Whenever I talk to clients or run a job search and interviewing workshops, I always ask about what methods they are using to find a job.
Related:How To Get A Hiring Manager's Name
The majority of candidates rely primarily on job boards, which is one of the most ineffective ways to get hired. It's not that you can't find a job on a job board, of course you can, but often by the time you apply, the job might be closed to getting filled or has been filled already. In any case, you're one of many candidates applying for the same position.
So how can you advance your job search?
The more people you talk to every week, the higher your chances of hearing about that one perfect job opportunity.
How many people you know and have worked with know that you're looking for a job? Many years ago after I'd finished my contract at an executive search firm in Monaco, I'd told all my colleagues in recruitment that I was looking for a new job in London. Just a couple of days later, I got sent an email with the perfect job for me and I got hired after my first interview.
So how do you find people to talk to if you're stuck behind your computer all day? A combination of networking effectively in-person and through technology like social media should do the trick. Ultimately, people hire people.
In this article, I will share a few tips on how to connect with and start conversations with people you don't know, specifically hiring managers.
1. Use LinkedIn effectively.
I hope you are already using LinkedIn and using your connections to reach a much broader group of people.
Some of them now work, or perhaps have worked in the past, in your target companies, so you can reach out to them to conduct an informational interview.
Find out what groups people at your target companies have joined and become members. This will enable you to e-mail them directly and begin to network within the group.
You can also check if you and the person you want to contact have any connections in common. If so, you can ask for an introduction through one of your mutual connections.
2. Google them.
See what information you can find on the Internet on that person. They might have attended a conference, written an article, or have a blog. You might find other ways to connect with that individual.
I remember a couple of years ago I wanted to get in contact with a strong software developer who wasn't responding to me on LinkedIn. He did however respond when I contacted him via his blog.
3. Call them or email them.
Finding someone's phone number these days doesn't have to be that difficult. If you know their employer, you can ask them to transfer you. If they have a blog or a personal website, their phone number will typically be listed there.
As for email, try to write their name, their company name, and the word "email" into Google or another search engine and you may find their email address is published somewhere.
I sometimes check the 'Press' or 'Media' section of a company page to find out what the email address format is. The email of a person dealing with PR or Investor Relations is typically listed on the website, so chances are that if the email format is say firstname.surname@companyname.com, the person you want to contact will have the same email format. It doesn't always work, but it works often enough.
4. Check their social media.
Check if the individual you want to contact has a Twitter or Google + account – that's another way you may be able to get hold of them.
5. See if they have a website.
Does this person have a blog or a business page? If so, you can use a contact form on their website to send them a message.
These days, there are many ways to connect with someone. If you are really serious about finding a job, don't rely on job boards, and talk to as many people as possible to keep progressing your job search.
If you want to learn how to use LinkedIn effectively not only as a job search tool, but as a reputation-builder and online business networking tool; how to find unadvertised jobs and how to get more interviews in a competitive job market, download my free 3-part video course Smart Strategies to Get More Interviews here.Related Posts
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