Getting Started … planning and executing the search
I’ve seldom met a person who claimed they enjoyed the process of looking for a new job. Whether unemployed, under-employed, unhappily employed, exploring new employment options, or just starting out, looking for employment can be challenging. Fortunately, looking for work doesn’t have to be an unpleasant experience; and with the right tools, achieving your goal of obtaining a new job can be much closer than you think.
To be successful in your job search, you need job search skills and an effective plan. You can begin by doing some research and career planning. The following graphic provides a high-level overview of what's ahead.
For more detail and a review of the above eight-step process, see Eight-Step Job Search. The following will get you started and help you execute your job search strategy.
Getting Started with a Personal Marketing and Communication Plan
Much of the job search process entails marketing yourself to networking contacts, recruiters, hiring managers, prospective employers and the like. Doing so requires identifying your personal assets (skills, experience, accomplishments, education, contacts, etc.) and effectively communicating those assets to people who can help you get a job.
On this website, you'll find several career planning tools that can help you focus on your professional needs and preferences. While these tools are valuable in planning and executing your career strategy, they cannot anticipate every detail for every person. As you go through the career planning process, think about things that are unique to your chosen career or your background. Think about how you can get a prospective employer to notice you.
For example, if you are in an industry where your personal creativity can significantly differentiate you from others, think about how you can showcase your work. You might find that creating your own website with a portfolio of your work fits very well with your personal marketing plan. Sometimes, a little creativity can make a big difference.
It can be helpful to think of yourself in the context of a product or service that is marketed to a consumer. The consumer is constantly evaluating "What's In It For Me" (WIIFM). When marketing products or services, marketers usually think about features and benefits that are applicable to their target market and end-use consumer.
In the world of job search, features are things like the job hunter's education, experience, certifications and skills. Core features for an open position are usually defined within the employer's job description and are often referred to as "minimum qualifications." Most qualified applicants for a given job opening will have somewhat similar features.
Benefits, on the other hand, are how the job hunter will utilize those features to produce desired results for the employer. For example, a job hunter who could talk about how they have used their education and experience to accomplish an important goal for a past employer would demonstrate their potential to bring similar benefits to a new employer. Benefits are often the differentiators that determine whether a person will be hired or passed over in favor of another candidate.
If you think of benefits as the way a job candidate will capitalize on their background to produce measureable results for an employer, you can start to visualize the personal marketing and communication process. It starts with an assessment of your background and then progresses to thoughts about how you can call upon your background to meet and advance the needs of a future employer. Below, we'll walk through the key steps in this process.
Like most other things in life, success often hinges on the ability to set realistic goals and then develop a plan to achieve those goals. The job search process is no different. You should have a goal in mind for the kind of job you would like to obtain, and then lay out a plan to help you achieve that goal.
For some people, it may seem pretty straight forward. They simply want to get the same kind of job they had in the past. However, if asked to define that job in terms of the employee-related attributes an employer would be most interested in, it gets a bit more complicated. It is even more difficult to answer questions about how you would stand out from other candidates applying for the same job.
Even after thinking about and answering the above questions, another challenge presents itself. That is, how do you market yourself to prospective employers in such a way that they will view you as the best candidate for the job? Tying this all together requires some analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, job market, employer needs, etc.
Job Hunter Pro includes many useful tools to help in this process. See a preview in a new window via the following links: Skills Inventory and Environmental Inventory. These forms, which are accessible via the Forms menu, will help you take a critical look at your background and targeted job market. They will lay out the foundation that will help you set realistic job search goals so you can develop a plan to achieve those goals. You may download these files from the Tools/Downloads/Misc. Files menu.
An important part of the job search process is the ability to effectively market yourself to prospective employers. To do so, you must first understand what aspects of your background would appeal to an employer. A good place to start is to create an inventory of your skills, traits, competencies, work experience, education, etc. Include anything that you believe would be marketable to an employer.
Think about the things you have done in the past, the accomplishments you're most proud of, any special projects you may have worked on, past compliments from your supervisors, unique skills or talents from your personal life, or any other relevant matters that might be important to a prospective employer. These things will become the foundation of a personal skills inventory.
As you prepare a skills inventory, think also about areas for personal growth or improvement. For example, what would your current or previous supervisor say is an area you could improve upon? This will help you understand areas that need additional attention so you can plan an improvement strategy, and respond effectively to any interview questions you might get in this area.
Create your skills inventory as a starting point in your job search, then add to it and modify it as new ideas come to mind. This inventory will be very helpful as you prepare your resume, write cover letters, and go through the interview process. To help you in this regard, a Skills Inventory Form can be found in the Forms menu.
Things to Consider
Clearly, you will be more valuable to an employer if you convince them you are well versed in the concepts and trends that are important in your industry. It is a good idea to step back a bit and think about what others might think are important issues within your job or industry sector. You can then use these ideas as you begin to prepare and practice for upcoming interviews.
Start by understanding the trends and issues impacting the overall market and, if applicable, your particular industry segment. Take the time to do a little research so you can talk about issues or concerns impacting the employers you will be targeting in your job search. Use the Environmental Inventory Form referenced above to help you get started.
You can find a lot of information via Internet searches, professional or trade associations, the Department of Labor (state and federal), libraries, and various other sources. Some of the top websites for company and industry information are listed below. Note: the links will open the websites in a new browser window.
There are many more websites that specialize in market and company research. To get you started, we've listed a variety of company research websites under the Tools menu; some of which boast information on over 14 million U.S. businesses.
As you evaluate your job market, examine the overall job situation. Are open positions plentiful or are they few and far between? Is the job market or economy growing or shrinking? Are companies in your market sending jobs offshore where labor is cheaper? What are people saying about your particular job market? Answers to these questions will influence your job search strategy and impact the relative urgency of your job search.
Within your job market, consider the specific kinds of jobs for which you'll be applying. Then put yourself in the shoes of current jobholders. Think about and describe the day-to-day problems, challenges, opportunities, and issues they face. This will help you position yourself within your job market.
Below are some things you should think about and be prepared to discuss with a prospective employer.
Things to Consider
Setting your Job Search Objective
A friend of mine used to say “How will you know when you’ve arrived if you don’t know where you’re going?” The same holds true for your job search. If you don’t have a job objective, it is hard to plan an effective strategy on how to get there. Setting an objective gives direction to your search efforts, helps you focus your resume, and enables you to effectively talk about your job goals with recruiters and hiring managers.
Your job objective should relate to who you are and what is important to you, such as your skills, interests and values. It should clarify the role you prefer and the level of responsibility you are seeking. If you decide that a full-time job is not the right path for you, you may choose to pursue an entrepreneurial track, such as becoming a consultant or starting a business. Below is an example of the job objective:
“Mid-level marketing position involving product marketing and management”
Your job objective should also reflect where you want your career and work life to go next. You may need to balance your job with other priorities such as school, children or maintaining personal passions (e.g.- travel or recreational activities). This reflects the needs in your life, which reflect the values that are most important to you. For example, the needs of someone who is young and just starting out may be very different from someone older and considering retirement.
Often it helps to determine several of your greatest accomplishments in the past five years. After reviewing this list of accomplishments, think about what actions you took to achieve them. There will probably be some activities in which you were involved that you really enjoyed. Sometimes it helps to think about tasks that you were so absorbed in that you lost track of time or didn’t want to stop. These are normally tasks which are in alignment with your skills, interests, and values, and can help determine work that will be sustaining and result in higher levels of job satisfaction.Things to Consider
A strategy can be thought of as a plan or road map to achieve your job search objective. If you understand your job market and set a realistic job search objective, you can then start to think about how you go about achieving your objective. Your job search strategy should include standard tools such as creating one or more resumes, targeting various employers in your field, and various search techniques, e.g., direct mail, Internet, networking, etc. You should also include skill improvements such as interview techniques and honing your job skills so you are prepared to shine brighter than your competition.
Part of setting a job search strategy is to think about how you want to position yourself in the eyes of a prospective employer. Most people applying for a particular job will have similar backgrounds and skills to yours. The question to ask yourself is "How do I stand out from the rest of the crowd?" Think about how you would position or differentiate yourself so that you have a competitive edge over your competition. It is much like developing a marketing campaign that is designed to sell you and your abilities to an employer.
As you think about setting your job search strategy, consider how you will structure your time and effort. The following graphic will give you an idea of how most job search professionals suggest you spend your time. See "Managing Your Search" under the Home menu for more information.
As you plan your job search and budget your time, you may feel a certain amount of frustration about how slowly recruiters or hiring managers seem to be moving. In most cases, they want to move as fast as you do, but job demands, schedule changes, interruptions, changing needs, etc. often cause delays that are outside their control. As frustrating as it may be, don't take it personally and keep moving forward.
Things to Consider
Creating a 30-Second Introduction
Now that you've conducted a personal assessment, created a skills inventory, defined your market, and formed a job search strategy, you're well on your way to executing your job search. One of the first things you should do with all this valuable information you've compiled is develop a brief and focused message you can share with others. This message will be the essence of how you will present yourself.
This message will be your 30-second introduction. Think of it as a brief, but concise positioning statement. You want to fit all the important aspects of your background, skills, motivations, education, etc. into a short but effective message for your audience. Thirty seconds is about the right amount of time to get someone's attention and enable them to view you as a viable job candidate.
You never know when this 30-second introduction will be needed. It’s a great response during the beginning of the interview when they ask you to introduce yourself – often they’ll say “tell me about yourself.” You can also use this message in networking situations. It could also be useful while on an elevator, in a restaurant, on an airplane, at the grocery store, etc. Job opportunities and influential contacts come from a variety of sources, so you always want to be prepared.
It can be very helpful to create a one-page personal profile so you are sure to capture all the important aspects of your skills and experience. Start by addressing why you are looking for a job and sharing your job objective. Next, think about what a potential employer might want to hear if they were seeking job candidates with your general background. Then use the information you've compiled via your personal assessment, skills inventory, etc. and craft the best possible message for this potential employer. All of this information will ultimately become the script for your 30-second introduction. Here’s a sample:
“My name is Greg Smythe. For the past 10 years I have been a fund developer with XYZ Organization. Recently my position was downsized and I am taking this opportunity to apply my outreach and writing experience to pursue a career in marketing. My strengths include developing strategies to increase awareness, implementing high-impact plans, and launching new product rollouts, campaigns and promotions. I am looking for information that may help me find marketing jobs or employers in the green or non-profit sectors who could use these skills.”
Practice delivering your 30-second introduction so it stays fresh in your mind, but don't memorize it. You don't want it to sound like a "canned" speech. Also, you may have to adjust it a bit from time-to-time, depending upon the particular circumstances or needs of the person you are talking with.
Things to Consider
Almost everyone you talk to about your job search will eventually ask why you want to leave, or have left, your former position. This may be one of the first questions they ask following delivery of your 30-second introduction, but it could potentially be asked at any time.
This kind of question is logical and
can have a bearing on your potential for future employment. In most cases, a person's reason for leaving is within a range
of acceptable standards. In these cases, a simple statement may suffice. For example, you might simply declare "I've gained
a lot of experience over the years and feel I'm ready to take on more responsibility."
However, there are a number of reasons for leaving that may not be as positive. Being fired from a previous job, poor performance evaluations, personality conflicts, etc. require a much more thought-out response. The point of all of this is that you should expect and be prepared to discuss your reason for wanting to move on from a previous position.
In this situation, consider a brief, non-defensive and positive statement. Start with a sentence stating what happened, and if applicable, how the departure was not due to any fault of your own. The second sentence should be positive and focus on your ambitions. This kind of ending sentence shows receptivity and allows for the listener to inquire about where you want to go in your career. Here’s an example:
“As a result of a merger between Acme Tools and Handy Industries, over 300 positions were eliminated, including mine. I am now exploring opportunities that will take full advantage of my project management skills in the IT and healthcare industries.”
All of these factors should be considered and an appropriate response to questions about your reason for leaving should be prepared ahead of time. Creating an exit statement is a good way to clarify your thoughts and ensure you have an answer that is cast in the best possible light.
Things to Consider
As you continue through this eBook, you’ll learn much more about these and other topics. You’ll be provided with suggestions, examples, and tools to assist you in your job search. If you start now by creating a skill inventory, reviewing your job market, setting a job search objective, creating a 30-second introduction, and developing an exit statement, you'll have a solid head start as you start working on your job search strategy. As mentioned earlier, we've included a Career Planning Worksheet under the Forms menu, plus Skills Inventory and Environmental Inventory forms to help you get started.
Managing Your Finances
It may seem obvious, but most people need to reconsider their financial situation when looking for work. Even if you have a severance package or Unemployment Compensation to fall back on, it is best to scale back on expenses. The earlier you evaluate your financial situation, the more likely you'll avoid a financial crisis later on. Keep in mind that finding new employment might take longer than expected and plan accordingly. You'll find links for personal money management under the Tools/Links/Hot Links menu.
Another financial consideration relates to your credit report. Depending upon the type of job you are applying for, some employers may request your credit report as part of their job application process. Some states have banned employers from screening an applicant's credit, and in all states, employers can only view your credit report, not your credit score. Fortunately, they can't pull your credit report without your permission, so you'll at least have advance notice via a form you'll be asked to sign. If you have concerns about what might be in your credit report, you can get a copy from the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) at no charge every 12 months via AnnualCreditReport.com and a few other sites.
Finally, as you progress through the job search process, you will find there are a lot of details to keep track of. To help in this regard, we have created a to-do list for managing your search (under the Home/Eight-Step Job Search/Tracking Your Progress menu) and couple of job search tracking tools. You may download the tracking tool of your choice from the Forms/Downloads menu.
A Word of Caution
As is the case with any other aspect of using the Internet, a certain amount of caution should be exercised. If you use an external job search site or resource that asks for confidential information such as date of birth, Social Security Number, credit card or banking information, or similar types of information, be sure you are confident that the site is legitimate. Identity theft and other forms of fraud are very real considerations.
Starting the Job Search
Key Points