6 Tactics for Successful Job Search in the New Economy - Workology

6 Tactics for Successful Job Search in the New Economy - Workology The employment numbers are out for the month of May and they continue to be dismal with unemployment at 7.6% and only 175,000 jobs added. According to a recent article, we needed an extra 12,400,000 jobs since January 2008 to accommodate population growth and job loss since January 2008 IF we want to get back to an employment participation rate that we had before the crash. We’ve made some gains, however we’re still more than 7,000,000 jobs short. To make matters worse most of the new jobs added are low paying service related positions, not the high paying jobs we saw before the recession. Bottom line: the competition for higher paying jobs is extremely fierce. This means you have to change your mind set. Start by reordering your priorities. Stop spending all your time chasing posted jobs on Internet job boards. If you’re relying on playing the Internet Lottery to find your next job you’ve got a “monster” of a problem. Limit your “career builder” playing time to 15-20%. “Indeed,” you may get lucky by rolling the “dice,” paying to climb “ladders,” all the while looking for those “hot jobs.” Who knows, eventually you may end up “simply hired.” But there’s a better way to land the job you really want. STOP WORRYING ABOUT FINDING A “JOB” AND START THINKING ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYABILITY! Here are 6 Tactics for a Successful Job Search in the New Economy: Tactic #1: Fire Your Resume Your resume is a necessary evil. You have to have one because that’s how the game is played. But it’s doing a lousy job of getting you in front of the hiring manager the one person who can truly appreciate the value you bring to the table. Tactic #2: Target Companies, Not Jobs This is the BIG shift you need to make in your thinking! Instead of chasing posted jobs, start thinking about the kinds of companies you’d like to go to work for. Tactic #3: Define Your Value What is it that makes you employable to your targeted companies, moving forward? It’s a lot more than static information on your resume. Your resume is old news! Companies don’t hire you for your past; they hire you for their future, Your value is a blend of your skills, experience, expertise and style that may uniquely fit your targeted organization and be instrumental in helping them increase profitability. Tactic #4 Target the Hiring Manager Sending your resume into targeted companies where you’d like to go to work and where you know you would bring added value is not enough; you need to identify the hiring manager. How do you find the names of hiring managers in your targeted companies? This is where your professional network comes in, particularly the people you’re connected with if you’re on the business-oriented social media site LinkedIn. Tactic #5 Get Referred to the Hiring Manager Without a doubt, the best way to get an interview is to be referred to the hiring manager by someone he or she trusts. Again, this is where LinkedIn can help. Tactic #6 Broadcast Your Value… Not Your Resume Educate the business community (hiring managers) about who you are, and the potential value you offer, WITHOUT using your resume as an initial means of introduction. This is where your Biography comes into play. For more information on these tactics and samples of a biography and associated cover letters, please don’t hesitate to email me. Are you willing to change your mind set?