3 Important Job Search Strategies You Need In 2015

Friday, December 26, 2014

Lea McLeod, GoLocalPDX Careers Expert

The New Year is just around the corner. January will be one of the busiest times of the year for employers and job seekers alike. Reports indicate that hiring of new grads, and hiring in general, is going to escalate.

But you still need to compete effectively.

If you are planning a job search – or if you’re going to continue one into the New Year – here are a few strategies that will help you shake up the search, and, that will up your chances for your dream job in 2015!

1. Stop “applying.” Start “targeting.”

Looking for jobs on job boards does not a job search make. It gives you very little control over your job search and more often results in frustration and fear. After all, if you wind up in the HR “black hole” what’s your strategy for standing out?

Instead, research organizations that you find interesting, and where you believe you contribute. Look beyond the “headline brands” to lesser-known organizations.

Then, identify whom you know (and who they know) in those organizations. Start having conversations, building relationships, and seeking connections to hiring managers. Get known in your target organizations before a job requisition is even posted!

When you have 15 to 20 (or more) target organizations that you go after, you’ll be raising the bar on your job search and you’ll get better results.

2. Check out Small/Medium Businesses for your next employment opportunity.

We can’t all work at Google or Facebook – cited as among the most in-demand employers by job seekers. The fact is, you may never have heard of your next employer!

Be open to organizations and brand names you may have never heard of.

Check out the Business Journal book of lists, for fastest growing public and private companies, or companies in a specific industry vertical that interst you.

Use your free Google research assistant, and other sources to find the hidden gems of organizations.

An annual Michigan State University study showed the most hiring for college graduates was coming from small and medium sized businesses. Not because boomers were retiring, or attrition, but because those businesses were growing.

Organizations of 500 employees or less fuel our economy – particularly so in Oregon. Don’t overlook these smaller gems in your job search.

3. When job searching; spend 80% of your time offline and 20% of your time job searching on line.

Why? Simple. 427,000 resumes are posted on Monster each week.

Indeed.com gets over 100 M unique visitors per month.

Who wants to swim with the bottom-feeders!

Additionally, the drawbacks to employer applicant tracking systems (ATS’s), according to some experts, are that 75% of applicants are not getting past the system gateway.

Your solution? Conduct your job search so that you include both online AND offline activities. Spend about 20% of your time online, and 80% conducting offline.

When I say “offline” activities, I mean you should take actions that include:

Conducting research on your target companies.
Assessing your strengths & results, and compiling your performance evidence.
Polishing your LinkedIn and other Social Media profiles.
Connecting & engaging with people you want to know.
Making cold calls to employers to find out what kind of problems they need new employees to solve.
Conducting informational interviews.
Attending networking functions.
Talking to people in the Starbucks line. Everyone is a potential connection point!

Here are a few tips to keep in mind in the New Year.

Don’t treat your job search like a transaction, e.g. “I submitted a resume online” does not a job search make! That is “transaction processing!”

Pick. Up. The. Phone! Don’t make the mistake of over relying on email, applying online, “getting alerts” or other “passive” communication methods in your job search. We are all overwhelmed with the volume of email these days.

If you want to be memorable in reaching out to networking contacts or making cold calls, start dialing.

If you are not getting the results you want in your job search, start implementing these new strategies to start turning things around. 2015 is going to be your year!

Lea McLeod created The Resume Coloring Book E-course to help you craft a step-by-step, color-coded resume in 6 simple sections that is proven to pass the “7 second recruiter scan.” Her career insights have been featured in Forbes, Mashable, LifeHacker, Daily Muse and Business Insider. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter.