Marc A. P
Senior Editor, FundraisingCoach.com and author of "Ask Without Fear!"
What techniques do you recommend in finding a new job?
I recently was hired to coach a person who was looking for a new job. The coaching relationship was very beneficial to him. But I realized that there are a lot more tools out there than there were the last time I was looking!
So what do you recommend people do when looking for a new job? (I'm particularly thinking of people that have been in the workforce for a while; not those just out of college.)
What techniques do you recommend?
What job sites are helpful?
Are any "web 2.0" tools beneficial?
Any books you strongly suggest people read?
If you could only offer a person one piece of advice that would help them get out of their current job into one that was even better, what would it be?
Answers (13)
Pat M
The Meehan Group - Director of Employment Services: Author "Career of a Lifetime" Copyright 2008: Program Director PIVTR
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Hi Marc
Actually, only 15% - 20% of career opportunities are posted on internet and newspapers. The rest of the career opportunities are ideas running around in other peoples’ minds. These people are the key people that make hiring decisions in companies.
There are directories with nearly every company’s information, including location, product, number of employees, key names of managers and directors, addresses, and phone numbers. You can simply go to your local library and ask to see the Harris Infosource Company Directory. This is a free alternative to get good information on companies you want to market yourself to.
Your friend market himself/herself to targeted companies that employ people like him/her, and to people within those targeted companies who make hiring decisions. This method of job searching is called targeted marketing.
All the best,
Pat
My one piece of advice is simple. It s 3 words. Network, Network, Network. I believe that stat is (at least in UK) that 70-80 percent of jobs are not advertised. The percentages tell me that these Internet jobs sites are merely vehicles for selling cv services and management consultants. In my mind a total waste of valuable job search time. The only way to use them is if you know the recruiter or company advertising the job...call them directly. Your cv will be lost in the shuffle more often then not. You have to find out who the decision makers are...
Susan S
Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., financial marketing writer.
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What Pat and Adrian said. Also, throw everything at it. Sooner or later, something -will- stick. Focus on your value proposition; how you can help the interviewer and the company succeed.
I like indeed.com, careerbuilder and monster. The Ladders is good, if rathe rarefied.
And outplacement is WONDERFUL. You need to talk with Paula Cohen.
Marina M
Owner of The Type-A Way Efficiency Consulting
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Don't limit yourself to job listings. If possible, find companies that appear to need your services and connect with them, highlighting how you can solve their problem. For example, a graphic designer may locate an advertising firm that puts out what he considers lousy logos, or a manager may read a company profile in a local magazine and have ideas on how that company could improve.
Also, it really is true that when you don't have a job, finding a job should *be* your job. Your brain can only sustain so many successive hours customizing cover letters, but you can also be reading trade magazines, searching LinkedIn, or enhancing a job-related skill (maybe learning a new programming language or software).
Links:
Lauren B
Attorney at Physicians' Advocates
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Hi Mark:
From the point of view of a current job-seeker, I agree with others that looking at job postings is low on my list of priorities as the yield is usually quite minimal. The site I have found most useful is Indeed.com, which is a good time-saver in that it gathers postings from a good number of other sites).
My suggestions for techniques:
* Network, especially in person, if possible.
* Advise friends/colleagues that you're looking.
* Create an impeccable resume, using professional assistance if necessary.
* Follow up -- not just to interviews but to any job-related interactions, (including, for example, acknowledgement of responses to one's questions on LinkedIn).
* Make sure you're up-to-date on advances/changes in your industry (i.e. read trade journals -- in print and online).
* Be prepared for interviews. In particular, try to anticipate difficult questions and strategize how best to answer.
* Participate in Q & A on LinkedIn
I have found "web 2.0" tools useful. For example, I regularly check out relevant blogs and use Twitter with a focus on following fellow users who work in my field.
One piece of advice: Cultivate and maintain relationships in your field or field in which you would like to work, regardless of current job-seeking status (aka the usual advice - NETWORK!).
Hope this is helpful.
Mel A
Orange Cnty, CA. Video on behalf of trainers & coaches. Corp. eLearning: Articulate, Captivate, video. I do that!
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I think much of the common wisdom about job hunting that was around before Web 2.0 still applies today. Key among these are:
o Tap into your professional network.
o Be proactive. The time to position ourselves for our next gig starts long before we start looking for our next gig.
o Be visible.
To your first question, I'd offer that each of us should BE VISIBLE. Assuming a candidate has been proactively nurturing her professional network all along, then she may already have a head start when she makes it known that she's looking for new challenges and new opportunities. If not, then now's a good time as any to start: Join a professional association and volunteer as a resource to help others. That, btw, is the approach I recommend for networking. That is, don't just go looking to collect a bunch of business cards. Rather, network with the objective of finding ways to help or connect others with other helpful resources. The "pay it forward" philosophy is my favorite.
For example, we might offer: to help set up meetings, serve on a committee or to conduct a workshop or to write a white paper on a topic that we are expert in.
"What techniques do you recommend?" In addition to the above, I'd also suggest professional online groups and/or social networks. Participate in online discussions. (Answer questions in Q&A forums.) ;-) Help facilitate an online meeting such as a webinar. Better yet, offer to present a webinar on a topic in which you have expertise. Post an e-book or digitize some work samples that you can offer to make available as a template for others to download as a free resource. (Hint: Don't forget to give yourself attribution in the templates!)
"What job sites are helpful?" I'd offer a similar answer as above. As for specific sites, I might offer the following:
o LinkedIn (of course);
o Jobster (www.jobster.com);
o Open Networkers (opennetworkers.ning.com)
"Are any 'Web 2.0' tools beneficial?" In short, YES! ;-)
"Any books you would suggest people read?"
- "Knock-em-Dead," Martin Yate.
- "Million Dollar Networking," Andrea R. Nierenberg
- I've also heard good reviews of "Never Eat Alone," Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz.
"If you could offer one piece of advice that would help them get out of their current job into one that was even better, what would it be?" I'd offer the idea of proactively mapping out your desired career. Below is a great online article I happened across on sciencemag.org. Really cool is the presentation of a simple 4-quadrant grid for plotting Stengths/Weaknesses vs. Likes/Dislikes.
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/1820/planning_your_career_to_improve_marketability
I hope this helps. And, oh yeah, pay it forward. ;-)
Mel Aclaro
Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.
- Robert Bresson
Links:
Janet W
Author, "Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams" www.jobmarketsecrets.com
Best Answers in: Job Search (12), Staffing and Recruiting (2), Resume Writing (1)
Here's my infallible, four-step process for getting the job of your dreams (or anything else):
1) Know What You Want
Create a mental video of yourself already at work in your dream job:
What are you doing, reading and wearing? What does your work place look like? Where are you physically? How much money are you making? What is your work schedule? Who are your co-workers? How do you feel doing this kind of work in this environment making this kind of money with these people?
Feel yourself being there now. Play this scene in your mind several times a day, especially as you go to sleep, until your dream job shows up.
Know this job is yours, even if you can't yet see it, haven't a clue how it will come to you or if it seems impossible. Just believe it's yours and watch the impossible happen.
2) Be Who You Are
The fastest way to manifest your dream job is to think, speak and act as if you already have it:
Have a business card made up specifying the kind of work you see yourself doing. Attend trade functions and mingle with your peers in your industry. Take classes and seminars and read trade magazines.
Keep your mind filled with thoughts of how great it is to do the work you love. Use affirmations and visualizations to intentionally reprogram your mind to accept you now have your dream job.
Don't allow fear, doubt, misgivings or anyone else's opinions sway you from your conviction that what you want is already yours. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it; the only thing that matters is what YOU think about it!
3) Do What Feels Right
Embrace the knowing and embody the being and you'll be intuitively guided to take the most appropriate actions towards your goal.
This is where the "magic" occurs -- you'll just "happen" to be in the right place at the right time with exactly what they want or "accidentally" run into someone who has been looking for you.
When you follow your intuition, you won't have to do very much of anything, and what you do will be exceptionally productive. You'll find that as you move towards your goal, it will rush towards you in ways you can't begin to imagine.
Your inner guidance system will always take you where you want to go, and when you listen to it, you will be astonished at the results.
4) Allow Your Job to Show Up
Releasing and letting go of the need to "make it happen" may be one of the hardest things you will ever do, but it is the secret to manifestation. This means never doubting that it will happen, never questioning how it will happen, and never trying to force it to happen.
Focus only on having what you want; not on getting it. The Universe knows how to bring you whatever you desire in ways you can't begin to imagine, but you must first believe it to see it.
"Ask and it is given" is infallible, so focus only on what you want, not on what you don't want. Either way, it's already on its way to you. And so it is.
I know this sounds "woo-woo" but I've used this technique for 35+ years and have gotten every job I ever wanted, every single time, easily and effortlessly.
I knew what I wanted and believed it was mine, acted as if it was mine, moved towards it and it simply showed up. I even wrote a book about it, "Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams."
Take it from me, if your client can think new thoughts, the hard part of his job search is over and he'll easily and quickly go from being a job seeker to a job-finder.
Janet White, Author
Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams
www.jobmarketsecrets.com
jobmarketsecrets@aol.com or janet@jobmarketsecrets.com
Also available on Amazon
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Marie-Dolores A
Assistant Comptroller at HCDC
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Everyone has terrific responses to your question, Marc. All the things they have brought forth have value, and I've used most of them myself in securing positions for work, including my current one. Of particular importance is to know who you are and what you want, and not to deviate from that. Networking is also vital.
The three things I want to add to the responses are: Preparation, Patience, and Perseverance.
Preparation: If it has been awhile since you've been on an interview, have mock interviews, preferably taped. This shows you what you look and sound like in addition to what's coming out of your mouth. It also is an indirect way to get your resume in front of people, who just might say, "you know, I think our company is looking for someone who has your skillset..." Be prepared for the behaviorial questions, the hidden meaning questions, and the ever-annoying "tell me about yourself" and the dream-like questions that reveal far more of your personality than you think. The interview styles have changed drastically over the decades.
Also, use staffing agencies tailored to your specialty to help you look. My current job was secured through an accounting agency, and I had temporary assignments to help keep food on the table during the search, too.
Keep your resume up to date and current, and make sure the resume is built to do it's job, which is getting you the interview. I went through several weeks and revisions of my resume with an HR consultant before I had a document that did the job and presented me properly. Then I made sure that document was the one posted on job boards, in the agencies' hands, etc. Don't forget where you've posted your resume, and be sure to upload the new version.
Constantly have contact cards with you, even for a friend's BBQ or in church. Being prepared is essential for your job to find you.
Patience: This is the hardest part. We want and need to work, the bills are piling up, or we're in a job that is stressing us out so badly we've got high blood pressure...whatever your situation, patience is essential to weather the turbulance that comes with job hunting. It doesn't happen in weeks anymore, especially if you're over 40. The process takes months more often than not, and there will be opportunities that come by that SEEM to be perfect, only to slip away. If you are a person of faith, here is where it kicks in and you lean on it to sustain you, overcome the disappointment and frustration and keep trying....have patience.
Perseverance: Do not give up. Not ever. Take a day off once a week and rest, but no more than that, and regardless of how many rejection letters you get, never ever EVER give up. Someone I know posted all his rejection letters on his refrigerator to remind him of how much closer he was to the job he wanted. A unique method, but it worked for him (he had over 100 of them before he landed the job he has today) and every time he looked at them, he said, I'm past one more hurdle on the way to my job.
It's hard, very stressful and discouraging at times to find a job. Make sure you surround yourself with friends and mentors who truly believe in you and on whom you can call for encouragement. It's OK to vent, OK to cry, OK to feel awful. That's when your inner circle lets you get all that negative energy out, then refills you with the positive energy and determination to get back on your feet and persevere.
I have every confidence the person who hired you will succeed in their search. Tell them they have my encouragement, my prayers and best wishes for their success. :)
MD
Marc,
I have been working with Adult career changers for a while, you have some great advise above, but be sure you are not projecting yourself on the client. What does HE want to do? Does he want to change fields, is he a member of a professional association? He needs to do informational interviews to find out what it is that is needed in the new profession or even in the old to update his skills.
You should help him focus on his own network, and begin to research a new network.
Ginny Ruder, GRCareerPlanning.com
I liked the answers so far, and some will help me in my current job search. I have a couple of things to add from my experiences two job searches ago. At that time, I was looking to do something completely different, and it was doubtful I'd get hired with no apparent previous experience in the field. Two things I did: volunteered for two non-profit boards to help me make connections and created a business around what I aspired to do... which for me was writing and editing but can work for any professional offering a service. I found it easier networking by presenting myself as a communications professional with my own business rather than an unemployed person looking for work. Then, as I built a portfolio of work, I had something to show people when looking for a regular full-time position.
Cristine C
Instructor Distance Learning at NC School Science and Mathematics
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One great way to keep in touch with your contacts is to invite them to lunch or coffee. Use the time to gather information and ask for specific action e.g. "This has been great catching up. Before I leave I would love to have one or two names you think would be worth following up with in my job search." Good Luck
All the answers provided thus far are great - and I like some other posters plan to incorporate into my own search strategy.
One of the most important things I've learned though is that you need to move from the "find a new job" paradigm; rather the goal should be to identify business challenges to be solved, business challenges you can solve. There may not necessarily be a "job" but there will always be problems and I think if one can present his/herself as the individual who can resolve whatever those issues are then you may just end up triggering the creation of a job just for you!
Jennifer B
Resumé Expert, Work Search Consulting and Coaching, Principal, Aurelia Consulting Services, Inc
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Marc,
My one piece of advice: Read "What Colour is Your Parachute?" by Richard Bolles. He updates and reissues every year. Every book on job search for at least the past 25 years owes something to Bolles' work in this book.
I have used it every time I have changed direction in my own career, and it has made a significant impact on how I coach people in writing resumés.
Jennifer
