Job Search Techniques

It's not just what you know, but also who you know.

To effectively job search requires firstly identifying the types of roles, companies and industries you want to work with. We can help you identify the “must haves” and “ideally haves” for your next role so that you uncover as many interesting options to choose from as possible. Your criteria for a new role may encompass broadening your skills, career advancement, consolidation, mobility, balance in your life, being closer to home and/or working in an area that is your “passion”. You can then do research to determine which companies meet your criteria (see section six, researching companies).

Three steps are then necessary:

1. Seeing "what's out there"

This involves being aware of and effectively scanning newspapers, online job boards and other advertising mediums as well as registering with and effectively briefing relevant recruitment firms.
Scanning the available literature – time spent in the library or on the internet could be your best investment in the job search process.

2. Seeing "what's out there"

Many jobs are never advertised, therefore it is essential to know how to network effectively. This involves utilising the network of your recruitment consultants, drawing up a list of your own networks and contacts and writing a direct marketing campaign selling your skills to the companies that meet your criteria. It also involves directly checking the websites of the companies you are interested in to see if they have roles advertised in their “careers/people” section.

3. Effective networking

A lot of job opportunities are never advertised. The rough estimate would be that 50% of positions tend to go to people through an informal network as opposed to those being advertised or referred to recruitment consultants. Therefore, networking is one of the most powerful techniques available for conducting a job search. It helps produce a list of people from whom to get information and ideas and ultimately should produce a contact list, which becomes a major part of the job search.

The first step is to put together a list of every contact both personal and professional, such as suppliers, customers, co-workers past and present, and other professionals in your field. You should also include personal contacts, neighbours, family, friends. Every opportunity should be taken advantage of.

Make yourself visible socially and business-wise. Attend conferences, seminars and trade shows around your chosen industry. Most of your potential employers will probably be there – at the very least, some new contacts. At the end of the conference you usually get a printout of the name, title and organisation of everyone who attended – a ready-made contact list. Check the papers, association websites or industry magazines for details. Maintain memberships with professional organisations – it gives you contact with your industry and the people in it.

The best way of making new contacts is working on your old contacts. You don’t ring them up and say, “I’m looking for a job or a career”. You ring them up for advice about their area of expertise. When you get a referral, be sure to ask if you can use your contact’s name as an introduction. When you suggest to someone that they can assist you, there is only one chance in three that they will immediately think about how they can do this. Therefore, follow up on your part is essential.

Remember you are not looking for a job; you are interested in exploring opportunities available to someone of your abilities, skills and background in this industry or organisation. You need to be very clear about this (you will, of course, consider job offers, but at this stage you are just interested in researching the market place). Aim to generate at least two additional leads from each telephone call. Follow up with a thank you note and if you think it is appropriate, a copy of your CV.

Make sure every contact knows how to get in touch with you. If you don’t make it easy for them, they will give up. Keeping records of all your contacts is essential. You might have 50 to 60 calls and letters out there from your job search. You must be able to immediately refer to a system detailing company name and date, which letter you wrote and the name of the person who referred you.

Mapping a Weekly Search

Diarise appointments for each week ahead. Think of each week as you did when you were in full time employment.

Leveraging Recruiters in the Job Search

Firstly always remember the 80:20 rule – in this case 80% of recruiters advertise 20% of the roles yet building solid clear communication links and understanding the recruiters and how they work will be of great assistance. We can assist in building a list of which recruiters will be most relevant for you.