reCareered: 30 Things You Can Control In Your Job Search

Friday, July 20, 2007

30 Things You Can Control In Your Job Search - Page 3

Focus On What You Can Control - Controllable Job Search Items #1 - #10:

Think your job search is out of your control? Guess again. Here are 30 things you can control in your job search:

Create a job search project plan: Do you have a written job search project plan? Is it more than just a target list, to-do list, or followup list? Learn how to create a job search project plan at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/02/are-you-planning-to-fail-in-your-job.html.
Avoid fake postings: Are you spending your time on real jobs? Learn how to separate the real jobs from the fake at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/01/review-of-fake-postings-and-your-job.html.
Diversify your efforts - pipeline management: Do you have a target company list? Do you have enough opportunities in your pipeline, or does every opportunity turn into a “life or death situation”? See http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/04/is-your-opportunity-pipeline-big-enough.html to learn how to diversify your efforts and still be effective.
Manage activity levels: Do you have a high enough level of activity in your job search? More importantly, are you choosing the right activities to make your search efforts effective? One way to control your job search is to understand which activities bring the highest return, so you can concentrate your time on the specific efforts that will bring you a new job fastest. Learn how to choose more activities that improve your search at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/03/activity-vs-effectiveness-in-job-search.html.
Information wins the day: A candidate can greatly improve their chances at getting interviews, getting 2nd interviews and offers by gaining access to better information than the competition. The best information isn’t found on the internet, it’s discovered through discussion. Learn what to look for at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2009/11/guerrilla-job-search-tactics.html.
Research early and often: Most candidates wait too long before they get into serious company research, typically waiting until interview preparation. You can greatly improve your chances to gain interviews by investing in research before you even send a resume. See how to use research and the best company research sources at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/07/4-killer-ways-to-use-research.html.
Build inside networks: Build network contacts inside your target companies. Linkedin provides great ways to map out an organization to see who to meet. Linkedin also gives great ways to build your reputation first and build non-threatening ways to first connect with company insiders who can help your information search efforts - Facebook and Twitter provide additional ways. Learn efficient ways to build effective inside networks at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/04/linkedin-company-follow-helps-job.html.
Find problems you can fix better than anyone else: Why underutilize the value of a company inside contact by just asking to pass along a resume or asking who to contact regarding openings? You can find this info on the company’s website. Inside company contacts are much more evaluable. See how to maximize the leverage these contacts can give to your search at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/01/introduction-to-target-company-contact.html.
Exactly fit hiring manager needs: Make sure the resume explicitly repeats in many places how you are an exact fit for the hiring manager’s requirements. The best way to demonstrate fit is by showing you’ve already solved the hiring manager’s exact problems at a prior company. Company hiring systems reward candidates who heavily customize resumes and penalize those who send static resumes. It’s impossible to explicitly meet the hiring manager’s exact needs by sending virtually the same resume. Make sure your resume (NOT your cover letter) clearly explains why you are an exact fit - See http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/03/if-its-not-on-your-resume-it-doesnt.html.
Lose the egocentric resume: Does your resume describe what’s important to you, or what the hiring manager for the specific target job/company is interested in? Most resumes are egocentric, not written for the specific hiring manager’s point of view - see how to change this at http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/06/do-you-recognize-these-early-warning.html.