Job Search Strategy

A job search strategy should be constructed based on the following:

1.  What’s my target date of employment?

2.  What industry am I pursuing?

3.  What role am I looking for?

4.  What type of work environment do I prefer?

5.  What is my geographical location?

If you are having trouble answering these questions, or if answering them feels limiting, then you may need to visit a career counselor  If you are comfortable answering these questions, even if generally, then you are ready to construct a job search strategy.

A recent client of mine, a young grad, is ready for his job search.  His strategy is defined like this:

“Within 4 months, I intend to secure a full time professional position in the service or manufacturing industries as a Human Resources Associate or Coordinator, in a large company (over 250 employees) that is complex and growing and is located in Orange County, CA.”

Okay, now we are getting somewhere.  See, it defines what the candidate is seeking, and will help shape how he goes after a job.  An important aspect of job searching is eliminating the vast amount of companies which don’t fit your profile.

Step one:  Prepare

– Look up job descriptions you are interested in and extract the skills and experience they require

–  Consider your own background and identify when you have used similar skills or had relevant experiences (use academics, work history, hobbies, part-time jobs, sports and volunteer work)

–  Work with a resume writer or career counselor to build a targeted resume reflecting the skills and experience transfer

–  Write a short cover letter illustrating who you are as a candidate and a description of the parts of your experience which point directly to the role

–  Craft a brief verbal description of your goal, just two or three sentences, so you can tell someone what you are looking for and why you are a strong candidate

Step two:  Search

–  Build a list of target companies;  You can do this from Google, LinkedIn, library databases, or the Orange County Business Journal, among many other resources. . . I recommend a list of 75-150 companies – not too few, but manageable

–  Review each company on the list and eliminate the ones you are not interested in

–  Complete a LinkedIn profile using the skills and experience you put in your resume, and follow each of the companies on your list

–  Connect to as many people as you know – remember the power of LinkedIn is not who YOU are connected to, it’s who THEY are connected to – and apply to any jobs these companies are posting on LinkedIn

–  Yes, upload your resume to the major job boards, just in case

–  Segment your list into groups of 10, and pursue only those 10 at a time.  Find a contact on LinkedIn, the company website, or elsewhere on the internet and email them briefly asking for advice, help, insight.  You can work with a career counselor on the content of this email, as it must match your level of professional experience

–  Reach out to each company on the list of 10 at least 3 times, if not 4 until you receive a ‘no’ or ‘no answer’.  Remember it’s a numbers game and you will have more success reaching out to companies multiple times (even if it feels uncomfortable) than you will if you reach out to a lot of companies just once and never follow up

–  Rinse and repeat, network, attend events, and put yourself in the way of luck.

Good luck!

Julie LaCroix is a career counselor serving emerging professionals who are pursuing and managing high potential careers. Her private practice is located in Orange County, CA, where she serves clients on an individual basis and in groups both privately and within companies. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. Ed. in Educational Counseling, and the Master Career Counselor (MCC) designation from the National Career Development Association.

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