Developing Your Job Search Strategy“If you don’t know where you’re going, any direction will do." Lewis Carroll, Alice In WonderlandMake no mistake. For a senior manager, executive or professional, the job search process is a journey. It’s also a major project with a beginning, a middle and an end. And it’s also a “complex sale” in that you are likely to encounter a number of people at a prospective employer who can influence your success. They are the gatekeepers, secretaries, department heads, H.R. executives and even the boss’s wife. Make sure you thoroughly understand each of their interests and agendas. Make no mistake about it, job interviews and meetings are part of the complex sale process that you are engaging in. Satisfying each person's specific interests can go a long way toward building rapport and making sure you don't get blind-sided in the process. A Realistic Strategy is the Foundation of a Successful Plan.
As with any major project, you need a job search strategy that takes all these factors into consideration -- as well as your own needs, your proven strengths, acknowledged weaknesses as well as industry opportunities and threats. By taking the time to map out your job search strategy (or strategies, as appropriate) at the outset, you will greatly enhance your chances of reaching your goals more quickly.
Your Strategy is Determined by Your Situation.For someone with multiple degrees and established credentials in a hot, growing industry, the path is not very complicated. You simply follow the sequence outlined in the "Start Here" section of this process. Through systematic research and networking, it's just a matter of time before you uncover opportunities. For a manager with limited formal education and lengthy experience in a dying industry, or with a questionable credit history, the need for a specialized job search strategy is paramount. Build Your Strategy Around Your StrengthsIf you are a gifted writer, put your talent to work on creating articles for publication, white papers and make regular contributions to appropriate on-line forums and LinkedIn Groups, etc. Then bring that talent to bear on a strong, one-on-one letter campaign to companies you have researched in your target market, offering to send appropriate materials. (See the "Zen of Letter Writing" section.)If you are strong on the telephone, use short, to-the-point letters to pave the way to sceduled telephone follow-up calls. Make it a point to note the names of receptionists, secretaries and others in the companies you target so that you can speak directly to them on a personal level in the course of your campaign. And if your strength lies in personal interactions and relationships, make sure you go the extra mile in your networking, attending appropriate meetings and getting to know the people who consult with and/or sell to the companies in your target market. When You Have Fewer Options, You Need a More Complex Strategy.Here, for example, the strategy requires specialized research to identify appropriate industries to which your skills can be readily transferred. But, then it means extra research to try to identify domestically-owned companies, preferably run by entrepreneur types who value experience and maturity over formal education. It might also require working through a trade or professional (or non-profit) organization to give you more exposure in the networking activities.(See "Referral Network" and Interim Income" sections. Also, check back here periodically as we'll be adding examples of Job Search Strategies as well as Personal Marketing Plans to fit different situations.) In this case, use of well-written Biographies and Functional or "Profile" Resumes are likely to be helpful or even necessary. This strategy requires added focus on the research phase and networking activities . . . but the opportunities do exist. These are just a couple of examples of things that can impact your job search strategy. Other major considerations include your geographic proximity to potential employers, your family situation, your age and the resources available to conduct a Professional Job Search. Your specific Job Search Strategy is built around your individual talents, situation and objectives. When Should You Change Your Strategy?Monitoring your progress and taking regular stock of the business environment, developments in your target field/s of interest and other factors is an ongoing process. If their are major developments in the industry or the community at large, don't be locked inot a rigid plan. Keep focused on the endgame but be prepared to adjust your tactics, goals and objectives to meet changing conditions.We stress the need to thoroughly develop and continuously add to your Accomplishments, analyzing both your challenges and your options before creating or changing your strategy or . . . putting yourself on the line in pursuit of any particular position. A lot of work, yes – but in today’s marketplace, this is the only way to approach conducting a professional-level Executive Job Search. Setbacks Happen! But Defeat is NOT an Acceptable Outcome!In today’s job market, everyone should expect setbacks. What you don’t want is to get blind-sided by the unexpected. The more you deal with issues up front, the less impact they will have on the middle or the end of your campaign. The more thoroughly you prepare and the better your attitude the more likely you will be to succeed.
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