Fueling Your Job Search – Preparation
While many experts say this recession might be on the upturn, the reality is we’re in a depression. Regardless of any interpretation further of the economic situation, here are key tips to fuel your successful job-search.
Despite claims of economic improvement, many expect the unemployment rate, currently at 9.4 percent, to keep rising above 10 percent before the overall labor market begins to recover. That’s not a reassuring sign.
Over six million hard-working Americans lost their jobs since this current recession began. It will take a while to bring those jobs back, many of which have been lost from companies seriously affected by the weak global economy and severe downturns from Wall St. to our largest corporations and banks.
So, how do you go about finding a new job in this sort of labor market? First, you need to find the job openings. Second, you need to beat the competition to finding them.
Let’s start with job openings. In order to boost your odds of getting a new job, you must uncover as many job leads as possible; even ones that may seem not quite right at first glance. You may find that exploring new leads might be rewarding, so look for these opportunities.
The ol’ networking strategy still applies. Ask your family, friends, neighbors, former co-workers and bosses – anyone with whom you have a personal relationship. Post your status (if you are unemployed) on your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social networking sites. Consider self-branding yourself with an online website. Make one yourself, or hire a freelancer to do it for cheap.
If you are not a member of the above mentioned websites, go join them after reading this. Learn about them and you will soon see how much power these new social media outlets bring to the job search. It’s too much to get into so let’s proceed.
Next, identify and request informational interviews with prospective employers — doing so is a way to gain a network contact within the organization, which you can then use to help uncover job leads.
Set up a Google Alerts account to locate possible hidden jobs. For example, you could choose to some keywords that target what you’re looking for – “TJX New Director” for instance. Things like management changes, mergers and acquisitions, and general good performance indicate a possible need to hire. The worst you can get out of this is an increased network if you act on the information. Learn more about how to leverage this type of alert more in the Understanding Job Triggers post. There companies that provide services like this. Career Advantage“, developed a complete job search management suite, that include personalized job trigger alert profiles that bring a whole new level of innovation to the job search.
Make a point to hit the major and niche job boards looking for possible leads. Realize going into this step that some of these job leads are old, filled, or simply being used to collect resumes. Start with niche sites that relate to your area of specialty, and geographic location. If you belong to a professional organization, check their site too. Use a job-search engine to look for possible job leads that have been aggregated from lots of different sources.
For local employers, apply for jobs in person. Wear a suit and look presentable. Ask if the manager is available to meet with you, and speak to some of the workers to get a feel for the place.
If you put in the time, you will not be one of the six million unemployed and will help turn this depression, er, recession around.
Now your only task is beating all the other job-seekers fighting you for those same open positions. Review and update your resume and your interviewing skills. Write several cover letters that target various positions. When you do get an interview, remember to thoroughly research each employer to showcase your knowledge and interest to the hiring manager.
Finally, remember the importance of following up after an interview. Sending a personal letter via regular mail is a good idea, and it’s always a requisite to at least thank them via email. Express some interest in the company in an insightful way. Don’t be too much of a suck up though.
I hope this helps you get started. Look forward to a follow-up coming soon. And of course, any suggestions or comments are appreciated.
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