There Are Two Approaches To Finding Good Jobs, And You Probably Aren't Using The Better One

The vast majority of advice in this blog is for job seekers who follow the common path towards job seeking and career advancement: they search for jobs. There is a second approach, however, one that has significant advantages. The second approach -- which recognizes that recruiters and employers often search for candidates -- is to focus on being findable rather than focusing on searching.

Job seekers immersed in the first type of job search often reject the second as ludicrous. After all, if you generally can't get employers to respond when you are knocking at their door, the idea that you could become the object of their recruiting efforts may seem dubious. It really can happen, though. In fact, it happens every day. Before I extol the virtues of this approach, I will admit that it is a slow way to find a job. If you currently need work, it's too late to start planting the seeds that make this approach work.

We could call this second approach the passive approach, except it's anything but passive. It requires recognizing all the ways that employers and recruiters search for candidates, and making yourself into a highly-visible target with respect to as many as you can. Before we look at some specifics, here's why you should definitely consider making this a real part of your career development/job seeking strategy. There is a very common notion among employers and recruiters that candidates who come knocking on their doors are not the best candidates. It is the candidates they have to track down who (employers believe) are the best candidates. Here's why: they think that candidates who aren't looking must be happily employed because they are very good at what they do. Whether you agree or not, this is what employers believe!

Let me expand on this a bit. Not only do employers and recruiters consider this the best of way of finding the best candidates, but it is increasingly considered a best practice. The various demographic trends leading to a war for talent will further reinforce this recruiting technique. Having said all that, if there is one truism regarding the habits of effective job seekers and employers, it is simply that a diversified approach is always best. So, as a job seeker, use this second approach as a supplement to active job seeking, such as working employment Web sites.

The first step towards making yourself findable is recognizing how employers will look for top talent. Let's cover the four primary methods:

1. They will ask around. They will ask other recruiters, they will ask subject matter experts, and if they still haven't found the right candidate, they will ask anyone else they can think of. How to be visible: this is where the sum total of your networking efforts (or lack thereof) will pay off (or not). Danger: do the people who know you really know what you do? Will they say positive things?

2. They will surf the web using keywords related to the opportunity. How to be visible: Blogging, writing articles and being written about are some key ways to be findable. The extent to which that is true, of course, is the extent to which your can be located with the keywords related to your field (especially "what's hot" in your field.) Participating in events or groups (speaking to a group, sitting on a board) are also great ways to get web visibility, since generally participation will be mentioned on web sites. Danger: is it OK for recruiters and prospective employers to read everything that is written by or about you?

3. They will turn to online social networks. Point #2 was really about getting mentioned in web content (or creating web content that shows your knowledge). This point is about participating in social networks, and working them to expand your web of connections. How to be visible: sign up & build your network before you need it. Make sure your profile positions you in a positive and appropriate manner, using the right keywords!

4. They will attend relevant local events. In many regards, recruiting is like dating -- nothing takes the place of meeting someone face to face. Meeting a recruiter in person at a relevant event and making a positive impression is worth far more than the most perfectly crafted cover letter! How to be visible: attend events. At each event, make a point of meeting two or more people. Make a strong enough connection that they might think of you next time they hear about a suitable job opportunity.

Unfortunately, recruiters and rarely do a very good job when it comes to searching for candidates. So, you may really have to work all four of these fronts to start getting noticed. If advancing your career is important, though, it's energy well spent!

Comments

[Dennis Smith]

excellent post - I'm going to reference it in one of my posts today.

great stuff,

Dennis

[Christina]

Ideally, how far in advance should you start setting this sort of thing up to reap the benefits? I've got a year until I graduate from university. Also, I've got another blog in which I remain semni-anonymous (while I mention the university I go to, I don't reveal my last name) and have written negative comments about one of my previous jobs. How could I make sure that such comments won't affect my job-search chances?

[jasmeet kaur]

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