Will You be a Job Search Winner or Loser?
7 Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Job Search
There are good ways and not-so-good ways for doing a job search. Is your campaign going to be successful or is it going to languish? Here are a few questions to help you decide. If you answer “no” to any of these, there’s good news for you at the end of this article. But first, ask yourself the following:
1) Have you identified your Unique Selling Proposition? What makes you a better candidate than someone with like kind and quality of experience? If you do not have a clear “brand strategy” and unique “personal messaging,” your search will take much longer. You will miss out on interviews for jobs you could have won.
2) Do you have a well-defined Marketing Plan to guide your search? Have you identified your target market, the people who can hire you, the companies where you best fit, and the information sources you need to stay current about changes affecting your potential employers? Have you established a specific methodology for your campaign? If you have not, you are trusting to luck.
3) Are you being creative in your approach to the job market? If you are merely posting your resume on job boards, responding to advertised positions on the internet, talking with recruiters, using LinkedIn and doing some networking, you are taking necessary steps. But, you are doing what everyone else is doing! If you are not being creative in your search, you are missing out on 80% of the available positions that are not posted on the internet or listed with recruiters.
4) Do you have a strategy for penetrating the Hidden Job Market? Old-fashioned networking alone will not get you there. There are many tools available if you look for them and know how to use them. As a lawyer or executive, you are no doubt good at finding information – so use that skill to get smart about your job search methods. If you are not ahead of the curve, you are behind it!
5) Does your resume show your accomplishments, or simply your duties and responsibilities? Your competitors have had essentially the same duties that you have had. What makes you more attractive than they are? If your resume isn’t showing results you have produced, you are under-representing yourself.
6) Do you have an intriguing telephone introduction when calling the CEOs or GCs who can hire you? Is your plan for calling the hiring executive simply to ask if they have seen your resume and would they like to meet you? If so, your chances of arranging an interview are minimal.
7) Do you have a plan for getting resumes to companies that are not advertising openings? Only 10-20 per cent of available positions are advertised. But beyond that, if a company’s Board is not satisfied with their current GC, CEO or COO, they are certainly not going to post that job on their website! If you are not reaching out to companies, they will not be reaching out to you!
If you have (honestly) answered “yes” to these seven questions, then we applaud you and you probably don’t need us. But if you have answered “no” to even one or two of these questions, then you are likely to be spending a lot longer on your job search than you need to or want to. We can fix that, and fix it quickly.
Our new Job Search Accelerator involves 1 to 3 session coaching programs to address specific job search issues.
Don’t have a clear brand strategy? Our 1-session Messaging program will help you develop compelling communications that will enable you to break away from the pack of other candidates with similar experience.
Not sure how to get your campaign done quickly? Our 3-session Marketing Plan program will create a map that will guide you to your career destination in the shortest route possible.
Not sure what to do besides respond to classifieds, contact recruiters, and network with your contacts? Our 2-session Innovative Job Search Methods program will give you powerful new tools that will leave your competitors in the dust.
One, two or three coaching sessions with us can shorten your job search by months. While we still offer comprehensive programs of 15 to 25 hours of expert guidance, some people only need an hour or two to deal with specific issues. Our Accelerator program now makes that possible.
We have guided more than 2,200 senior-level lawyers and executives through successful job search campaigns. Perhaps we can do the same for you.
Give us a call today to find out about our new Job Search Accelerator services.