By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Kris Parfitt“There is only one thing worse in life than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” (Oscar Wilde)
When searching for employment everyone wants to create the “we can’t live without this candidate!” buzz. There is always the fear your resume will go unnoticed or deleted. It’s easy to feel as though you are the opposing player in a ruthless game after sending your resume or after that first round of interviews.
There is the waiting game: “I interviewed a week ago and haven’t heard anything.”
The hoping game: “Did they notice my qualifications are a perfect match?”
And, the dreaded losing game: "I haven’t had a single interview, I must be a loser!”
Instead of playing the disempowering game of looking for a job, what if you launched a campaign for ‘the best job ever’? Imagine bumper stickers with your name and tag line, “Jennifer Smith, Director of Sales 2009!”
By definition, to campaign is to use a systematic course of activities for some specific purpose. It would be a more refreshing approach to brand yourself to your target audience, be known by them and network with them such that they want you to contribute your leadership and skills to their cause.
When we are focused on a goal we have something to live into, and when we share this goal with the people around us, they help us succeed. Much like a candidate who campaigns for a certain position in office, you too could create a future to live into using a systematic course of activities for a specific purpose: that perfect job or for some the perfect paycheck.
CHECK OUT this VIDEOwith Kris where she explains the value of a career campaign.
A successful campaign has a clearly defined goal and a strategic course of action with an organized time line. Leaders in positions of influence didn’t campaign for the position on a part-time basis. It also wasn’t handed to them either; they had a plan, they committed and they yielded results.
Following is a loose outline of a campaign strategy for job hunting. Please use this as an inspirational guideline to creating your own employment campaign. Go ye forth and get yourself employed while maintaining your confidence, leading your success and having fun!
1. Identify your goal – state what you want using the SMART goal process:Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely
For example: “I will be employed as a PM with a hi-tech company in the Seattle area making no less than $100K, with full benefits, by July 1, 2009” is a SMART goal compared to “I need to get a job soon.”
The key to identifying your goals is to fine tune your SMART goal to represent exactly what you want by when you want it.
Coaching tip: Create this campaign in your own style so you are excited and eager to get up out of bed and start the ball rolling every day. Have fun with it!
2. Develop your objectives – measurable actions from which you can assess that your goal(s) are being met and achieved.
Set specific dates that are milestones for having X number of interviews, job offers, resumes sent, people networked with, coffee meetings or lunches with network members, etc.
For example: Document in your calendar by May 15 you will have sent out 10 resumes, scheduled 3 coffee dates with leaders in your network and 2 informational interviews with colleagues in the industry you are searching in.
The key to managing your objectives is to check in daily and weekly to see if you are meeting them. If you’re not, see what is happening that keeps you from achieving your objectives. I can guarantee 80% of the time it will be you getting in your own way.
Coaching tip: Don’t consult your inner voice when it says, “I don’t feel like looking for a job today.” Hang up on that conversation and move forward. Being unemployed has consequences, especially when you have others who are impacted by your lack of a paycheck.
Enjoying this article? You could get the best career advice daily by subscribing to us via e-mail.3. Design a strategy – a plan of action that can be used as your game plan for reaching your goal(s).
Use the Measurable aspect of your SMART goal to guide your strategy.
For example: For 2-3 hrs a day focus on researching new positions in your field of expertise and related fields. Also research the latest in lingo and new developments that will keep you up-to-date in your industry while you're unemployed.
Then spend 2-3 hours sending resumes, networking, responding to blogs relevant to your field of interest, or better yet contribute regularly to an established post that recruiters and hiring managers read.
Then finish the day spending 2-3 hours responding to and following up with people who have responded to your campaign. (Scheduling interviews, sending thank you letters, responding to people in your communities and networks who are checking in, etc.)
Coaching tip: When people in your communities, your circles of friends, family and colleagues know who you are (your brand) and what you are doing (campaigning for your SMART goal), they keep their eyes out for things that will help you succeed. Keep the fires of your network/community burning hot!
It’s your choice how you want to handle being unemployed. But believe me as a former recruiter, we don’t hire victims we hire leaders who perform and produce results. We do observe the candidates we interview and how they are handling their job search. If they are being leaders in their employment campaign then we more than likely want them on our team. It’s a good demonstration on how they would handle challenges in their positions. As Oscar Wilde suggests, make yourself known such you are talked about.
Create a campaign. Get known. Get hired.
Bigstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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