Have you noticed that holiday decorations are already on the store shelves, and it is only October? Before you know it, we’ll be celebrating the new year. And are you prepared for the peak hiring season in January? Now more than ever executives need to stand out from the crowd to compete against the increasing number of candidates in the job search pool. After all there’s only so much room at the top of that pyramid.
There are many strategies and approaches relating to job search. Some of these may require you to take a risk or stretch your comfort zone. If what you’ve been doing isn’t getting the results you desire, try something different. Here’s a few ideas:
Focus on highest-priority targets. Be more aggressive than you dared to be in the past. Try any form of communication that might get you in the door – calling, emailing, FedEx, sending industry magazine articles, to name a few. Research company contacts like vendors, competitors, current or past employees and network, network, network. Not only might one of these people know the person you are trying to contact within your target company, they, themselves may have job opportunities that might be a good fit you.
One degree of…. reference. Who do you know who knows (insert target company contact here). Even if you don’t know someone who knows your target contact directly, find someone who knows somebody one to two degrees away. Work your way up the chain of command to the person you want to contact. Think of it this way, most people will buy a product recommended or endorsed by someone they know and respect. The same thing is true when looking for a job, consider yourself the product. People feel more comfortable hiring an executive that has been referred by a respected industry leader who might already know the candidate’s level of performance and achievements.
Hiring managers welcome referrals from company employees or their network of candidates. It gives the relationship between hiring manager and job candidate a personal touch from the start. This results in a higher success rate of being offered the job.
Do the unexpected. What would get your attention if the roles were reversed – you being the hiring manager instead of the job seeker? Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes and think about what would impress them about a candidate? Approach with unexpected, but appropriate, tactics to show you go above and beyond to succeed.
If you have a list of company contacts, look them up on LinkedIn to learn more about them and to give you an edge of familiarity. Ask your network if they know any of these company contacts to help you get an introduction.
Are these suggestions aggressive? Yes, and is it worth it to try one or more of these to get your dream job? What do you think?
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