I've been job searching for a few months now. I read a lot of online advice. I'm on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I have this blog and others.The key message I'm hearing is that job searchers need to shift the way they have been traditionally looking for work. The job sites, such as Monster.com and CareerBuilders, are black holes for resumes. The focus is online networking and searching people.
Based on what I've learned and experienced so far, I've developed my own recipe for job searching. My ingredients are based on searching for Marketing Manager positions.
Here's my recipe for job searching:
- LinkedIn - (1) I keep my profile up to date, search for new connections that I know, and request for recommendations when appropriate. (2) I only apply for jobs on LinkedIn and through LinkedIn if there is a way to connect with someone in the company - get an introduction - and there usually is. If I can't find a connection to introduce me, I go straight to the company's website. Though I don't know for sure, I'm guessing that there are fewer resume submission from a company's website than on LinkedIn.
- craigslist - I've had success with getting interviews from jobs listed on craigslist, so I'll continue to search and apply. When I find an opportunity, I go straight to LinkedIn to look up the company and see if I can make a connection with someone.
- Twitter - The objective is to build a network of followers and followings. I follow people who tweet about things I find helpful. I tweet and re-tweet about things I hope people who follow me find helpful. By doing so, more people are following me which builds an extensive network for me to tap into while gaining valuable information.
- Competition - I have identified the competitors of the last company I worked for. I am in the process of finding out the names of the Marketing Directors/Managers. Then I will research the names on LinkedIn in hopes of finding a connection. I will tailor a cover letter for each person and send it along with my resume via mail. Whether or not these companies have a job opening, I'm hoping they will be impressed with my resume and approach.
- Traditional Networking - Not everyone is on a social networking site, so I sent mass emails out to my address book contacts. I divided my contacts in subgroups: family, friends, all others. I used an affordable (.02-.05 each) and easy online email service called VerticalResponse which allowed me to personalize each email and get real-time results.
What's your winning recipe?
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Good list, and good observations about job boards... let me suggest one more, which is the site I designed 3 years ago to help you organize your job search... networking, where you apply, what jobs you have applied for, etc. Not a huge necessity at the beginning of a job search since it's easy to keep track of a little bit of info on a spreadsheet, but as the job search goes on, it becomes more important. My site is JibberJobber.com.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know what you think about how this adds to your winning recipe :)
Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com