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Today, you are not likely to gain
employment by talking to the people who used to
be a prime source of jobs in the past.
In the past, positions have been secured
through meetings with human resources
departments, recruitment firms and employment
agencies. While all of these resources can be
helpful, the most effective approach is to find
the manager who needs a new employee and make
that person want you.
Too often, human resource departments are
extremely busy and are working with a very
limited number of openings compared to the past.
They are most likely to respond: “We are sorry,
but there is nothing available for someone with
your excellent qualifications”.
People who want to believe that there is some
magic formula or hidden ‘pot of gold’ databank
of wonderful jobs just waiting for discovery.
The truth is that there is no magic formula, and
the hiding reservoir of jobs has almost
disappeared. Don’t rely on letters and phone
calls to do anything more that secure an
appointment with a manager who might be
persuaded that he or she needs you on the team.
Obtaining a meeting with a potential employer
requires persistence. A referral from someone
within the same company or from a business
associate of the potential hiring manager can
help open the door. Once you have a meeting, ask
the interviewer for advice.
Discuss topics on which he or she may have
expertise. Everyone, including the hiring
executive, wants to feel important and
respected. Listen to the individual and build
rapport. The more you contact realizes you are
interested in his or her counsel, the more
engaged he or she is likely to become in your
search.
In this way, you can turn such an encounter
into a job offer. After the manager has told you
how to find a job, then ask how you could fit in
at the company. Follow up by asking if he or she
can refer you to others outside of the
organization. Make a friend first; then make a
job.
Be careful, however, not to seek solace from
the hiring manager. Often, job seekers let down
their guard and share their frustrations, anger
and despair with sympathetic interviewers. This
usually is not a winning strategy because it
detracts from the upbeat message that you can
make a major contribution to the employer’s
organization.
Of course, job databases do exist. They contain
numerous job listings. Sometimes the listings
are from corporations seeking to fill
“impossible” position for which there are no
available candidates, or else the listings are
for entry level or sales positions offering
straight commissions. Nearly always, there will
be large numbers of local candidates who send
their resumes, considerably reducing the odds
that you will ever get an interview.
More than 80 percent of all positions obtained
by job seekers are not advertised. Your best
approach is to find a hiring manager who might
have an interest in your qualifications. Then it
is up to you to match your qualifications to the
company’s needs. It is not incumbent on the
corporation to fit you into an open slot. Talk
to people and sell them what they want to buy if
you have the required credentials. People hire
people who can help them. Show the hiring
manager how you are going to make money for the
corporation or make his or her job easier.
Letting as many of your contacts know you are
looking for a new position is also a wise
strategy. Admitting you are out of work is a
humbling experience. Emotionally many job
seekers are embarrassed and do not want to let
the world know they are looking for a new job.
This attitude could not be more wrong. It is
imperative that you get past the embarrassment
and let as many people as you can know of your
search. The more people who know, the more
likely you are to meet with someone who can hire
you. Let people know quickly, since you are most
valuable in the marketplace when you have not
been out of circulation for an extended period
of time.
Often, one’s severance pay can be an impediment
to finding a new job. The severance pay may take
away the urgency of moving quickly to locate a
new position. The false sense of security it
creates slows the job search process to the
point where appointments are not made rapidly
enough to generate offers.
The average job search time does not vary
significantly according to what the economy is
doing, hovering close to three or four months.
Creating the right sense of urgency and knowing
how to approach the job market normally results
in a shorter search time and certainly an equal
or better paying position. Nearly nine out of
then job searchers are able to find jobs at the
same or better pay than in their last position.
Losing your job is a traumatic and negative
experience all the way through the process until
a final offer is made and a new job is accepted.
The initial trauma of being let go is compounded
by a series of negative phone calls and meetings
until that one positive offer is made. However,
new positions can be found in a relatively short
time and a very satisfying outcome is possible
if you sell yourself effectively to a new
employer. Taking a proactive approach from the
start will speed up the whole process.
By James E. Challenger - President of
Challenger, Gray and Christmas
James E. Challenger, President of Challenger,
Gray & Christmas, Inc., is in his fourth decade
of job search counseling after pioneering
outplacement as an employer-paid benefit. |
