Job Finding Tips

This section briefly introduces those seeking to advance their careers with useful tips in searching for a new job. 

Finding another job is a job itself!  Putting together a well-thought-out plan is key to succeeding in your job search.

Develop a Marketing Plan
One of the most significant actions you can take to overcome barriers to productivity is to design a strategic marketing plan for your search project.
Your marketing plan defines the overall objective of your project, how you position yourself in your marketplace and what specific market segments you will pursue.  Basically, your marketing plan has four components:
1. Professional objectives with preferred work functions.
2. Positioning statement with competency list.
3. Target market(s)
4. Employer contact.

Understand the Hiring Process
Productivity in search depends on understanding the hiring process, just as success in sports depends on knowing how the game is played.  In the employment game, what is important is not how the game is supposed to be played, but how it is really played.  In short, who is making the hiring decision and how do you get to or communicate with that person.

Create Your Communications Strategy and Resume
A good communications strategy ensures that the key qualifications and assets supporting your professional objective are part of all your written and verbal communications and directed to your target market audience.  One key communications tool is your resume.  The resume, like all communications, makes a case for why you are a good candidate for your stated professional objective, but above all, it must be compelling.

Network, Network, Network
Make a list of everyone you know in three different categories: Personal, Social, and Professional.  Try to make contact with all of these people and then network from information they provide.  Be persistent!  Develop a reputation as someone to network with.  Make a point of creating connections between people in your network who can help each other.  If people see you as someone who is connected, they will always take your call and try to help you.

Contact Hiring Managers…Before there is an opening
Most people in job search succeed by talking with hiring managers before those managers have a need.  Once there is an opening, the competition can be intense.  People who have been able to establish contact with a hiring manager before an opening exists often find the communication easier, and are frequently able to circumvent a complex hiring process completely.

Implement an Email and Calling Campaign
In today’s highly competitive job market most job seekers will need to go beyond their personal network.  Email campaigns have emerged as very cost effective and one of the best methods to reach a much larger sphere of hiring managers.  There is little doubt, finding a great job takes a little good luck, so the higher number of quality contacts will increase your luck.  Effectiveness of an email program is positively impacted when job seekers make follow-up calls to hiring managers.

Survey Your Professional Environment
Surveying your profession and industry helps you to better understand the overall environment in which you will be conducting your search.  You need to know the trends that are having an impact on your profession and your industry in order to avoid dangers, identify opportunities and make the right decisions about where you will best fit in the ever changing world of work.

Define Your Profession
Before you begin to survey your professional environment, it is important that you have effectively defined your profession.  What is it that you really do? Does your current job title actually describe your profession?

Determine Your Professional Objective
A professional objective gives direction to your search, sets the tone for your resume and other communications, and helps you select and prioritize your contact and target lists.  Without a professional objective you cannot develop an effective plan of action.

Assess Yourself
Self assessment is the first step in creating a professional objective that reflects who you are and what is important to you. You need to assess your skills and competencies, personal characteristics, interests and values.  Identifying your accomplishments will also pay dividends when you write your resume and go on interview.

Prepare an Exit Statement
Generate an “exit statement” that distinctly defines the reason(s) you have for leaving a job (either the last or current position). You can think of it as your press release, because it is the device that tells the world about your transition.  An effective statement is brief, non-defensive and positive.  When applicable, it lets others know that your departure was not due to any fault of yours.