Posted By Amanda Collins on August 25, 2010

If you don’t look for a job very often—which you hopefully don’t—this whole idea of job searching may seem pretty foreign to you. I know it has been for many of my clients. In fact, when I asked a client who was frustrated at not having found a position within 60 days of receiving her new résumé what her job-search strategy was, she responded with silence.

The market is quite different now than it might have been the last time you were out looking. Now we have Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. And you don’t look for jobs in the paper anymore; now there are online sites like The Ladders, Hot Jobs, Indeed, Jobing, and Simply Hired. It’s a new world, and if you don’t have any clue how to navigate it, you’ll definitely get lost.

I’m a big fan of strategy. It helps turns big, indescribable—and sometimes scary—tasks into bite-sized steps that suddenly seem surmountable. As you’re looking to build your job-search strategy, you first need to think about your time line. How long will you be in your job search? If you have savings and can survive six months, you don’t have to be as quick as someone who must have a job by the end of the week. Also, know what salary you need to sustain your life. That way, you’ll stay focused instead of acting out of desperation.

Next, you should start thinking about how you’ll spend your time. If you’re unemployed, your job becomes looking for a job. You’ll need to split your schedule among social media, in-person networking, and actual job searching. Networking events typically happen at breakfast, lunch, and happy hour; choose a mix or one time slot that works best for you. Social media time should be spent primarily on LinkedIn (read my article on leveraging LinkedIn), but you can also try Twitter and Facebook. Look for jobs online and definitely set up Google alerts to tell you about new positions based on the job title.

An example of how your day might be spent:
8-10: networking event
10-12: job search
12-2: networking event
2-5: social media

Obviously, if you’re less social, you can opt for one networking event per day or per week, but you need to be out there. Résumés alone do not guarantee you a job; you need to be proactive and create a cohesive strategy. THAT is how you’ll see results.

Category: Job Search
Tags: Job Search