SpearHEADED Job Search

The career and employment world is inundated with jobseekers, many of whom are applying for the very same jobs as you. Disappointing? Sure. Hopeless? No way.

    Many smart companies are using the deluge of talent saturating the job market to improve their talent base, and in the book Get the Job You Want Even When No One's Hiring, [Wiley, 2009] executive career coach Ford Myers [ExecuNet] details how to distinguish yourself from the competition and find a great job even in these difficult times.

    In this exclusive interview of ExecuNet Editor Will Flammé asks the author to discuss the elements of a successful approach to job search. Here's an excerpt:

Q. What are the most important job search tools?

A. Candidates need to stop relying exclusively on their résumé, which is actually one of the least important job search tools, in my opinion. Vital tools include the professional biography, target company list, testimonials sheet, professional references list, networking agenda, accomplishment stories, positioning statement and so forth. Using all these tools "synergistically" takes some education and practice — but once the approach is mastered, it generates exceptional results.

Q. What role does networking play in one's search for the right job?

    A. I'm telling my clients they should be spending 90 percent of their time networking. For people in career transition, networking is no longer part of their job search — networking is their job search! Until someone comes up with a better idea, networking is still the single most effective means of researching, identifying and securing the RIGHT position. Of course, there is a right way and a wrong way to network — so I'm obviously talking about a structured, proven, effective approach that consistently leads to interviews and eventually, job offers.

Q. How does an online presence help in a job search, and how does one go about creating such a presence?

    A. In today's world, executives MUST have an online presence. It has to be positive, and it needs to project the sort of image you desire. This is what my colleague Eric Kramer calls "Online Identity Optimization" (OIO). Job seekers can create their online presence by posting their résumés online and by using blogs, personal websites, email campaigns and social media websites (such as LinkedIn). It's also a good idea to buy the domain of your own name (www.yourname.com). Having a strong web presence is a great way to differentiate yourself.

Contributor: Yanzkeh Velasquez,a Freelance Blogger. She is a blogger and a cyberlinker. He topped the adlsu cyber dean’s list. She administers different blogs for general purposes.