Here are six ideas that will help you land your next job.
- You must adapt. If you have not been in a job market within the last three years, be prepared to adapt your job searching skills. There have been significant challenges since 2014. If you are being laid off or
terminated, wrangle outplacement support as part of your severance if at all possible. Transition coaches who understand the market, including the use of social media, can help trim your search timeline, but beware, not all outplacement firms are equal. Surprisingly, some of the big names in the field are behind the times when it comes to digital career management strategies. - Be realistic about how long it will take to find your next job. If you have been laid off or terminated from an executive position, know that could take from eight to 12 months to find the next one. The job market is increasingly competitive, especially in industries like healthcare, once known as a sector in which employment was almost guaranteed. Publishing, media, manufacturing, textiles and retail are also facing continuing market challenges.
- It is not the size of your network of contacts that matters. You do not need 5,000 contacts to find a job. The secret is alignment — how well have you have aligned your professional network with your career strategy and goals? Quality over quantity is the key.
- Do NOT sit back and wait for recruiters and prospective employers to come rushing to you. Unless you are an industry rock star with a big reputation, that probably will not happen. This wait-and-see approach will only prolong the time it takes to find your next position. Develop your “next career move” strategy. Identify companies you would like to work for, and then build out your network to include executives who are either employed in one of those companies or those contacts who are connected to executives in those organizations. Set up Google job alerts for those targeted companies and work your network to arrange for “warm” introductions.
- Do not wait for unemployment to develop your “next career move” strategy. If you do, you have waited too long. The type of networking connections who will help with “warm” introductions to targeted companies cannot be identified and harvested overnight.
- First impressions are important but last impressions are equally important. If you are interested in the position, be sure to make that statement — close the deal with a short, impact summary of why you are interested and why you think your skills can add value to the prospective employer’s organization. Be self-aware. Make your last impression lasting.
If you have questions about the job search process, email us at AsktheRecruiter@JohnGSelf.Com.
