The old adage, “it is a job to get a job” still holds true today. Successfully securing your next position is not a casual, part-time endeavor. By contrast, it requires a sound strategy, effective tactics and a meaningful investment of time.
The road to the next job opportunity can be approached differently by each job seeker. Some decided it is something to do after taking a break. Others choose to follow a passion to find something new and different from their last career role. In today’s economy, many are pursuing a route to get them back into the workforce as quickly as possible at the same or better level as their last job. This is for the latter, so keep reading.
In 2008, there was a study done of how different Americans use their time for an average week http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/31/business/20080801-metrics-graphic.html . The data was structured in a way to view use of time by gender, ethnicity, employment status, etc. How much time do you think an unemployed American spent job seeking? Before answering the question, let’s put it into perspective—4 hours is a half work day for a full-time employed worker, 16 hours is a bit more than two full days (no lunch or breaks included), and 32 hours is nearly 4 full days of work. Where on this continuum did this pool of Americans land?
Surprisingly, the study found that 1 in 6 unemployed Americans looks for a job on a week day. On average, unemployed workers spent less than 4 hours per week on job search. This is only the equivalent of a half day’s work. Even if the data is 50% off, it is less than a day. Don’t let this represent your job search.
These four actions can provide the spark to reignite your job search:
1. Narrow the focus of your job search. Many people begin a job search with targeting a broad range of possible jobs, titles, industries, functional areas, etc. Now is the time to put the shotgun away and pull out the rifle. Pursue opportunities that are close to those you’ve had in the past 3 to 5 years. The closer you are to a prior role, the more attractive you will be as a candidate.
2. Insure your resume reflects the tighter target. Modify your resume by using an objective to state your desire. Make your document skew heavily to quantified accomplishments from prior roles, particularly those similar to those that you are pursuing.
3. Conduct fresh research on you’re new, bull’s eye for your search. This research should include organizations and their leaders, current industry issues, innovations, etc. Stay on top of the area as that will help you to uncover new possibilities and provide more topics for dialogue when you speak to those in the space, networking contacts and potential employers.
4. Network using an “elevator speech” aligned with the tighter focus. Your “elevator speech” should include your objective, interest and why you should be considered for opportunities you’re interested in pursuing. This can be new news for those you’ve already spoken to earlier in your search. It is also a good means to reconnect and secure better direction from all parties. While some people you’ve already spoken to were unable to assist you with a broad search, they may be far more helpful with a targeted search.
Most importantly, invest significant time in your search. This will be rewarded with more opportunities more quickly.