Jumpstarting your job search

I hope you found my last job searching tip helpful. This week, I am going to address how you can put new life into your job search if you feel like you've hit a brick wall. But even if you don't feel you're in this situation, you may find this information helpful.

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Probably the most frequent comment we hear from people looking for a job is something like "I've tried everything! I've e-mailed my resume to hundreds of companies and haven't heard back. I'm completely frustrated with my job search."

If you get to the point where you're frustrated with your job search, take a break. Even if it's just for a day, give yourself a vacation from having to think about finding the job. Often when people take a step back from a situation, their mind comes up with different ways of looking at it. For example, you might have been focused on getting a job in a certain industry, and in taking a step back, you may come to the realization a different industry would be easier to get into.

The ancient Chinese war strategist Sun Tzu is famous for saying "Now an army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness. And as water shapes its flow in accordance with the ground, so an army manages its victory in accordance with the situation of the enemy."

That's not to imply that employers are the enemy, of course! But if you've been trying a certain strategy for a while with no success, you've got to try something different. Be strong like water and find your new job in an area where you're strong and the competition is weak.

Imagine looking at your job search strategy from far away. Consider whether there are certain options that you've ruled out without fully considering them. For example, maybe you had your heart set on getting a job in the Entertainment industry. But it might be easier to get a job in the Publishing industry first, and then move to the Entertainment industry from there (this is just a hypothetical example). Keep in mind the next job you get doesn't have to be permanent. It may be helpful to look at it as a transition job to get you to your final destination. Being strong like water will let your career flow to the next logical place, the next easiest position for you to get, and then continue from there to the position you ultimately want to conquer.

The preceding discussion could be likened to defining the strategy for an army to win a war. Once you have a sound strategy, the next step is to develop your tactics. The biggest factor that determined the success of the allies' invasion of Europe from England on D-Day at the end of World War II was their strategy to put an overwhelming force into that one area, while simultaneously throwing the Germans off by putting General Patton in command of a "fake" counter-attack in northern Africa. The tactics that led to their success would include the types of tanks and artillery they used, their training, etc. The tactics you use in your job search include the type of resume you're using, how well-written it is, and how you're getting your job leads. We'll discuss some of the tactical tools you can use below.

Your resume must be understandable quickly by recruiters for you to be successful in your job search. It doesn't need to explain everything about your career history. The goal of a resume is to get recruiters to call you in for an interview. To see samples of some well-written resumes, check out the Resume Edge website by going to this URL:
http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/edge.htm

Once you have a good resume, the next tactic you need to focus on is generating leads. The most basic step you can take in this area is to get your resume posted on all the pertinent job boards. You can use the ResumeDirector service to get your resume posted on over 80 job sites at once. Or if you don't want to pay a service to do that for you, you can check out the site list on their home page and manually go to each of those sites that apply to your background and post your resume yourself. Either way, it makes sense to have your resume on the job boards because just about all the recruiters in the U.S. search job boards' resume banks when they're looking to fill a position.
You can get to the ResumeDirector site by going to this URL:
http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/rd.htm

Another tactic is to get proactive about contacting recruiters. RecruitersOnline.com has a directory of recruiting firms and even if they don't have a job for you, recruiters can be helpful in terms of giving you feedback on your job search strategy and pointers on where to look next. And of course, you should always ask for a referral. First ask for the job, and if they don't have a job for you, ask them to refer you to someone who may be able to help you. This will get you in front of twice as many people as you'd normally reach. Using a resume mailing service can get your resume in front of thousands of recruiters quickly, and can be a good way to jump-start this process.
You can find out more about resume distribution at this web site:
http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/dist.htm

And finally, don't be afraid to follow up with specific companies you'd like to work for. If you have a friend working for GE, ask them if they can recommend someone to talk to at their company. Networking with other people is one of the top ways people find jobs. Talk to friends in your area about networking events you can attend. You can find out if there are any associations for your industry by checking out the ASAE website. Most professional and trade associations have regular networking events that can be great opportunities to meet people who can help you in your job search.
http://www.asaenet.org/
Just click "Directories" on their home page to access the gateway to associations.

This article was provided by JobSearchInfo.com.  For additional career resources, please visit http://www.jobsearchinfo.com.

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