
become more flexible. Reexamine your preliminary decisions
about the scope of your search. At this point, does it make sense
to expand your geographic preferences? Will you take less money
or a different job in order to get in the door? Are there jobs you
could do for awhile that are only slightly related to your dream
job? Could you do temporary or contract work in your field to get
the experience? Could you do volunteer work at least for a little
while, to expand your experience base? Make use of all your creative
abilities for the search, and those of your friends, colleagues,
relatives, teachers, and counselors.
If
the strategies you've been relying on don't seem to be working,
try a new approach. If you've run out of people to call, revisit
the contacts you made a couple of months ago. You might even consider
calling people who interviewed you for positions earlier in your
search. Perhaps they have a lead, or the person hired might not
have worked out. Reassess your marketing package; the resume or
cover letter may need a new look. Try a different professional society
in order to find new contacts. Persistence and patience are key
ingredients throughout your search.
Eventually
you will be successful in landing a job. One or more offers will
be made to you and you will decide to accept one of them. When you
do, remember to share your good news with your network. This is
just one more way to stay connected to people in your field.
