This Will Help Find a Job for You: How the Hiring Manager Did ItThis is about how I was able to help find a job for myself. After six years with the same organization, I was happy in my job but was pretty much topped out as far as salary was concerned. Consequently, I began keeping my eyes open for more responsible – and better paying – positions. As I said on the home page, I "eat my own dog food", so I used my own advice to help find a job for myself. I recently landed a much better position and did it by taking my own advice. After you read below about how I approached my job search, go to the next page to read about my interview. Then go on to read the lessons learned from my job search.
How I Approached My Job SearchOn the Best Job Steps page, the best steps for finding job quickly are explained and broken down into Preparation Steps and Ongoing Steps. I used these to help find a job for myself - you should too.The Preparation steps are:
I already had the right job search tools and I was already organized (I am, after all, a Hiring Manager, right?). I updated my resume and created a generic cover letter, both of which I knew I'd modify for each job I applied for. I updated my references and called each one to make sure I had permission to use them as a reference, and to let them know, confidentially of course, that I was looking for a new job. I did NOT post my resume at selected sites, since I was still employed and did not want to run the risk of my employer seeing my resume online. If I were unemployed, I would definitely have posted my resume to help find a job. I let selected people, whom I trusted, know that I was looking for a new job, in case any leads came their way. I set up job search agents at the major newspapers in my area and at the larger online job sites (Monster, CareerBuilder, Dice, etc). The Ongoing Steps are:
I made a list of about 25 companies and organizations that I felt were appropriate for what I was looking for. I checked the online job postings at least twice a week for all 25. I checked the major newspaper online job ads weekly and carefully read the Sunday paper classifieds. It's important to do both because some companies advertise jobs only online or only in the paper edition (because each one charges separately). This is absolutely mandatory to help find a job faster. I checked job postings in the major online job sites regularly, unless I had set up a job search agent. With a job search agent, there's no need to check regularly because the search agent will send you new jobs, based on the search criteria you set up. But I did occasionally check online in categories I did not include in my job search agent, just in case. I did NOT attend job fairs, again because I was still employed and did not want to run into anyone from my current employer. I spent time on my job search about two or three days a week. Again, if I were unemployed, I would have spent several hours every day on my job search. Why Didn't I Work With a Recruiter? You may be wondering why I didn't register with an executive recruiter and let them help find a job for me. The answer is that recruiters don't find jobs for people – they find people for jobs. That's right. Recruiters work for the companies that have jobs, not for the job searcher. The recruiter is paid by the company and thus work for the company. This is why I say that they do not help people find jobs, but rather help jobs find people. This is an important distinction to understand. Unless you are a well known person in your industry, a senior level executive, or possess a skill set in very high demand, it will be difficult to get an "executive recruiter" to accept your resume. Unless you fit into one of the categories I just mentioned, contacting executive recruiters will simply be a waste of your time and will likely not help find a job for you. Where I Found My New JobI was pretty specific in what types of positions for which I'd apply and for several weeks nothing opened up in my geographical area, so I kept repeating the steps above.I was in no hurry, since I was still employed, so I had the luxury of being very selective and was only willing to apply for jobs that very closely matched my qualifications (plus, I had my own advice ready to help find a job for myself). After about five weeks, what I considered to be the perfect job was posted in……the Sunday newspaper! That's right, the Sunday newspaper. And this was an upper-middle level management position, with a six figure starting salary. The Sunday newspaper is NOT just for low-level jobs. As I explain here, the Sunday newspaper is still my favorite way to advertise a job opening, and consequently is my favorite place to find a job for myself. In fact, I obtained my two previous jobs by responding to Sunday newspaper job postings. Sure, following all the job search steps is important, as you never know where YOUR next job will be posted. But the Sunday newspaper remains an incredibly powerful tool for finding jobs. How I Applied for My New JobThis job required filling out an online application, along with the submission of a resume and, as an option, a cover letter (an option that you can bet I took!).My resume is in the chronological format. I took my basic resume and modified it to highlight the exact skills and experience in the job posting. This is a critical action to take to help you find a job quickly. What I did was print out the job posting. I broke it up into each individual required qualification. I then made sure that these qualifications were specifically mentioned in my resume. Of course, you must actually have the qualifications to be able to do this, which I did because I was only looking for jobs that matched my skills and experience. Wherever possible, I used the exact wording in the job posting for each qualification. For my cover letter, I also made certain it specifically addressed the qualifications of the job posting. Again, I can't stress enough how important this is to help find a job in the shortest time possible. I submitted everything electronically via email to the address specified in the job advertisement. I then waited almost six weeks before hearing anything. Yes, I said six weeks! It seems some organizations are a bit slower that others… When the HR department finally called me to invite me in for an interview, things started happening very quickly. Read about my job interview here. Click here to return to the top of this page. |