Posted under Career Management, Career Planning, Internet Job Search, Networking on March 5th, 2007
In thinking about the jobs I’ve had in my career, all came out of the unadvertised job market. In every case, I was referred to the hiring individual by a friend, family member, boss, or colleague. I contacted the person, had an interview (sometimes very informally), and received an offer. In every case, I always knew where I stood and more or less had some control throughout the process.
However, like most searchers, I spent a lot of time answering ads and talking with recruiters. The typical scenario: scouring the ads on Sunday, spending all day and night writing the best-ever letter and résumé that would guarantee an interview, rushing to the mailbox so I would be the first respondent. Three weeks later I would get the ubiquitous “Thanks, but no thanks” letter. Worse, I would get absolutely no response at all!
Think about your career searches. How many of your jobs (the good ones) came from answering ads? I will venture your statistics are similar to mine. Networking in career search and career management is the foundation to a successful search because hiring individuals in general prefer to speak to referrals. But, what if your network is small or not producing results?
Then, the process I recommend is research, contact, and follow-up/follow-through. First, research your target companies using newspapers, websites, public libraries, online databases, and/or telephone directories, to name a few sources. Once you’ve obtained a hiring manager’s name, contact the individual by telephone, e-mail, or snail mail. Be relentless in your follow up and follow-through until you receive a response, a time to speak further, or a referral to someone else.
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Jim McFarland on 26 Mar 2007 at 9:44 am #
Michele,
I agree wholeheartedly! During the past year, our research at ResumeSpider surveyed our member companies and asked them the following question: “Where do you find your best candidates?” And this is what they’ve told us:
Job Fairs – 2%
Job Boards – 20%
Referrals – 30%
Networking – 49%
Our member companies confirm what most of you reinforce to your clients at the end of your writing and coaching relationships. So the quality of the tools and resources offered to clients can either contribute to or detract from their network. Convincing clients that “networking is the key to your next best offer” isn’t a hard pill to swallow. Getting them to actually pick up the phone and make those necessary calls is!!