By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Rob TaubSuccess is not always something you necessarily find when you arrive. It may be the journey that gets you there.It seems as though people make career management more difficult than it has to be. When something threatens to make it simple, they almost invariably find a way to make it more complicated. For example, in recent years there's been much more activity in the small- to mid-size companies, yet the majority of people looking into a job change or career move continues to scour the newspapers, all the while complaining there are so few meaningful opportunities. If they had the resources to scan the 300 leading newspapers and publications in the U.S. daily, they'd still find relatively few meaningful opportunities.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, historically, most of the better positions are never advertised. 60 to 80 percent of the meaningful jobs go unadvertised. If the same people would only get out into the market and make some new friends' (contacts), they'd see new opportunities, perhaps just around the corner.
Easier said than done? Unfortunately, yes. Most of us have never been trained in this sort of work. Even the most senior managers may be novice in a job change or career search and can become discouraged. Still, there are a couple of basic concepts that, understood, can make job searching less complicated.
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One is to begin replacing the hours you spend scanning the classifieds with meaningful, face-to-face discussion. In discussion with others, like yourself, you will likely find access to the activity created by movement and happenings in the small to mid-size market. Keep this in mind: Within everyone you meet, you are likely to discover a far more helpful, energetic and interesting person you may have thought him or her to be. Just give them a chance. All it takes is a little bit of encouragement and direction, which is another key concept. That is, most people like to help others; it's human nature to help others. We just don't always know how. Tell them how and they will help.
Here are some practical suggestions when connecting:
- Don't begin by asking for advice: Offer suggestions first; provide ideas before asking for any.
- Get to know others before you ask them to know you.
- Don't ask others to be creative or perceptive for you; it's too much work. Be intuitive, recognizing of course, that given the chance, they'll manage to complicate this thing as well.
- Be clear about your own ideas - be focused.
- Get ready. The question, 'what are you looking to do' can befuddle the unsuspecting person forcing a response that is weak, irrelevant or even fatal.
- Move people towards embracing your ideas by listening carefully to theirs. Look people in the eye and reflect on what you are hearing.
- Don't judge.
- Ask yourself, "Is the message getting across; is the content clear?"
- Don't use jargon. If someone understands it, they won't be impressed; if they don't, they'll take out a book and read.
- Take your ideas, and those you accumulate, to the next contact, and so, and so on and so on.
- Keep this maxim in mind at all times: You must first build a relationship before you can do business.
Like most career professionals, you have a vision for moving onward and upward. Unfolding a career is like charting a new frontier and sometimes equally as difficult to predict and control. What are your ideas? What do you want to do with them? How do you want to go about it; when?
Before you spend hundreds of hours hunting for success, spend a few defining it. Consider some of history's greatest athletes: gold medal Olympians. Early on in their lives they set goals. From then on they squashed everything in their lives that didn't pertain to those goals, and went on to win the gold!
Did you enjoy this article? Read more articles by this expert here.Rob Taub, MBA, CCM (Credentialed Career Master) and CAREEREALISM Approved-Expert, is a 25-year veteran in the job searching and career marketing field, helping recent grads, young on-the-rise professionals, and mid- to senior-level managers and executives with individual job searches and career transitions. Rob is Principal at Job Search Corner [www.JobSearchCorner.com] and creator of the blog Job Searching with Rob.The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock.
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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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