The Best Job Search Techniques


Hundreds of thousands of positions were obtained by job seekers last month, so employers are definitely hiring’ If you are frustrated in your job search, then perhaps you should rethink your job search plan’ Here is a recap of job search techniques and how to get the most out of them’




The first thing a job seeker does is head for the job boards’ After all, isn’t it exciting to find positions that fit you like a glove? The chief perkara is that the job boards are the most competitive way to way to find a position and have the least probability of success – generally less than 5% of jobs are filled this way according to industry statistics’ That is not to say that you shouldn’t use them – it just means that they should not be the heart of your job search’


Start by using Indeed or SimplyHired as these are job board aggregators, meaning they pull jobs from all the other job boards as well as company web sites to give you a single place to find openings’ Also look at Craig’s List which is becoming a great place to find local job postings’ And do NOT apply over the Internet’ Yes that’s right, pull yourself out of the big pile of resumes in HR and use this simple technique’


First, find out who the hiring manager or key influencers are’ You can usually do this by going to LinkedIn and doing a company search’ Once you have their name and phone number give them a call and say something like: “A friend told me you might be interested in someone with my background’ I have (insert your 2-sentence pitch), and I have just a few questions for you’”


Then ask them some questions that show you’ve done some homework on their company’ Be very friendly, down to earth and personable and build some rapport, At some point they will ask you for your resume at which point you have now put yourself at the top of the decision maker’s pile and skipped the HR screeners’ Using this trick can be the difference between being screened out and getting noticed’




Recruiters have about a 5-12% effectiveness rate in securing a new position for you so you should consider whether they should be a part of your plan’ Here we are only talking about those who are paid a fee by the employer, and I would caution you to steer clear of those who want you to pay the fee for their services’


Start by considering whether the type of position is typically filled by recruiters’ For example, recruiters will not generally work with entry level people or career changers as employers are paying them a hefty 20-30% of your first year’s compensation as a fee for their finding you’ Entry level people are easy to find and a recruiter will generally not offer a career changer up as a candidate if they have no track record in the desired field’


If you decide to work with recruiters, then use a service (hint: like ours) that will present your resume to the largest number’ These are inexpensive and very effective, especially in saving you time’ Remember that recruiters in California can be searching for candidates on Texas, so do not limit your search locally’




Networking is the king of effectiveness in job searching as it has always had over a 50% effectiveness rate’ Especially in this market, networking should be the heart of your search plan as employers are much more inclined to hire someone who is referred to them as compared to a stranger’ Networking is not as much fun as applying through job boards and requires a good deal more discipline, but the difference is not only in its effectiveness rate, but also in the quality of the job you obtain’


Most people think networking is sharing your resume with friends and neighbors but this is the worst thing you can do as you just lost control of the process as you wait for the phone to ring’ Networking as a subject is a long article unto itself, but here are the key techniques’


Develop an “elevator pitch”, the 3 to 5 sentences that describe who you are and why an employer should want to speak to you’ Develop support materials that include a networking business card too’ Also make sure you are posted into LinkedIn which is becoming the top networking site for professionals’