To find a job, get creative
Posted on 25. Feb, 2009 by Morgan in Career Advice, Job Hunting News, Resume Formatting, Resume Tips, Resume Writing
A great post on Brazen Careerist emphasizes what we’ve been saying to anyone who will listen to us: to get a job in today’s market you have to try harder and stand out from the rest.
All of that said, sometimes it pains me to watch people look for jobs. They have a cookie cutter resume and they just blast it out to everyone on Monster.com or the local newspaper. You only need one job. Quantity isn’t really necessary. Quality is. Get creative.
It’s a much better move to work the relationships that you already have. Where are your friends from college working? Where do your other friends and family work? How about former co-workers that you’ve lost touch with? Re-connect on Linked In or better yet, invite them out to lunch to catch up. Don’t make the entire conversation about you, but be sure to be honest about your situation: you’re looking for a new opportunity and it’s tough in this economy. Desirable job openings are really competitive right now, but if you get a personal recommendation from someone in the company you have a far better shot.
Another route to take is to go after the companies that you want to work for. Who cares if their website doesn’t list any job openings. Learn a whole lot about the company and write a email or letter to someone important that you admire. Find their info on the company site or Linked In or Facebook or, better yet, on their blog. Tell them how much you admire their company and ask them what types of stuff they look for in an employee. Maybe you even ask them to review your resume and get some pointers for someone looking to do a job like they do. If they live near you, ask if you can take them out for a cup of coffee to pick their brains. Worst case, you have a new acquaintance who does the exact job that you want. Next time they see a job open up in their industry that you’d be qualified for, who do you think will pop into their head?
There are so many things that you could be doing besides sulking about not having a job. Stop blasting job boards with the same old resume.
Three things you can do right now to improve your chances of finding a job.
Version your resume
Quick question. How many versions of your resume do you have? If you say “one” you’re wrong and it’s little wonder you don’t have a job yet. You need to have a resume tailored to the job function you’re going after. Marketing is different than sales, inside sales is different from outside sales and all sales are different then business development. If you don’t have a resume that reflects those nuances? You are just handing the job over to some one who does.
Work your network
How many people have you approached about finding a job? If you’re looking in a vacuum, without the help of your network, you’re screwed. There is no shame, no embarassment in asking for help. And you can return the favor. You can help other people who are out of work, write a positive recommendation on LinkedIn for someone in your network. Pay it forward a bit if you need to so you don’t feel like you can’t ask for introductions and assistance.
Form a mastermind group
Put together a group of folks in your network in the area or industry where you’re interested in looking. Set up a regular morning breakfast or coffee. Try for early morning or a weekend so you can have some time for quality conversation. Trade advice, best practices, job openings, swap resumes and look them over for one another, help each other out. Dale Carnegie praised the benefits of the mastermind group and he was right – the sum is more than the whole of its parts.
Bonus – get your resume in shape
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