Job Search Strategies

Introduction to Job search Strategies types

Job Search Strategies are mainly of two types – reactive and proactive. The reactive job search strategies for seeking jobs are used by many people in the business. This means that these people search for the job openings that exist, and then they apply for those openings that are of interest to them. The resume is sent to the recruiters, and the response is to the postings on the job board, which signifies that the job seeker is at the mercy of whatever openings are available. It is a traditional approach to finding a job by looking for advertisements for the roles that you fancy.

On the contrary, in the case of job search strategies that are proactive, the companies, as well as the job that a person is seeking, is picked up by the person. In this way, the job seeker can get the job that he or she has chosen and also worked to get instead of just going for a job that comes his or her way via the job boards or the recruiters. Prior to starting the process of job search strategies, you need to ensure that you have a resume that is really great along with a profile on LinkedIn as they will be seen by the employers to decide whether they are interested in speaking to you. In 2016, you needed to employ proactive job search strategies for seeking the job of your choice.

Proactive Job Search Strategies

Following strategies can be adopted for proactive job search strategies, which are –

1. Identify the Companies that are of interest to you.

There are several ways that can be used for identifying companies. You should start by listing 30-50 companies that you feel you would like to work for. You can speak to friends as well as colleagues and see the companies that they recommend. LinkedIn also has a very strong feature of company job search which can help you in your job search. For this, you need to go to LinkedIn, click on the menu button and then on the search bar. You then need to select the companies and start the search. The Advanced Job Search strategies options can also be used by you by clicking on Advanced, which is located adjacent to the search bar. In case you come across a company that seems interesting to you, click on the profile of the company and find out if it is the company that is of interest to you. In case you like it, then you need to click on the Follow button so that the updates, as well as the messages of the company, are sent to you.

2. Research the Companies

The next strategy for proactive searching for the job is to have greater learning with respect to the organization and then determine whether it is a place where you actually would like to work. A number of ways can be adopted for doing this. The first strategy should be to visit the website of the company and then go to the section About Us. This will help you to review the history of the company, its products as well as services. You also need to ensure that you check the section of the News and Press Release so as to get an idea regarding the latest events that have made it to the news. You should also ensure that you go through their blog, in case they have one, as that will help in giving you a better idea regarding the company’s area of expertise and also its corporate culture. You can also check the company on Twitter and then follow it. Several excellent web tools are also present, for example, Vault.com and Glassdoor.com. These provide anonymous reviews of several companies, the salaries that are paid by them, reviews pertaining to the corporate culture of the company, along with the evaluation of the company’s top executives. At times, even the questions that are asked during the interview process are also shown on these sites. You should also search Google for the name of the company and see what information you get.

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3. Leverage Your Network

You need to remember that you are advertising yourself, and therefore you require as much exposure in the market as can be achieved possibly by you. A great site for making connections with your target group is LinkedIn. You have to be selective as your target market is not formed by your friends on Facebook. You have to surround yourself as well as create your presence professionally with interests that are similar and also achievements and goals that are impressive. Every new meeting should be looked upon as a strategy. You should not be afraid to seek advice as you are not aware as to who may turn out to be a reference or lead. You need to have people working for you, request people to forward your resume and also listen for the opportunities of jobs that are matching your niche.

You need to go back to the capability of the company of LinkedIn and then enter the name of the company that you find to interest to you. You should make a note that when the listing of the company is presented, it will also inform you about the number of people in your network that are working in that company. For starting the job search strategies, this is a good place, and you can reach out to the people in your network employed in that company for assistance. People have a tendency to respond in a much better way when they are asked to give advice rather than when they are asked to help you in getting a job. A communication that might be good in such a situation might be “I was looking at XYZ as a potential employer and was wondering if you could tell me about the corporate culture there?” such a type of message can also be sent to your extended network.

4. Reach Out to Hiring Managers

Once the companies that are of interest to you have been identified, you need to identify the people who are working in these companies. For this purpose also, LinkedIn is a great tool. You need to begin by identifying the hiring manager along with the staff in the area where you would like to join. You need to look for the people who will be your colleagues as well as their managers. Then you need to find out the LinkedIn groups that they have joined. This is significant as if you also join that group, you will be able to communicate with them free of cost, without having to update your LinkedIn account. You need to find out if they have taken part in any of the group discussions. It will be a great way of entering the conversation and begin to showcase your expertise. Remember that your comments need to be professional, positive and upbeat.

The same thing can be done on Twitter. You need to select the contact button that is present below their profile and find out if they have a Twitter handle. You then need to start following them and observe the types of tweets that they have put up. This is another great way of planning a conversation. Now you also find out if there are people in your LinkedIn account who can introduce you to them. You need to ask them what knowledge they have regarding the company and whether it would be recommended as a potential employer by them. You need to ask them the best way according to them for getting introduced. You need to note that instead of asking them to introduce you, you need to ask them for advice on the way you should get introduced.

Ultimately, you need to reach out to the hiring manager and ensure that you get a good elevator pitch of 30 seconds which will describe your background as well as your value proposition in a brief manner. You need to keep in mind that people usually hire those people whom they like, and therefore you need to build rapport.

Discipline is required for job seeking in a proactive way, and therefore you need to set goals for yourself on a weekly basis. The advantage of this is that in the end, you will be able to get the job you are looking for instead of getting a job by chance through job postings.

Besides, the above certain other strategies need to be adopted in 2016, which are common for both proactive and reactive approaches of job search strategies.

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5. Use Discretion

In case you are looking for another job, it is advisable that you do not tell your colleagues about it, even though they may be very close to you. This is because if your boss comes to know that you are searching for another job, he might take the mews in the negative sense and develop a feeling that you do not find your current position satisfactory. This may lead him to look for your replacement which can be dangerous, particularly if you have not found a new job.

6. Do Not Get Distracted

Job seeking is a job in itself. You need to create daily, weekly as well as monthly notes of your activities related to job search strategies. You should make a note of the opportunities, organizations, and contacts that you should follow up with and also make a schedule as to when you intend to do so. A lot of time is required if you are serious regarding your job search strategies. However, you need to ensure that too much concentration does not distract you from the professional tasks that you are required to carry out in your current job.

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7. Use Your Free Time

You should utilize your free time to look for a job. You should not use the time of your current employer to look for other jobs. Most of the companies look at the web histories of their employees, and having a history that is full of job listings will set a bad impression. You need to prioritize the free time that you have available, outside your work or during the lunch break that you get for a job search.

8. Have Knowledge about what you want

You need to know what sort of job you are looking for and have to be particular about the definition of the things that you are looking for in a job. Employers generally look for those candidates who are aware of the things that they are looking for in their career and do not show any ambiguity regarding themselves. You need to find your niche and then define it clearly.

9. Create a great resume

It is critical to have a resume that is professional along with a cover letter that defines your strengths clearly and also states your goals in a clear way. It is essential to have a clear format. The cover letter, as well as the resume, are your chances of selling yourself and is the first step towards the branding of the product, which is you.

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10. Add a personal touch.

Simply adding a “thank you” makes you stand out from other people who are seeking jobs. It is not necessary that you only thank a person for an interview; you can send a simple email to thank a person for becoming a connection which is new. It presents a great opportunity for introducing yourself. Attach your resume as well as your cover letter always. In case the connection does not happen to be a possible employer, you should utilize the opportunity for seeking advice and also attaching the resume again. The resume represents you, and it is always better than more people see it.

For marketing yourself, you need to treat it as a business. You need to spend almost 30-50 hours in a week on networking, job search applications as well as interviews so as to achieve your goal, which is being employed in a position which will allow growth along with opportunities. This process is not easy. It is an emotional process wherein highs as well as lows can be expected. However, as long as you follow your strategies and business plan, you can achieve your goals.

Recommended Articles:

This has been a guide to the job search strategies tips, which are easy to remember. This post is a complete heads-up on job search strategies that will help you to find a job. These are the following external link related to the job search strategies, so just go through the links for more details:

1. Resume Cover letter Format
2. Quitting Job Search