Step Five:
Targeting...Networking...and Follow-up
We talked earlier about "targeting" -- deciding what kind of job you want. Now we'll talk about another aspect of targeting -- how to find employers who have that kind of job. Sometimes it's an easy process, sometimes not. In all cases it requires you to be aggressive and unrelenting in your job search, characteristics you likely possess if you've read this far!
Here goes:
Targeting: sources of information. Your objective is to find companies which offer the kind of job you want. Recent college graduates should take advantage of college placement offices. For many others, common sense dictates potential job sites.
Unfortunately, there's a big difference between potential job sites and potential jobs. You need to find companies which have open requisitions for the kind of job you want.
Networking. Here's where you need a telephone. For restaurant jobs, call restaurants; for department store jobs, call department stores. Use "help wanted" sections of newspapers. But realize that this is only 10% of your job hunt. The rest means work.
Go to your library. Not only are most libraries rich in detailed texts about job hunting in general, they are great sources of information about specific companies. Business directories exist for practically all categories of businesses. They tell you type of business, location, number of employees, recent sales, key executives, products, and so forth. Make lists of companies which typically have the kind of job you want. Expect to be at the library a long time, and bring plenty of paper and a pen -- or a laptop computer. You should be able to take down a couple of hundred prospective employer names and contacts at one sitting.
Check out the World Wide Web. It is an infinite resource on jobs, companies, careers, and current openings. [In the upcoming 2000 version of this Guide, we'll be adding a number of links to jobhunting sites on the Web. Bookmark us and check here late next winter, hopefully it will be up by April or May. --Jeff]
Make a list of friends and current/former business associates. It's always better to have too many names than too few, since you never know who will have the one lead that will start you on the road to your next job.
Go to your unemployment office. Many have microfiche or private computer systems listing currently available jobs. Go for them!
Call everyone. Tell them your situation and your objectives. Good people will commiserate, and give you names of places/people that have or might have jobs. They may also call back periodically to see how you're doing. Ask for help! Networking means calling Ms. "A" and getting answers plus the names of other people to call. Don't stop calling! "Networking" is how most jobs are found.
It's particularly important to call people who currently have the type of job you want, especially in executive and professional ranks. Ask if they're aware of openings in their company or elsewhere, and don't forget to ask for names of other people you might call who may be able to help. It's a lot of work but it pays off.
Keep daily records. Many people use loose-leaf binders. Include date, person contacted, company name, results. As your search progresses, don't hesitate to call back every few weeks to see if your contact has heard of anything new. Even if the answer is negative, it is always beneficial to remind them of your capabilities and of your availability and interest. You never know!
Know that networking can be frustrating at times. In some parts of the country, strangers who you call may tend not to call you back, thinking you're trying to sell them something. But, never stop. It's like the tie clip we saw years ago, which said: YCDBSOYA. Meaning: You Can't Do Business Sitting On Your Ass. Unless, of course, you're on the telephone.
Cover letters go with your resume in response to ads or requests made during networking. They are keys to getting your message across. For example:
"My enclosed resume, in response to your ad for a Widget Tightener (in the Duluth Daily Snow Job, February 5), tells only part of the story. At Winkel Widgets, I designed the Super Widget II, which costs half as much to manufacture as its predecessor; weighs half as much (which cuts shipping costs) and lasts twice as long, which means customers will pay more for it..."
Here again, keep your letter SHORT and SWEET, and orient that "sweetness" to facts which your specific potential employer really needs to know and WANTS to know.
About "success". Sometimes you will have gangbuster interviews and think, "This is it!" Never assume "This is it!" until you get a job offer and accept it. Otherwise, you are building yourself up for a painful (and UNNECESSARY) fall. Keep up intense job-hunting even if you are scheduling second (or subsequent) interviews with potential employers, or expect an offer "any minute". Repeat: NEVER STOP until you get a job offer and accept it!! The more intensely you network, the faster you'll get real results -- calling for real celebrating!
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