Career Consultant Rates Best Job-Finding Strategies

Here they are — the seven ways a job seeker can uncover the right job, along with their pros and cons, and the most powerful strategies available to apply each method. I divide the possible routes to your next job into Informal and Formal approaches. Here are percentages of hires made of approach: Informal Sources/Methods: (70% total effectiveness rate) 1. Word-of-mouth 40% 2. Created positions 30% Formal Sources/Methods: (30% total effectiveness rate) 3. Web job boards & the ads 5–10% 4. Recruiters 5–15% 5. Employment agencies 5% 6. Resume blasting 5% 7. Job listings 5% To confirm these results, ask people how they got their most recent job. You’ll be amazed to find how well these percentages hold true. My point is, you can manage to these realities. You can make it so that having informal access to your market gets you hired, in a different career or a job move. Just as a sports team uses different plays for different situations, a successful career move or job hunt requires a mix of strategies. Most people cluster down around the low-end strategies that hardly ever succeed. That is why it appears as though there are no jobs out there. Nothing could be farther from the truth, if you know how to harness the seven ways: Word Of Mouth (40%) Why is word of mouth the biggest slice of the job pie? First, the good jobs with the best companies all have waiting lists, so managers seldom need to cast about for candidates on the ‘net. Go-getters keep a jealous eye on those positions and make themselves and their accomplishments known to the hiring decision-makers while the job is still filled. Thus, when an opening is about to happen, several candidates surface quickly. Second, word of mouth is the method preferred by hiring managers because it screens out lesser-qualified and unmotivated candidates. They really do ask around: “Who do you know who’s good?” Your strategy: Focus. Know the job titles, industries, levels of responsibility, reporting structure and other elements that make up your job targets. Know what you're qualified for. Since you never get a second chance to make a first impression, you must be able to speak the language of the interviewer and relate directly how you can serve his/her interest. Your second strategy is to make a terrific impression on any-and everyone likely to know people connected to your targeted hiring decision-makers. For instance, my clients systematically meet directly with these industry players through a learned, professional relationship-building process. Educate yourself on the art and science of crafting a good network. When you do hear of hiring activity, your strategy is to bone up on the industry and the personality of the hiring influence. Take the initiative. Write and ask for a job interview. If it’s a hot lead, e-mail, send a letter and call on the same day; one method will get you through. And then there’s the surest road to success: Created positions. Create A Position (30%) This is the most sophisticated strategy of any, and fully 30% of all hires out there! Very cool. Many times you can create a role right in your present company. Often the very reasons for your dissatisfaction on your present job can be the inspiration for a new job in your company precisely to fix those problems. What opportunities do you see around you? Have you set out to diplomatically propose yourself as a loyal solution? The most familiar type of created position occurs when a company expands its operations and hires new sales or administrative people to accommodate the growth. However, even downsizing can yield new positions by bringing in-house some functions that used to be big enough to outsource. Mostly, created positions occur when a focused, energetic go-getter meets an executive who values drive and talent, and the chemistry is right. Executives have definitely been known to hire first and make up job descriptions later. Your strategy: Identify what’s wanted and needed inside your present company or by a company whose work relates to your special advantages. Go directly to the executive who has the vision to see those needs. Make a job proposal to them on how you could make or save them money. Web Job Boards & The Ads (5–10%) Employers always post or advertise reluctantly. They know that there are only a few go-getters among the hundreds of respondents. They advertise formally (that is, nearly spoil it for themselves and the best-suited talent out there) when: a) they have high turnover positions and need a pipeline full of candidates. This is a “job mill”. b) they need someone faster than word-of-mouth might provide. c) they already know who’s really slotted for the job but it’s political. d) they are looking for more than one good person and are willing to comb through weeks of responses to find them. This ad is the rare “gem”. Your strategy is to first decide: are you keen about this opening? If not, just send a standard cover letter and resume package (they seldom work out); then wait or follow up as you wish. If you are keen though, send a letter specifically mentioning and proving that you meet the job specifications in the ad and request an interview. If the ad names the employer, follow up with a phone message saying why you applied. In the interview, find out about turnover to see if this is a “job mill” or a “gem.” Recruit (5–15%) Search consultants and recruiters specialize in specific industries or levels of positions. The key thing is, they don’t go out and market you to employers; they handle companies’ assignments. By the way, the companies are the clients; recruiters are not in business to work for you. Recruiters collect a fee if they introduce the candidate who’s hired. Search firms, which tend to cover more senior positions only, earn their fees two ways. First, they take an active role helping employers define their needs and the duties and salary for the position. Second, they can qualify and present candidates to match not only the job itself, but the company’s management style as well. Your first strategy is to find the recruiters in your field. Remember, they cannot go out and hunt on your behalf. Only when you happen to match a current opportunity will you be contacted. A search specialist handles only a few searches per year, so the odds are slim that they’ll have a match for you. Your second strategy, then, is visibility. It’s a long-term strategy (a year minimum) so don’t count on visibility-to-recruiters as a solution to your unemployment; do it while you’re happily employed! The best candidates are often considered those ‘passive’ ones who hold the right job and not currently on the market. Take an active role in your professional association, publish an article anyplace, get to know other successful professionals in your field and discuss your professional projects with them. When a recruiter hears your name from two or three reputable sources, he/she may want to get to know you on a “future consideration” basis. Placement Agencies (5%) Employment agencies typically handle $15,000–$50,000 positions, especially clerical and administrative support, including accounting and various coordinator-level positions. Their jobs are often better than classifieds, since employers who can pay $5,000–$20,000 for this service are generally stable and interested in low turnover. Your strategy is continued visibility: keep your name in front of the agency. They’ll only be interested in you if you match a current job order they're working on, so send a resume once a month until you’ve got a job. If you’re called, be very candid but positive with your agency rep. Obey all their guidelines about promptness, dress and so on and follow your rep’s advice perfectly. “Resume Blasting” (5%) Play the numbers. Any mass campaign will produce, on average, 1–2% response. When you send around your resume in bulk, only half of those 1–2% inquiries result in an interview. Furthermore, companies interview about 10 people to fill one position. Multiplied out, that makes one offer for every 1700 resumes you send. This is the main reason that people feel jobs are not available — they are taught to send out resumes, but nothing happens. Your strategy: Try to improve the odds. Don’t necessarily write to the “top”; target the person 1 or 2 levels above where you’d be working; they have the most interest in meeting you. Even though we think we should, HR departments are just about the worst place to send a resume — they only handle a fraction of all actual openings. N.B. Career changer? Don’t waste your time with direct resume marketing like this. Unless you’re clearly perceived as a qualified/competitive candidate for the position you want, your package will not get a response. Even in sales where “transferability” of skills is most readily apparent, if you mass mail/e-mail your resume, you probably won’t be contacted unless you have experience selling their type of product. Job Listings (5%) Job Fairs: Get to all the companies you want to see, be positive, energetic, enthusiastic; get their business cards and follow up a few days later. College and Alumni Placement offices: Remember, not all of the jobs get put up on the board. The rest are known by the staff and reserved for go-getters. Government employment centres: Don’t be too disappointed if you hit dead ends. Openings are often out of date, or McJobs or ‘job mills’. So what do you think? My advice is, the farther down the list you stay, the harder it is to find a good job for your talents and interests. Those low-effectiveness approaches are traditional, and they seem like a good, safe route to go, but are actually a real gamble. Your key to career stability is to incorporate informal, 1:1 relationship-building and needs-filling when you really want to make a career move happen. That’s part of reaching Career Equity — knowing the art of lining up any work situation that makes sense for you.

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Career Consultant Rates Best Job-Finding Strategies

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Mary-Frances Fox

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