Elements of a Savvy, Balanced Job Search

Job ads. Job announcements, or job ads, constitute a key element for conducting a savvy and balanced job search. You can find job ads on the very reliable job hotlines discussed above. Another source is the local classifieds. But as noted earlier, today relatively few vacancies are advertised in newspapers. There are however, several other excellent places to find job ads, or announcements of job openings, both in cyberspace and “offline” in the real world.

Even with all these new job sources we’re about to discuss, do not ignore the local classifieds despite the relatively paltry number of jobs advertised there. The classifieds are still the primary place to advertise jobs that do not require an advanced education, like blue collar and clerical positions, and jobs that are very localized in nature, like taxicab drivers and nannies. In some locales, the Sunday edition of the local newspaper may be the most accessible source for local job openings, even for jobs that require advanced training and education. In a few states, a major newspaper is the best source for job ads for locations throughout the state, and in areas like New England, throughout the region. The Professional’s Job Finder identifies these newspapers in its chapter of job sources for each state.

About half the nation’s daily newspapers have placed their classified sections on the Internet thus giving you immediate access to them even when you live thousands of miles away. You can usually find their sites through an Internet search or by being a bit logical. For example, the Internet site for the Dallas Morning News is http://www.dallasmorningnews.com..

Even more effective than the local newspaper are the thousands of specialty and trade magazines that carry job ads. The vast majority of these magazines are available to the general public. Many of them are published by organizations of professionals in a specific field like the American Planning Association or the Public Relations Society of America. Their members usually receive the periodical as part of their dues package or at a substantial discount. Some are available only to members. You would be wise to join your professional organization even if its job resources are available to the public as well as to members. Most people who make hiring decisions believe that membership in a professional association reflects a greater commitment and dedication to one’s profession — which can only enhance your prospects for getting hired.

One of the best sources of jobs for an occupation is the periodical devoted entirely to job ads or announcements. The number of job ads in a typical issue ranges from about a dozen to several hundred. As with specialty periodicals, these job–listing periodicals may be available only to members of the organizations that publish them. Most, however, are available to nonmembers as well, although members often receive the job–listing magazine as part of their membership package or for a reduced subscription fee.

Beginning on page 356 of the printed version of the National Job Hotline Directory, you will find coupons that give you discounts on several of the best job–listing periodicals including The Search Bulletin, ISO Healthcare Report, Social Service Jobs, ArtSEARCH, and others.

As of this writing, these print periodicals continue to offer job ads that are usually more reliable than those offered on many Internet sites, especially the giant ones that claim to have thousands of job openings in their job databases. These print periodicals nearly always charge a fee to advertise a job opening. Few employers would be foolish enough to spend money to advertise a job that has already been filled. Consequently, you can usually count on any job you find advertised in print to be available for at least a few weeks after the ad first appears.

However, the online world is often another story. Job openings are listed on the Internet in “job databases.” They also appear online on bulletin board services and on usenet newsgroups. While many Internet sites charge an employer to advertise openings on a job database, newsgroups and bulletin board services usually do not. Consequently, job openings may linger online for months after they’ve been filled. Some Internet job databases also list job openings long after the positions have been filled because they lift the job ads from other web sites or from print periodicals. This behavior is all part of the immaturity of the online world in which the operators of each site want to post as many job ads as they can so they can brag about how big they are. As a completely unregulated medium, there is no way to prevent this sort of fraud on the Internet and it’s something we’ll have to live with for now.

The problem with advertising positions lifted from other web sites or from print periodicals, of course, is that the position could be filled by the time you find it online and apply. The employer has no way of knowing its jobs are advertised on these sites and, therefore, is unable to get the job ads removed when the positions are filled. You waste valuable time and energy applying for job openings that no longer exist. But there are several steps you can take to avoid applying for jobs listed on the Internet that are already filled:

• When you visit a web site, snoop around the site to see where employers go to place their advertisements. Visit that spot and learn whether or not an employer must pay a fee to advertise its vacancies for a specific length of time. Employers who pay to advertise a job opening for a set fee per month are very unlikely to keep advertising the position after it has been filled.
• Many web sites, particularly those that do not charge a fee for posting job openings, include the date on which each job vacancy was posted. Use your common sense. A job that was posted more than two months ago has probably been filled. If the job really appeals to you and contact information is available, you would be prudent to send an email, call, or write to learn if the position is still available.
• When you enter a newsgroup or bulletin board service that includes job listings, check to see if the site charges employers to advertise their vacancies. Also check to see what the site’s policy is on listing openings. Some will delete jobs after a specified period of time. Others will let the employer return to delete the job announcement — and the smart employer will delete the ad so it does not receive applications after the job has been filled. Others will include the date on which the job was posted, enabling you to use your common sense as to whether or not the job is likely to still be available.

Some universities and colleges participate in online job databases for use strictly by their graduates. Just ask your school’s placement office for details on any such services in which it participates.

Many companies have home pages on the Internet that include an area where job ads are posted. If there’s a specific company for which you want to work, be sure to check out its web site.

Many professional associations have state or regional chapters that also announce job openings in their chapter newsletters or on their web pages. Some even operate job services. You will have to contact an association’s national office to obtain current addresses and phone numbers to reach the chapter president or newsletter editor who can tell you if their newsletter features job openings.

As noted earlier, you would be very prudent to join the national professional association for your occupation. Not only will this give you access to the association’s job services and periodicals which may be available only to association members, but simply belonging to the association demonstrates a tangible commitment to your profession that most employers like to see. As an association member, you’re often in an elite group. It is the rare professional association that gets even half of the people in its profession to join. Most professional associations also include in their membership package publications at no extra cost that offer a great way to continue your professional education.

In addition to listing jobs which are available, many of these national and chapter periodicals let job seekers advertise themselves under a category like “Positions Wanted.” Before placing a “Positions Sought” ad, you’d be smart to first examine the periodical. Try to get a sample copy or inspect one in a library. After you’ve identified the periodicals in which you want to advertise yourself, contact them directly to learn if they place any restrictions that limit such self–advertising to members only, how much it costs to advertise yourself, and whether you can publish a “blind” ad without your name in it. In a blind ad, a box number at the publication is given for responses. The periodical regularly mails the responses to you. This way you can remain anonymous and avoid tipping off your current employer that you are in the job market. You can find many of these periodicals at your local public library or a university library. The libraries of professional associations are also likely to carry relevant periodicals. These periodicals are identified in the Professional’s Job Finder, Government Job Finder, and Non–Profits & Education Job Finder.

Resume databases and job–matching services. Resume banks or databases, and job–matching services enable employers to find you. A resume bank is a repository for the resumes of job seekers. Employers are able to access the resume database themselves and search for candidates who match their hiring criteria. You can submit your resume by real mail, fax, or email. The major drawback of any resume bank occurs if your current employer uses it to identify potential hires. If your current employer comes upon your resume in a resume database, your goose could be literally cooked and you may need a new job sooner than you had anticipated. Some resume banks allow you to substitute a code number for your name. When an employer wants to contact the job seeker with this kind of confidential resume, the operator of the resume database contacts you for your approval to send your complete resume, including your name, to the employer. Unfortunately, this approach does not really keep your identity confidential because your employer could recognize you from your resume’s description of your current job.

A much more secure derivative of the resume bank is the job–matching service. You submit your resume just like you do for a resume database. Instead of employers searching the resume database themselves, they pay the job–matching service to conduct a search for candidates that meet the employer’s hiring criteria. When a match is made, many of these services contact you first to see they can send your full resume to the employer. Alternatively, some job–matching services allow you to specify in advance which companies can never see your resume. Such job–matching services clearly offer much better protection than resume banks to assure that your current employer does not discover you are looking for a new job. Generally speaking, job–matching services and resume databases make their money by charging employers to use them.

A growing number of universities and colleges participate in computerized job–matching services strictly for their graduates’ use. Again, just ask your school’s placement office for details on which of these services it participates in.

Some of these job services work really well and generate interviews quickly for the better qualified people who use them. We’ve heard of good results, particularly for those services that cater to high technology job seekers. But attractive as these services sound, many can be frustratingly slow in getting you a job interview. Despite all the hype that surrounds them, most are relatively new services without proven track records. If you are the sort of person who is likely to find a job quickly by using other methods, you may also be matched to a job fairly rapidly when using one of these services. But if you’ve been having trouble getting interviewed when using other job–search methods, you probably should not expect instant results using a job–matching service or resume bank.

Follow the instructions the service gives for submitting your resume. A few of these services will want one or more copies of your conventional print resume which they send to an employer after a match is made. But the vast majority require an “electronic resume” that differs greatly in format from a print resume. These services need to put your resume into a database. This database is then searched, often looking for specific words in your resume that match criteria the employer is looking for in a new employee. Consequently, electronic resumes emphasize keyword nouns rather than verbs and appearance. You will have to submit your resume either by email or in a print format that allows it to be scanned into the resume database.

You will find detailed descriptions of hundreds of resume banks and job–matching services in the Professional’s Job Finder, Government Job Finder, and Non–Profits & Education Job Finder.

Networking.  Job hunting lore is replete with stories of job seekers who discover vacancies by asking somebody they know or get to know. This technique is networking, a job search tool that can get you to job vacancies before they are advertised and to job vacancies that are never advertised.

Networking is an essential part of the job search for those professions where jobs aren’t widely advertised. For example, real estate salespeople need to network because their’s is a very localized profession where who you know makes all the difference in the world when it comes to finding a job — and that means networking.

Networking, of course, starts with contacting your relatives and friends to see if they know of jobs anywhere, or perhaps, know of somebody at a company who might know of job openings. A further step is “networking by association.” As job–search experts suggest time and again, join your professional association. Most will give you a membership directory (others will sell it to nonmembers). Go through that directory and pick a few people to ask whom you should contact to learn about seeking a job in the geographic area where that person works or lives. The local chapters of professional associations often offer events that are great for building contacts. While you will undoubtedly make some contacts without preparing for a chapter event, you’d be smart to identify whom it would be worth meeting prior to the event. Use your organization’s directory to learn something about the people you want to meet so you have something to discuss with them. A growing number of professional associations now offer their membership directories on the Internet where you can search for people by location as well as by name.

You may also want to examine company directories and pick an appropriate person to call for advice on finding jobs in your area and with his company. Visit the home page of companies on the Internet where you will often find a directory of key management employees. Many will give you an email address for each of their key employees. While top managers are unlikely to take your phone call, you’d be amazed how many will respond favorably to an email message from a complete stranger who is seeking career advice.

For an extensive listing of directories of individuals within professions, and directories of employers, see the Professional’s Job Finder, Government Job Finder, and Non–Profits & Education Job Finder.

For details on how the networking game works, see books like Networking for Everyone by L. Michelle Tullier, What Do I Say Next? by Susan RoAne, as well as Dynamite Networking for Dynamite Jobs by Ron and Caryl Krannich, Power Networking by Marc Kramer, and Successful Business Networking by Frank DeRaffele and Edward Hendricks. Click here to learn more about these books.

Researching employers. Really savvy job seekers will conduct some research to learn more about an employer at several stages in their job hunts. When responding to a job ad, you’ll want to know the employer so you can tailor your cover letter to that employer and increase the chance that your resume will be read and your application seriously considered.

At the other end of the job search, you would be most prudent to know about the company before you step into the job interview. You will score points with the interviewer if you are reasonably familiar with the company’s products or services. You should have enough of an idea of what the company does so you can explain how you can contribute to its success. Having some knowledge of the company will also help you frame pertinent questions for you to ask at the interview. The questions you ask at the interview are often more important than the answers you give to the interviewer’s questions.

At least try to learn enough so your potential employer won’t feel you are too much of an outsider to learn the vagaries of the company. Use membership directories to see if you can learn anything about the person or persons who will interview you and who make the hiring decision so you can present the side of you that will appeal the most to their sensibilities. It is possible that other people you know in your profession — perhaps a contact you made while networking — may be able to tell you something about your interviewer and the company for which she works.

If you are conducting the sort of job search where you knock on the door of employers, factories, and offices that interest you, whether or not they have any known vacancies, you would be smart to know a lot about the company before you contact it. Armed with a thorough knowledge of the company, you will be able to open many more doors than if you walk in clueless about the firm’s products or services, its history, and its corporate philosophy.

You can also use these directories to identify the right person to contact about job opportunities. Speaking directly to the right individual can give you a genuine competitive edge. It tells the hiring person that you’ve done your homework. Also, you can learn much more about the nature of vacant jobs and the character of the hiring agency by talking to someone in the know than just by reading job ads.

Fortunately, most of these directories are available at well–stocked public libraries and can be found through interlibrary loan systems. Reference libraries and libraries at colleges and universities are even more likely to carry many of these directories. The libraries of professional associations are also good places to find relevant directories. For a thorough listing of these directories, see the Professional’s Job Finder, Government Job Finder, and Non–Profits & Education Job Finder.

The creative approach. In What Color is Your Parachute? author Richard Bolles reports that one of the most successful job search techniques is the “creative approach to job hunting or career change.” He spends over 120 pages guiding you through this technique. It boils down to conducting a thorough assessment of yourself to identify your skills and interests and the kinds of fields in which you want to ply those skills. It involves networking with people in those kinds of jobs and learning if they like their jobs and how they found their jobs. Next it requires identifying the companies where you would like to work, whether or not you know they have vacancies, and then researching them thoroughly before you approach them. Finally, you should identify the person who actually has the authority to hire you and get to see him so you can show him how you can help his company prosper.

This approach is not mystical. It’s good common sense and is actually a logical combination of many of the techniques discussed earlier in this chapter. If you are interested in pursuing it, particularly the self–assessment part, you should get the latest edition of the What Color is Your Parachute? book and/or CD–ROM. Click here for details.

Using search firms and recruiters. There are several excellent offline and online directories that will help you select the executive recruiters and search firms that will help you in your job quest:

Directory of Executive Recruiters (Kennedy Publications; for more details click here; $44.95, published every November or December, 688 pages. This is the most thorough affordable directory of executive recruiters with full details on over 8,300 recruiters at 3,467 firms throughout the U.S.A. Indexed by 406 recruiter specialties, 61 management functions, 63 industries, location, and key principals. This massive directory includes a free PC disk on strategies for working with recruiters.

The Job Seekers Guide to Executive Recruiters (John Wiley & Sons) $34.95, 512 pages, 1997. Features contact information on over 5,200 executive recruiters located in North America. Each entry includes the recruiter’s industry specialization, geographic area served, average salary range of positions, and full contact information. Indexed by industry, functional specializations, and geographic area served.

1997 Guide to Executive Recruiters (McGraw–Hill) $24.95, 876 pages, 1997. Gives vital statistics on over 6,500 recruiters organized by industry, city, and state. Each entry includes name, address, phone, contact person, minimum salary level placed, and recruiting specialty. Includes only recruiters whose fees are paid by the hiring company.

RON — Recruiters Online Network – Members (Internet Professional Association; phone: 214/612–8425; email: ron@ipa.com) free, updated frequently. Go to Internet URL http://www.ipa.com/members/index.html to see a complete list of the 1,800 recruitment firms that comprise the IPA. Each entry includes the recruiter’s name, address, phone, email, industries covered, disciplines covered, geographic area covered, and a link to the firm’s web site, if any.

Career Magazine Directory of Executive Recruiters (Career Magazine) offers a free directory of more than 200 executive recruiters at Internet URL: http://www.careermag.com/. Select “Recruiter Directory” (currently on the left side of screen) to browse through the directory by specialty or occupations served. You’ll find the name and contact information for a contact person at each firm.

This chapter continues with the following sections:

Click here to go to “Preparing to Use This Directory.”

Click here to skip to “Using This Directory Effectively.”

Click here to skip to “Pre–Call Check List.”

Click here to return to the beginning of this chapter.

Click here to return to the National Job Hotline Directory starting page.