Search Strategies

We’ve already covered one search strategy in our prior discussion of networking. In fact, it’s been stated that over 60% of all job opportunities go unadvertised and are discovered through this method. Deborah Arcoleo, vice president and outplacement executive for Seagate Associates/Lee Hecht Harrison Inc., recommends that her clients spend 80% of their efforts on networking and only 20% on answering ads.^xii

Other strategies include methods as traditional as reviewing the want ads in the local paper to more advanced means such as vertical job boards. Let’s explore some of the more popular methods.

Newspaper Advertising – This traditional method is still a perfectly valid way to find a job. Although more cumbersome than newer search techniques, there are still some employers who don’t advertise online. Still, it would stand to reason that most employers offering opportunities in the IT field would make use of the technology available to them. Probably the biggest advantage to checking the want ads is that you can do it on your lunch break while away from your computer or PDA.

Online Job Postings – A study conducted by IDC Research indicates that by 2002, 96% of all companies will be using the Internet for recruitment needs.^xiii There are already more job boards on the Internet than you can shake a stick at. Some of the biggest include Monster.com, Headhunter.net and CareerBuilder.com, just to name a few. You’ll find more listed at the end of this section under Online Resources. Online job sites can be national, regional or local and are usually searchable by region, by industry, by keyword, or by some combination of these items. Frequently, these sites offer many other benefits to their visitors. You can find career-related articles, salary wizards, tips for creating resumes, interviewing techniques, etc. Most sites have a newsletter you can sign up for too. And, if you prefer to have employers find you, most sites allow you to post your resume, often free of charge.

The latest trend in online job postings is vertical job boards. These are sites that focus on specific industries or fields.^xiv Sites such as TechieGold.com or ITCareers.com are good examples of this. Since vertical job boards only feature openings in the industry you are interested in, you’ve already saved yourself some time and effort.

Internet – Think we just covered the Internet? Not really. While the job boards may be the most visible Internet job search tool, you are cutting yourself off from a wealth of information if you don’t use the Internet for what it was originally designed for – research! Think about all the things you can discover by doing Internet research. You can obtain a list of companies in a specific industry, find out salary information, investigate a particular company to learn more about them prior to an interview, and on and on. Use the search tool of your preference to open up whole new worlds of knowledge and opportunity.

Recruiters – Executive search consultants, headhunters, recruiters… whatever you call them, this is still a viable option for many job seekers. Usually a company will retain a recruiter, who is then paid a fee once they have successfully completed the search. However, some recruiters work in the opposite manner, charging a fee to the job seeker instead. If you decide to go this route, be very careful about checking references, pricing and placement record. With so many fee-paid recruiters available, it hardly seems necessary to pay someone to find you a job.

Cold Calling – I’ve already heard you say "UGH!" But, cold calling doesn’t have to be as bad as it sounds. Remember all those unadvertised positions discussed earlier? You never know when a well-placed letter or phone call will pay off. As a kid, I wasn’t too proud or afraid to go door-to-door looking for summer employment. There were one or two places that I really wanted to work at. It took a number of calls and visits (partly because I was too young when I first started), but eventually I got the job I wanted. The reason? Because I was persistent and I’d really shown them I was interested. The same thing can happen for you. Make a list of those companies you’d really like to work for. Find out who their HR person is, or the manager of the department you’d be working in. This is where some of that networking you’ve done can come in handy. If you’ve got a contact at one of your dream companies, you move right from cold call to personal referral – a definite plus. Either way, put together a special cover letter explaining why you’re interested in ABC Company. Just as with any other cover letter, tell them what sort of position you’re seeking, outline your background and give them some reasons why it would be beneficial for them to hire you. Send it with your resume and follow up in a few days with a personal phone call. At the very least, you’ve just made another contact. At best, you may find you were in the right place at the right time!

As you plan your job search strategy, keep these methods in mind, but be aware that there are other methods. In fact, Richard N. Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute?, lists fourteen different job search methods, although many are variations of networking techniques. Bolles cites some interesting research statistics. For those people who use only one job search method, over half (51%) give up by the second month. Compare that to a 31% abandonment rate for job seekers using two or more methods. However, the success rate begins to decrease if you use five or more methods.^xv The lesson? Pick two or three search methods and stick with them. The more varied your methods, within reason, the more likely it is that your search will be successful.