How to Jump Start Your Job Search

Most job seekers are operating at about 25% efficiency. That’s because finding a job is a skill. Your skill is what you’ve made your career out of. It’s what you are looking for a new job in. It’s not actually finding that job.

Part of the problem is no one ever tells you how to do things. They tell you what to do, but not how to do it. And if a strategy is going to work, you need to know how to implement it. Otherwise it isn’t effective, you don’t get results, and then you become even more frustrated.

Conventional wisdom says networking is the most effective. Well yes……….and no. I say it wins by default. In other words, not knowing how to read a job ad leads to excess optimism (and no results) and being overly discerning (and no results). The more resumes you send to ads – especially the online black hole – the worse your ratio of sent:response rate is, the more dejected you become. Improve your skill in understanding job ads and how to deal with the black hole and you up your response rate.

Here’s some advice: Contact companies you want to work for! See if they have open positions! Okay….how? A few out there advocate sending out hundreds or thousands of letters. Something is bound to hit, right? Not really. That’s the worst and most ineffective strategy possible. Not to mention it wastes both your time and energy and again……….results in frustration. But what if you knew how to do it? How to select the companies that make sense for you, write a custom letter than will get read, follow up and get results?

Over 50% of my unemployed clients have found new jobs this way. What’s more, often the position has been created specifically for them.

And what about recruiters? Do you hate them? Do you understand them? Probably yes, and no respectively. That’s okay – there are some very bad ones out there. But do you know how to spot them? Do you know how to screen them? Develop a relationship with one? Get them excited about working with and for you? I’m always amazed at the number of people who are either not working with recruiters when they could and should be, or aren’t utilizing this resource as fully as they could.

I was one for 22 years. I’ve seen over half a million resumes, developed relationships with exclusive clients, set and followed up on about 15,000 interviews and placed all levels of management. Do you want to peek behind this curtain and know the reality of how they work and can help you?

And lastly, networking. Got your one-sheet? Throw it out. Bringing your resumes to networking meetings? Leave them at home. Got business cards? Good – but I’ll bet you’re missing what really amps those up and makes them ultra effective for you. How about your elevator speech? I’ve yet to hear or read one that really fulfills the true purpose of it, despite having been written in a class or with another coach. What are you doing for LinkedIn? Do you have previous contacts? How are you reaching out to them? What if you have no network????

Odds are you’re not only not using all four avenues but the ones you are you’re using ineffectively and inefficiently. Four Ways to Jump Start Your Job Search will do exactly what it says – amp up your search and start getting you results. And that’s the point of your job hunt, isn’t it? To find a job?

My clients are finding jobs in 8 – 12 weeks and what’s more, they’re finding a job they love. Not just any job, not a job taken out of desperation, and not a job that is just okay and finally a paycheck. It’s a job they love. What’s more, they’re often getting more than one offer at a time.

Do you want to know how to achieve this yourself?

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Judi Perkins

Judi Perkins, the How-To Career Coach, was a recruiter for 22 years and worked with hundreds of hiring authorities on entry level through CEO. She set up over 15,000 interviews, and has seen over half a million resumes. Her clients often find jobs 8 – 12 weeks because she brings them sequence, structure and focus, and shows why typical strategies often fail. She’s been on PBS’s Frontline, Good Morning Connecticut, in Smart Money magazine, CareerBuilder, MSN Careers, Yahoo Hot Jobs, New York Times, New York Daily News, multiple radio shows including a regular Thursday morning gig, and quoted in numerous career books. Sign up for her free newsletter at www.FindthePerfectJob.com.