10 Job Search Related Tips

With the current market as it is, companies are cutting back on their recruitment budgets for things like advertising as its both expensive and actually does not always work.  According to my previous post on the careeradviceguy.com, only 10% of all jobs are filled using job boards and this figure is reducing.  Companies are cutting back as they either have all the CV’s they need or do not have the manpower to go through all the CV’s that are sent.  In tough times, with an high percentage of people out of work or looking for a new job, often candidates will apply for roles whether they have the right qualifications or not.  This means that roles placed onto a job board collect huge numbers of CV’s.  A recent role that I placed on ……….. collected nearly 1,500 Resumes in only 3 days.  I still have not really made a dent in looking at all the CV’s that have been sent to me. 

Finding a job that is not advertised is worth investing your time into as it will almost certainly pay off given that fewer people will be applying for the role, however how do you do it?  Below you will find my top tips for finding a job that is not advertised for.  

Its Not always what you know but who you know 

Networking is the key and you should make sure that all your friends, family, former colleagues, former bosses and any business acquaintances that you know or have met along your career know that you are looking for a new job.  A reference from your former boss that you are a great candidate for a role will go along way.  If a candidate is passed to me as a recruiter by one of my clients, I will always meet the candidate as I can guarantee that I will not be wasting my time.  If I look at all the candidates that I have found new jobs for over the past 10 years, a high percentage have come from references. 

Be Prepared to Pick up the Telephone 

Contacting HR for the most part is not worth it as Internal Recruiters are usually very busy looking for candidates for the job that they currently have.  Unless your CV fits directly into a role that they have, most likely your CV will end up in the bin.  If you send your CV too the hiring manager, they will have a look as to see if you are useful to them.  If you have a look at the company website or LinkedIn you can usually identify who will be best person to speak with.  If your looking for a new job in sales, then send you Cover Letter and Resume to the Head of Sales Directly and make sure you tailor the application letter to each company that you send to.  There is a great post about sending Speculative Resumes here 

Right Place Right Time 

Getting the right job is as much about being prepared for an interview as it is as being in the right place at the right time.  Recruitment is a nightmare for the candidate and the hiring manager given that you have to make a decision if a candidate is going to work in a short period of time.  Working as a Temp means that an employer can see you work for a much longer period of time and therefore reducing the risk that you are not going to work out for them.  Once in a company, you are also more likely to be successful with any in-house roles, given that a hiring manager can have first-hand experience of your work. 

Social Media 

According to JobVite in the USA, a massive 87% of companies use Linkedin.com for their recruitment and two out of three said they use another social media platform for recruitment. with facebook, and twitter being the next 2 highest percentages. 

You need to make you that you are part of this and you have a well presented LinkedIn.com profile that is both factual and recruiter friendly.  Make sure that you use plenty of keywords and phrases that match your specific experience and skill set and therefore ensure that when a recruiter runs a search for specific keywords, you profile is returned.  If I cannot find a candidate for one of my searches, the first place I turn to is linkedin.com.  You also need to join groups within LinkedIn.  Lets say I am looking for a CFO, the first place I will go within LinkedIn is to a CFO group and have a look if any candidates are looking for a new job.  If I see your profile, chances are I will connect. 

Twitter so I have heard is also becoming a great place to look for candidates, I whilst I do not currently use it, I know many people who do. 

Get Job Alerts Straight to your Email Box 

Make sure that you sign up for both specific jobs within job boards to ensure that if a new job is created, you are one of the very first to reply to it.  You are much more likely to get a reply to a job advert if your CV has been sent in the first 24 hours. 

Thinking outside of the box, you could also use Google alerts to get regular emails with events that might lead to a new job.  For example, “Company X” is planning a hiring spree and then you could make sure that your resume ends up on the right table.