Fast Five - Job Search Strategy

Finding your next job is a hunt. Employing a sound strategy gives the hunter his / her best chance in bagging that prized possession. This Fast Five is dedicated to sharing information to build a solid hunting strategy that’s practical and usable. You may already be using some of it, or all of it, or none of it. Take a read through to see if there’s anything that will benefit you.

1. Establish your targets. This is something to do whether there is an open job for you to pursue or not. Make a list of companies you want to join (located in an area that you can commute to or you will move to). The Companies section on Malakye enables you to search for companies based on zip code and industry. Other sources / websites offer the same thing.

2. Work through the list. With your initial target list identified begin contacting people who make sense to get in touch with – the company recruiter(s) if the company is large enough to have recruiters, and the hiring manager you would work under / who you think you would work under. Contact these people to “get on the radar” as they say. Let’em know who you are, what you do, and why you want to join the company. Document and save all your efforts so you can go back over them to see who you’ve contacted, what you’ve said, what response you got back, and make small adjustments to refine your game. You can also use it as an opportunity to discover other similar companies that you hadn’t thought of yet.

3. Get 3rd party recruiters on your team. Find industry-specific and profession-specific recruiters and get in touch with them to share your resume. If you’re a good fit for the firm, it can be a big help to you. But it’s important to know that if you don’t match what they need, you won’t hear back. It becomes the typical black hole. This is why 1 & 2 above are so important – you’re on offense there and you’re in control of what you do. It can be a big help in lifting your spirits out of the demoralizing black hole we know exists.

4. Apply to jobs! It works. You don’t need to be connected (that doesn’t hurt), you don’t need an in - you need to be the most qualified. If you’re the most qualified, and you live within a commutable distance to the company’s office, and you fulfill the most important criteria of the job (you’re not a plumber applying to be my dentist), applying to jobs does work. Malakye is 17 years old and we exist because of companies paying to post jobs with us. No matter how nice we are here, we’re not going to survive 17 years off of it. We’re still here because job postings produce results.

5. Go back to the beginning and start over again. Review your notes, look at who you contacted, look at what worked and what didn’t work, make your adjustments, and start the process over again. You are always moving forward this way, always pursuing your goal, and always in control of your situation.

If there’s a topic you’re interested in having me cover, drop me an email – chad@malakye.com