If you are looking for resources to help find a career or explore ideas for your job search, I have worthwhile information to share with you. When unemployed, there is a natural tendency is to rely on staffing agencies or headhunters to help you find open positions. This is not the most effective method for your job hunt.
Sure, staffing agencies and headhunters have relationships with employers. Ask yourself one question though, “who is their customer?” It really comes down to, are you the customer or is the potential employer the customer? The employer is definitely the customer because they are paying the staffing agency and/or headhunter fees upon hire or referral. With that in mind, I recommend corresponding with these firms, while diversifying your activities for maximum effectiveness. Incorporate these job search tips and activities into to help find a career that fits you and your goals.
- A great resource to help find a career can be your alma mater. Whether you earned your Associates, Undergraduate, or Masters’ Degree or even a professional certificate from a vocational school, these institutions usually have Graduate Services departments or something similar. Make the phone call and ask if they have programs in helping find a job for their recent graduates. They may be tied into key employers for a given industry or career. Sometimes you will that this department is incredibly valuable. As a graduate, there is no charge and no risk.
- Utilize social media to help find a career. Twitter is quickly gaining traction, especially in the employment arena. More and more human resource professionals are utilizing this social media tool to seek out potential candidates. In addition, LinkedIn offers great job opportunities through various groups that you can join and by data mining the connections of who knows who. Facebook is also becoming increasingly popular and effective, and headhunters are actually using these sites as a resource to find candidates.
You will notice that I did not list online job boards as an effective in helping find a job for yourself. This is because you want to reduce your competition, not increase it. Have you ever applied for an online posted opportunity? The typical response is that you wasted your time, your confidence took a hit and you lost some motivation. This is because very few people actually get hired from online job boards. In fact, less than 3% is the industry average.
The key to your search to find a career that fits you is to diversify your activities in order to maximize your results. Staffing agencies and headhunters can be effective, but you have to continuously stay in front of them. In addition to utilizing activities such as your alma mater and your social network, look for non traditional ways to get in front of referrals and decisions makers that are successful in helping find a job for folks with similar skills as yours.
