If you are in the market for a new job, a common practice is to post your resume on electronic job boards and broadcast it to thousands of companies. This is a helpful process and employers do find talented people this way. However, the industrial world is not an open market where businesses can pluck somebody out of an enormous resource pool, assimilate that person in to their business environment, and expect a good fit every time.
The fact is there aren’t thousands of jobs for you out there—there are three or four jobs with companies that are in need of someone with your specific talents and personality. These are the companies you should be targeting in your job search.
Seek out three or four companies in your chosen industry and study them thoroughly. Learn about their products, their customers, and their company history. Most companies post this information on their Web site. Use this as a starting point in your research. As you learn more about these companies, you will be more motivated to seek employment with the company that interests you the most.
When you find your target company, do an online search on the social networking sites or business directories to find and meet people who work for the company. Use a social networking site, such as LinkedIn, to learn who manages the department you are interested in and request in informational interview.
This method of job searching does work. After finishing college, one of my colleagues decided that she wanted to work near where she lived. One day she walked to the local business district and wrote down the names of the companies that provided services in her area of expertise. She went home and contacted the owners of each business and asked if she could send a resume package. She eventually landed a job with one of the companies. If cold contacting business owners or managers makes you nervous, send a prospecting letter that explains who you are, what professional qualifications you have, and why you have an interest in this particular company.
The fact is there aren’t thousands of jobs for you out there—there are three or four jobs with companies that are in need of someone with your specific talents and personality. These are the companies you should be targeting in your job search.
Seek out three or four companies in your chosen industry and study them thoroughly. Learn about their products, their customers, and their company history. Most companies post this information on their Web site. Use this as a starting point in your research. As you learn more about these companies, you will be more motivated to seek employment with the company that interests you the most.
When you find your target company, do an online search on the social networking sites or business directories to find and meet people who work for the company. Use a social networking site, such as LinkedIn, to learn who manages the department you are interested in and request in informational interview.
This method of job searching does work. After finishing college, one of my colleagues decided that she wanted to work near where she lived. One day she walked to the local business district and wrote down the names of the companies that provided services in her area of expertise. She went home and contacted the owners of each business and asked if she could send a resume package. She eventually landed a job with one of the companies. If cold contacting business owners or managers makes you nervous, send a prospecting letter that explains who you are, what professional qualifications you have, and why you have an interest in this particular company.
By: David Jensen, Elance.com
You don’t need to completely ignore the job boards and the resume distribution services. A successful job search requires that you use a variety of methods. However, your job search will be much more effective if you pursue it with more depth instead of going into a company cold hoping that it will be a good fit. This will also reduce the prospect of having to change jobs after you or your employer discovers that it wasn’t a good match.
You don’t need to completely ignore the job boards and the resume distribution services. A successful job search requires that you use a variety of methods. However, your job search will be much more effective if you pursue it with more depth instead of going into a company cold hoping that it will be a good fit. This will also reduce the prospect of having to change jobs after you or your employer discovers that it wasn’t a good match.
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