| No, it's not you. It is really, really hard out there. You're doing the right stuff - responding to postings on the job boards, researching companies where you'd be a fit, networking, networking networking. And nothing seems to be happening.
The basics of job search may be working for some people, but I'm not hearing many happy stories. Maybe it's time to try something different. Here are some techniques to think about. Try a few, why don'tcha?
Beat the Boards
It's not enough to post your resume on a job board or two, sit back and wait to hear from potential employers. You need to strategically select the sites that are going to work best for you. Restrict yourself to no more than five job boards (1). Mix it up between general and specialty boards (2).
You don't want to be overexposed - it looks desperate to employers who see you everywhere. Want a single place to check out more than 6,000 different boards? Look at the AIRS Job Board Directory (3)
You'll want to tweak your resume on a weekly (4) or even daily (5) basis to keep it fresh. Recruiters tend to restrict their search to the newest candidates on a site and making a slight change to the resume moves it to the top of the heap. All you need to do is change a single word, but a little experimentation may help too. Add some new keywords to the resume (6), or drop your asking salary by $5-$10,000 (7). What the heck...raise it by $5-$10,000 and see if that changes your response rate.
Experiment by posting different resume versions (emphasizing different aspects of your skills) on each board (8). See which one(s) get better responses. Align the resume's emphasis to the occupation or industry of a specialty board (9). There's less value in your help desk design expertise when you're trying to sell yourself as a networking salesperson on salesjobs.com.
Figure out the approximate distance you'd be willing to commute (in miles or driving time) and identify major employment centers within that radius of your home. Search for all jobs located in those towns to identify employers you never knew existed or had facilities in the area (10).
Use the Internet
There's more than one way to use the Internet for job search. Check out individual company websites to see what opportunities exist (11); not every opening is posted out to a job board immediately. It may be difficult to find the employment or job openings link on some company sites - don't forget to look in the "Company" or "About Us" tab (12). Or, use the search function (if the site has one) to look for info about openings (13).
Stop lurking and start posting on professional chat boards (14), web rings (15) and user groups (16). Make sure that there's a way to find your email address (17) so you can be identified. It's a great idea to put up your own website (18), including samples of your work, personal projects and, of course, your resume. Post this link too (19).
Start your own blog (20) at www.blogger.com or www.blogspot.com. Respond to other people's blogs (21). This is another good way of establishing an identity on the web. But if you do this, be sure to keep posting to it - nothing says lame like weeks between entries.
Most of the online IT journals and sites publish articles and invite readers to comment. Go ahead and write something (22), making sure that there's some meat to your response. Ask questions. Start a dialog with the author (23) or other writers (24). Think of this as online networking … because it is.
Google yourself (25). How many times do you come up? What can you do to increase the number of hits or raise yourself in the rankings? Give some more thought to making it easier for recruiters to find you.
Think Like a Recruiter
If you ask a marketer how to catch a rabbit, she'll tell you to stand behind a tree and make a noise like a carrot. Since your goal is to attract attention as a job candidate, you need to think like a recruiter. Make it easy for the recruiter to serve her/his client - the employer - and you'll improve your status as a candidate.
Get the full job posting from the recruiter and read it, don't skim it (26). Be realistic about whether you're truly a fit (27); "close enough" doesn't cut it these days. Don't lean on the recruiter to submit you if you don't have all the required skills/experience (28). The recruiter wants to send the best candidate to fill the job, so that he/she builds credibility with the employer and gets the next job requisition to fill - maybe with you (29). Your understanding can build your value (30).
Be sensitive to the recruiter's workload. Offer to rewrite your resume to fit a specific open job requisition (31) and do it quickly (32). Make sure the recruiter can find you easily - speak slowly and clearly when you leave a voicemail (33), include your name and phone number at the beginning and end of your message (34). Use the name of the job and/or job number in the subject line of your email, followed by your name (35) so it looks like this: "Subject: Project Manager #12345 - Jamie Fabian."
Arrange a regular schedule for follow-up calls and/or email with each recruiter (36). Then stick to it. Don't call more often than you've both agreed. Nothing ticks a recruiter off more than a job seeker who calls constantly, despite having been told that there's not going to be news for a while.
Control your anxiety by doing something else (37); clean a closet, wash your car, take a walk. As a matter of fact, take a walk every day in a place where other people walk regularly (38). It's a great way to strike up a conversation and do a little networking with people who smile when they recognize you each morning.
Network Some More
Look beyond the standard association or chamber of commerce meetings for places to network. Join a citizens committee of your local government (39), volunteer for something at your child's school (40), raise money for a worthy cause (41). All of these activities raise your visibility to people outside your regular circle of acquaintances.
If you went to college, get involved with your alumni association (42). Don't forget to check out career services at your alma mater - many offer assistance to alumni as well as current students (43). Go to an event back on campus, if it's nearby. If it's not, get yourself invited as a guest to a friend's local alumni event (44). Asking other attendees to tell you what they loved about their old school is a great icebreaker.
Join a job search support group (45) or start one of your own (46). Local libraries and bookstores are generally willing to offer a venue to help people out. Remember that everyone in a support group has his/her own network of contacts and what doesn't help one person, may help another.
Be Creative
Use the newspaper or local business publications to identify potential job opportunities. Keep an eye out for announcements of new contract awards, or company expansions (47). Often, the name of a contact person is included, so you'll have someone to whom you can direct your cold call or letter.
But you don't have to settle for flying blind. Find someone who knows the person identified in the announcement. Think about people you know who may do business with that company - supplier, vendor, accountant, lawyer, banker - you get the picture (48). You don't need a straight line to your contact target; someone who works in the company will do. It's surprising how few hops it can take.
Really research and get to know the company(ies) you're targeting. In addition to the regular search engine responses, it helps to comb through their websites, reading news items as well as any annual report information. This is a way to turn up other names (49) for potential contacts.
It may not hurt to do some sleuthing in the real world too. I've heard stories about people who stake out the employee parking lot and follow folks to their favorite lunch spots in the hope of picking up a few tidbits (50), but that's probably over the top.
More
I could probably go on, but this is enough for now. What about you? Any suggestions, off-the-wall or otherwise? Write to me at Jamie@jobcircle.com and tell me about them. I'd love to share some more tips that are working in this labor market.
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Jamie Fabian spent more than 15 years as a human resources executive before changing careers to become a senior project manager for a growing IT consulting company. Now in management consulting for a large Pharma company, Jamie would like to be seen as a hybrid of Tom Peters, Tom Jackson, and Tom Wolfe, but spends too much time working, driving carpool and watching mindless TV to write more than this column. You can contact Jamie with questions and comments at jamie@jobcircle.com.
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