Plan your Job Search - Tips and Advice

PLAN YOUR JOB SEARCH

· Take stock of your situation. Do you have enough savings to go on a prolonged job search or do you need to be working right now? Make a list of people you know and who they work for. Sign up for unemployment so you have some money coming in.

· Map out your plan. You should now consider a job search your full time job. Create a winning resume. Make sure you have a job specific cover letter. Nothing turns off a prospective employer faster than a generic cover letter.

· The Internet is useful, but make sure to spend some time offline in your job search. Too many people only look at the job boards and ignore other avenues of possible employment. If you need a job right away look at smaller local businesses that may not post online.

· Go in personally to hand in a resume. If the hiring manager or human resource consultant is available, you may get an on-the-spot interview. Be prepared with resumes, and dress appropriately.

· Use recruiting firms. They earn a living finding quality candidates for their clients. Make the best impression possible, because even if you don’t get the first job, they’ll remember you for the next one.

· Cold call companies that may be able to utilize your skills. Find out if there are openings, and to whom you may address your resume. Get the spelling of their name, and their title correct.

· Think about the classified section of your local newspaper. It's always a good starting out point. Go online and add your information and resume to resume posting sites.

· Go to the company sites of specific companies in your area, or in your industry, and check out their career pages.

· Attend job or career fairs, prepared to hand out your resume, and answer questions. If there is one specific company you are interested in, do your homework.

· If you need work quickly, register with a temp agency. Most likely, you will have to make an appointment, meet with the agency, do some sort of skills test (depending on your field). Many times temporary work can lead to a full time position.

· If you land an interview, do research on the company. Find out the history, competition, philosophy, etc. The more you are on your game, the easier you can convert the interview into an employment opportunity.

The Secrets Of Effective Networking

Your next job will probably come either from your friends or from their friends, so networking--building personal relationships--is vitally important. Where to start. List all your personal friends and business associates. By letter first, then by telephone later, explain your situation, describe your career direction, and ask for advice and ideas.

Reestablish old friendships in follow-up phone calls. Ask about your friend's work and family; get caught up on recent events. Wait until your listener asks about you, then explain your situation in positive terms, even if it's hard to find positives. Ask for suggestions, and specifically ask, "Who else should I be talking to?"

If you find networking hard because you don't want to use your friends, or because you dislike asking for help, overcome this by genuinely caring about those you call. Your interest will delight them, and they'll gladly share information. Remember, you'd willingly help them if they came to you needing similar support.

Force yourself to use the telephone. It gets easier as you call. Look for information about industry trends or trends in your functional area or specialty. Watch for plans for new products or services. Seek out emerging markets, hidden jobs, and companies that are hiring. Listen for upcoming retirements and insider tips about corporate culture or political infighting. Pay attention to news of reorganizations, expansions, mergers or acquisitions. Ask about business associations, publications, or resources. Focus on anything change-related, because change means opportunity.

How to structure a meeting. Your telephone calls will soon produce face-to-face meetings. In the beginning, be friendly and establish rapport. Set the stage by asking how much time you'll have. State your purpose clearly and directly. Share your excitement and enthusiasm, and ask for advice and ideas. In general, listen more than you talk. Watch for opportunities, and take brief notes. Ask for referrals to other experts. Before you leave, ask for a business card, discuss a next step, and offer heartfelt thanks.

How to recognize opportunities. Don't look only for specific openings where someone else held the job before. Watch closely for: Problems you would enjoy solving. Weaknesses in a company where you could help. Example: becoming an in-house attorney where there was none before. Work groups where you like them and they like you. In employment this is called "good chemistry" or "good fit." Companies where people are complaining, troubled, or under pressure. This often indicates too few people to do the work at hand: a need for hiring. Anywhere you see something missing that you could add, a logical extension or improvement. Example: pizza delivery for a pizza restaurant.

Listen 80% and talk 20%. Personal meetings should be interactive, like tennis; but in general, others would rather talk than listen. Therefore, give them your full attention. Listening builds trust and says, "I care about you." If you're having trouble getting hired, try listening 50% more.

Yet there is a time to talk about yourself. Sooner or later, your host will say, "Tell me about yourself," "Why are you here?" or "How can I help you?" When that happens, take twenty seconds--not twenty minutes--to answer.

Walk in prepared. Know what you want. Never enter a meeting without knowing why you're there. You'll waste your time, waste your contact's time, and look unprofessional. Show up unprepared too often and word will get around that you lack focus. No one will want to talk to you.

Key questions to ask. One goal of networking is to get referrals, but how do you ask for names? You can be too direct and put others off. You can be too vague, and come away empty handed. So what do you say?

In general, it's better to be subtle and indirect rather than blunt. "Can you give me the names of your friends?" might put your host on the defensive; the answer may be no. "Who else should I be talking to?" is far less threatening and will elicit the names of friends and key contacts anyway.

If you're wondering what else to ask in a networking session, try these on for size: How does my resume look? What would you change or modify? Are my letters crystal clear? Do you have any advice or ideas for me? Who else should I be talking to? Are there any groups or organizations I should attend? Are there any books or publications I should read? What would you do if you were me? Who would you be talking to?

How to end. When appropriate, establish a next step: a phone call, follow-up meeting, something to be mailed. If you end with no next step, you miss the chance to involve this person in your campaign--possibly a big mistake.

Tell people you value their suggestions and plan to take action on them. Say, for example, "I'll call the people you recommended and read the articles you suggested. Then I'll check back in a week or so to let you know what happened."

This approach lets the person know you take them seriously. It cements the relationship. In addition, it makes this person a more permanent part of your network, not just a passing face. If you handle it right, you can call later for further help.

Don't make the mistake of contacting people only once. Your search will never build momentum. As you meet technical experts and business leaders, become a friend to them, and they'll likely return the friendship.

Your contact network should always be growing, not shrinking. The best way to expand it is to seek out new people and build relationships. It doesn't really matter who you choose, so long as you like them, they like you, and you can help each other.

As you launch your job campaign, remember these basics:

· Do your homework; don't expect others to teach you what you should research yourself.

· Dress well. Never go into a meeting without checking your appearance in a restroom mirror.

· Seek information only, don't ask directly for a job.

· Don't be pushy; don't require others to help.

· Be optimistic and upbeat. If you have fun, they'll have fun. If they have fun, they'll like you. If they like you, they're more likely to help you or hire you.

· When someone helps, offer something in return: a book, an article, a favor, or the name of a contact.

· Ask for a business card or for the correct spelling of name, title, and address.

· Then send a thank you note the same day you talk or meet.

· Always give more than you get.

Believe in the philosophy

"I create relationships. The relationships create the jobs."

That is how networking works.

COLD CALLING FOR JOBS

When hunting for a job, after the first few weeks of sending out resumes and posting on job boards, people often feel like there is more they should be doing. Getting an interview in today's tight job market is difficult and you may need to pull out some old-time methods to help you get a good job.

You might ask what else can I do to get a job and the answer would be to do anything and everything possible to help yourself get a job. One method of job searching that has fallen by the wayside in light of the Internet age is cold calling companies to see if they are hiring.

As most of us know, companies who want to fill positions will initially try to fill in-house (even though they will post the job publicly). Secondly, they will try to fill positions through referrals from employees. Finally, they may or may not post jobs on one of the larger job boards.

In light of this, it is up to you and I to try any method possible to get a foot in the door. When you start considering cold calling companies for open positions, you first should prepare yourself for rejection. I suggest calling smaller companies within a 30 mile radius of home in the hopes that they do not have the hiring and advertising budgets that some of the bigger companies do and will be glad to look at your resume or even talk to you.

So, while not necessarily the best way to find a job, cold calling for open positions can sometimes lead you to discover relationships with companies that you never imagined possible. So, if your job search did not score you that big job in the first few weeks, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and start making some calls. You never know, it might pay off.