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With a little digging, you can unearth a job to treasure
In last week's column, I discussed the common but somewhat unhelpful tendency of job-seekers to rely only on print and electronic postings for job leads.
The problem isn't that these sources don't provide good leads. They do. They just don't provide all -- or even most -- of the leads available at any given time. These sources also are known to everyone, increasing the competition for each listed job.
As I noted last week, the solution is to learn about openings before they are advertised in a public forum. By doing so, the job-seeker becomes one of only a few people -- or the only person -- vying for the job. Although this type of job search is more difficult because it requires one to act instead of to react, the payoff comes in higher-caliber jobs from which to select.
So how to find these jobs before they're posted? The key is focus. You need to identify at least one primary descriptor of your next employer before you can start. Mind you, "an employer who pays well" doesn't count as a descriptor. "Well-paying" not only is a subjective concept but also is difficult to research and doesn't narrow the field enough.
Better criteria will include one or more of the following: an employer of a particular size, in a particular field, specializing in a certain product line or doing business in a particular geographic territory. Add to this mix your work area or job title, and you're starting to build a nicely focused job goal.
With a list of potential employers in hand and an understanding of the work you would like to do for them, you are ready to launch a job search. Now you don't have to rely on posted openings but instead (or also) can look for openings before they are advertised.
To find jobs on the "hidden" job market requires you to approach companies without knowing in advance whether they are hiring. If that sounds scary, remember that the payoff is huge: With the right timing, you could be the only candidate a company considers.
The best way to find these openings is through someone who works at the company or through someone who knows someone at the company. This leads us to the well-known but dreaded territory of networking.
If it helps, you can reframe the word into something softer, such as "connecting" or "relationship-building." Whatever you call this process, the steps will be similar: Make a list of people to contact, then do it.
Some of the people will be folks you know already; others will be people you need to meet. But if you've chosen well, they all will provide links in the chain leading to your next job.
Here are a few tips to help you get started.
* Using your list of target companies, note all the people you know at each company. For the moment, set aside the companies at which you have no contacts.
* Start contacting the people you know at each company for advice. Explain the job level you want in the organization and ask to whom you should be talking. Consider asking whether your contact would introduce you.
* Make this next level of contact, using the first contact's name, when possible. This communication can be done via mail, e-mail or phone. The point is to introduce yourself, explain that you are interested in working for the firm and describe in which capacity, and ask for a meeting. If the contact declines to meet, thank him or her and ask with whom else, inside or outside of the organization, you should connect.
* The companies for which you have no contacts will need to be approached "cold." In these cases, call to get the name of the person heading the department in which you likely would work. Then call or write to this person, introducing yourself and asking for a meeting.
* Throughout this process, keep your broader network of friends and colleagues informed of your steps. A regular e-mail will keep them all updated, while inviting them to forward leads or contact names.
If this seems like the long-shot approach to a job search, remember that most jobs are won through personal referral or contacts. This isn't the long shot; it's the best odds you've got.
- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.
