A Hiring Manager's Job Search Advice on Preparing for Your Job Search

If you're not an upper level executive, the best job search advice is very different for you. Here it is, straight from a hiring manager.

Caution: you'll need to put aside some of what you may have read elsewhere about how to find a job. Much of the traditional advice about how to find a job advice is either theoretical, only works for upper level positions, or is based on what a recruiter thinks are the best job search methods.

Much of the job search advice you'll find on the Internet is also several years old and is either no longer applicable is today's world, or simply played out.

Case in point: are you still assuming that the Human Resources department is the target your job search? Wrong! Here's why.

What you'll find here are the steps about how to find a job that I used myself to find a job fast...twice!

Preparation Steps

• Get the Right Job Search Tools

  You'll need the basics, such as a computer, phone, etc, plus some additional items to get the most out of your job search time. See the job search tools page for a complete list of what you will need.

• Get Organized

  See the Get Organized page for details on how to organize your job search. It's important to lay an organized foundation for your job search in order to use your time in the most efficient manner. Remember, looking for a job adds whole new meaning to the term "time is money" - especially if you're unemployed!

• Create a Basic Resume and Cover Letter

  You need to have a basic resume completed before you begin your job search, so that you can react quickly when you see a job opening. You should also create a generic cover letter targeted towards the position for which you're most qualified. You can then revise this to suit actual jobs for which you apply.

• Create a List of References, With Contact Information

  The time to create your list of references if before you apply for jobs, not after. If you luck out and land a job offer quickly, you don't want to delay your response while you desperately try to find people who will say something nice about you! You should have three to five excellent references from previous jobs, preferably from previous bosses. Contact these people in advance and ask their permission to be used as a reference.

• Post Your Resume Online at Selected Sites

  While this is generally good job search advice and is one of those things you must do in order to cover all the bases in your job search, you should do carefully. Use only well known sites and consider masking your name if you're currently employed. One of the worse things that can happen when you're job searching is to have your current employer see your resume posted online (this is what we hiring managers call a CLM - Career Limiting Move). Of course, if you're currently unemployed, feel free to plaster your name all over the Internet. Not really - please see our Resume section for more specific details and advice.

• Let Others Know You're Job Hunting

  You'll want to let as many business and personal contacts as possible know you are searching for a job. You just never know when someone will have the inside track on an opening that just became available. Here too, good job search advice dictates that you use some discretion if you are still employed. You don't want it coming back to your current boss that you are looking for a new job, as this does not make for good employer-employee relations.

• Set Up "Job Search Agents"

  A "Job Search Agent" is simply a specialized search that you can set up on many job posting sites. You specifiy the types of jobs you're looking for and the job search agent notifies you by email whenever a new job that meets your criteria is posted. How cool is this?! This is an invaluable tool in your job search and you should set up job search agents at all the major job posting sites and online newspaper classifieds. Also, many company web sites will allow you set up job search agents for their employment postings. This is, however, not a substiture for visiting these sites regularly, because jobs may be posting in areas that don't meet your predermined search criteria.

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