Avoiding the passive job search

For some people finding a job is easy because their occupation is in high demand and applicants in short supply. For most of us the search endeavor is more difficult. So what are the some of the things job seekers in fields with less demand do wrong and, if you are in one them, what can be done to correct the mistakes?

First of all, recognize that, except in rare cases, no one is going to help you find a job. This means you will have to find yourself a position. Many individuals don’t want to accept this and will keep right on with the same non-fruitful tactics resulting in frustration and, very often, depression.

These employment seekers are performing what I call the passive job search. Virtually all of their time is spent looking for a job in the same way.

One of the passive job seekers’ favorite tactics, which usually ends with poor results, is sending resume after resume to employment Web sites. A single advertised position on a site can receive dozens, hundreds or even thousands of resumes. Your chances of finding a job this way, unless you are in a hot occupation, is not very good.

It appears to some that, with the thousands of positions advertised on a single Web site, you are bound to land one soon enough. Unfortunately, there are many more thousands of job seekers responding. Yes, you might get lucky; but don’t depend on this one method to find employment.

The second ineffective tactic is dealing solely with human resource departments. Human resource personnel or recruiters are not interested in assisting you in finding employment. Their goal is to fill their employers’ positions based on predefined criteria. If you meet their criteria, you may be hired. If you don’t you might as well forget it.

But if you could just talk with them, you say, you might be able to convince them you are perfect for the job. Sure. In some cases, for lower level positions, you may be successful. However, this will be a rare occurrence. The human resource personnel generally look at hundreds of resumes each month and don’t want to be bothered with pesky applicants.

So what should you do?

The answer is to take charge. Define what you want. Set up a strategy. Stop performing a passive search and become aggressive.

Call the employers of interest. Find out what departments can use your talents. Contact the managers or their assistants. Ask about what is available. Find out what positions may become available in the near future. Send your resume, with cover letter, to the proper person in the department. It is OK to send it to the human resource department as well, if only to cover your bases.

Stay in contact with an individual in the department who doesn’t mind you calling once in a while. E-mail is fine, but contacting by phone is better since people are more likely to remember conversations than the more passive e-mail. Let weeks or more pass before each contact, unless otherwise instructed, so you aren’t perceived as a pest.

Get out and go to social and business functions Meet, talk with people and develop contacts. Let them know you are in the market for a job. Hand out cards with your contact information. If they suggest you contact them later, make sure you do. If they give you leads, follow up.

Remember that others may help but the only person who can find you a job and stay in the search for the long run is you.

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