The 3 Parts of a Successful Job Search – How Many are You Using? Part 2

There are 3 parts of a successful job search and if you have been struggling in the search, you may not be using all 3 parts.

Part 1 - Reactive

Most job seekers are very familiar with the reactive job search which is replying to ads when they appear. Although this is a part of the job search, too many job seekers are limiting their approach to replying to ads and have not found it to be very fruitful.

Even for those who are using this approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-3-parts-of-successful-job-search.html

Part 2 – Passive

The Passive approach to the job search is similar to the way I like to fish: put bait on your hook, throw the line into the water, and lay back to see what bites.

In job search terms, the Passive approach includes posting your resume on job boards, having a LinkedIn profile, and working with external recruiters (aka search firms or headhunters); you take an action and then wait for someone to “bite”.

The Passive approach, like the other two approaches, should not be used exclusively as a job search process.

Even for those who are using the Passive approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

1) Reposting Your Resume

When you post your resume on a job board, the system records what date it was posted. Recruiters, when they go onto the job boards looking for candidates, are looking for candidates who have posted their resume recently. They do not want to waste their time reviewing resumes of people who posted their resume on the job board previously but have since found a job.

To keep your resume “fresh” so it is included when recruiters search the job boards, update your resume frequently (example every three weeks) so the posted date is more current. The update you make does not have to be substantial and always proof the changes you make.

2) Leveraging Industry Specific Job Boards

Many companies have realized they find skilled candidates when they use industry specific job boards instead of the giant boards like CareerBuilder and Monster. To find industry specific job boards, search the internet using the name of your industry and the words “job boards”. For example, searching “technology job boards” will bring up Dice.com and others.

3) LinkedIn

First I will say: YES – you have to have a LinkedIn profile. I don’t consider anyone a serious job seeker unless they have a profile on LinkedIn; it is like being a business these days without having a web site. This is not a social networking site like Facebook and is not a stream of consciousness like Twitter. LinkedIn is a professional networking site and should be used as such. Non-job seekers should also have a profile on LinkedIn.

If you have been on LinkedIn you know that they change the site quite frequently. For that reason I will never write an article just about LinkedIn because the article will be out of date by the time I hit Save. I will though give a few tips that many people miss.

a. Have a professional headshot. The picture is to help jog the memory of people you have met so they can confirm they have the right person before connecting with you.

b. Do not include the words “seeking”, “unemployed”, or the like. Your job title is what you do for a living. I use the analogy of a musician, just because he is between gigs does not mean he is not still a musician.

c. Behind your job title include what you are known for. Example: “Senior IT Manager; Success at Increasing Productivity and Improving Quality”. Having a Personal Brand is important in this competitive market; it communicates how you are unique from others who have the same job title.


d. Customize your URL so it has an IN and not PUB address. Under your picture there is a URL or web address that begins www.linkedin.com/. Look at the next part. If it is PUB then you still have the address assigned to you when you created your profile. Behind the portion which contains your name you will have what I call alphabet soup, a series of letters and or numbers. Having a PUB address indicates you don’t know how to use LinkedIn.

You can click the word Edit behind the URL and customize it. If you have a name like mine (very common) then you will have to be clever with coming up with a name that is not already taken yet is still professional.

e. Include your accomplishments (or examples of what you did for the company) under each job in the experience section.

f. Do NOT include your birthday or marital status; this is not Facebook.


4) Working with Recruiters

Recruiters, or headhunters as they are sometimes called, can be very helpful in a job search. It is essential to remember however that their job is not to find you a job. They are hired instead by the company to find the right candidate for a certain position. Recruiters normally cannot return all of the unsolicited calls from job seekers and still get their work done. Here are a few strategies you can implement to increase your success with recruiters.

a. Find recruiters who work with your particular industry. There are a number of ways you can research that information. Type in the name of your industry and the word “recruiter” in a search engine. Go to industry events and ask around for recommendations. And contact hiring managers at your target companies and ask who is on the “preferred vendor list” of recruiters.

b. Develop a professional relationship with your recruiter. You want to be top of mind when a new position comes across their desk.


The Passive job search is only a small part of the complete job search. Using all three parts will greatly increase your chance of job search success – finding a job you WANT!


Part 3 of the job search will be published next week. You can join the hundred of others who “Follow” Judi’s blob at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com with a simple click so you receive these articles and others the moment they are published.

The next article after this series will be “The one question a job seeker should ALWAYS ask after an interview (and many don’t)”. I welcome your suggestions for job search topics that have not already been addressed on this blog. You can submit those ideas using the comments feature for this article.

Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the YouTube video series “The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search” that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they want by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on RightChanges’ 2013 special for the initial hour of coaching, the new “advantage program for students”, and RightChanges other services, go to www.RightChanges.biz.

The 3 Parts of a Successful Job Search – How Many are You Using?

There are 3 parts of a successful job search and if you have been struggling in the search, you may not be using all 3 parts.

Part 1 - Reactive

Most job seekers are very familiar with the reactive job search which is replying to ads when they appear. Although this is a part of the job search, too many job seekers are limiting their approach to replying to ads and have not found it to be very fruitful. Let’s look at why it is not more fruitful:

1) Only 15% of all of the available jobs are posted online. 85% of all available jobs are part of what is called the “hidden job market”

2) According to job seekers who have found a job, this approach was only successful for 30% or less of job seekers

3) Only 10% of resumes make it passed the computer scan and therefore 90% resumes do not even make it to the hiring authority

4) Of the 10% of the resumes that make it to the hiring authority, not all of them are even viewed. For example let’s say there are 1000 resumes submitted for any job. 10% of 1000 is a hundred. Hiring managers do not review all 100 resumes to find the best. The hiring manager glances at a number of resumes (say the first 10), selects the best, and continues this process until they have a sufficient pool of candidates. So even if your resume gets passed keyword software, your resume may not even be seen.

5) A handful of final candidates have already been selected prior to the position being posted. The job is posted to meet EEOC obligations.

Even for those who are using this approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

1) Job alerts
Many if not most job boards have a tool called a job alert or job agent. You can set specific keywords and job titles and each time a new job is posted matching your requirements, it will e-mail you a notice with a link to that job allowing you to reply to the posting before the position is taken down from the sites.

2) Using industry specific job boards
Many job seekers are familiar with the major job boards (CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.) and even some aggregators like Indeed.com. Aggregators “crawl” other job boards and bring together (aggregate) the listings into one site.

There are sites that are specific for each industry and may be used more frequently by companies to find candidates in that particular industry. Example Dice.com is a technology specific job board.

You should find and use the job boards specific to your industry in addition to the major job boards.

3) Having a keyword rich resume

The way to get your resume passed the keyword software is to be sure your resume highlights the skills companies are looking for.

Some job coaches recommend you tailor your resume for each application. Judi Adams of RightChanges disagrees. “The resume rings hollow” when it is tailored for the specific job description, according to a recruiter at a recent RightChanges workshop, because it is mimicking back what the job description said. In addition to the problem of the resume ringing hollow, too many job seekers make errors and typos when they recreate the resume each time and that will get your resume excluded.

Instead RightChanges suggests you take 5 job descriptions for the type of job you want as a sample set, even if the job is not in your geographic area, and tailor your resume so it fits the standard for that role and highlights the skills most requested.

4) Having a cover letter that visually highlights why you are a good candidate

Since you are not tailoring the resume for every job you are applying for anymore, you do want to include a position specific cover letter. This cover letter, when done as described, will help get your resume passed the computerized keyword search. In addition, when your resume gets in front of a person, you have done the work for them to illustrate why you are a fit for the position and everyone they send the resume to will benefit from you doing the work for them as well.

When a hiring authority comments on how good the format of your cover letter is, you know you have done something right. Plus it is so easy to write and contains less “I” and “Me” statements and more about how you can help the company.

Here is a link to the previously published article about this powerful cover letter.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

5) Networking into the company after applying
Candidates have a 50 TIMES greater chance of getting the job with an employee contact. Fifty times! Why? The reason candidates have a greater chance of getting the job with an employee contact is because you now are more than a flat piece of paper (referring to the resume) and you have an internal advocate that can get your resume sorted to the top of the pile so it is seen.

After you apply for a job with a company, go into LinkedIn and see who you know (or someone you knows knows) at the company who can serve as an advocate for you.

Part 2 of the job search will be published next week and Part 3 the week after. You can join the hundred of others who “Follow” Judi’s blob at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com with a simple click so you receive these articles and others the moment they are published.

Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the YouTube video series “The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search” that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they want by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on RightChanges 2013 special for the initial hour of coaching, the new “advantage program for students”, and RightChanges other services go to www.RightChanges.biz.