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06.10

The New Job Search Paradigm: A Darn Good Résumé Is Not Enough

By Debra Feldman, JobWhiz, Executive Talent Agent

As recently as a decade ago, job searching meant preparing a résumé or filling out an application and then waiting to be called for an interview. However, global economics, the rise of social media and revolutionary advances in technology have radically changed the employment marketplace and have put  new demands on job seekers.  Today's job seekers must employ different strategies and more actively engage employers if they want to stay ahead of the competition and improve their chances for success. When a job search stalls, getting back on track requires looking beyond what's on your résumé and the channels you're using to distribute it.

Continue reading to learn about how to remove  obstacles which may be blocking a swift, successful landing.

Most job seekers start the job search process with many of the same ineffective, inefficient steps, including:

• updating and sending their résumé to their current contacts

• uploading their résumé to job boards and recruiter sites

• applying to online openings

• polishing and re-polishing their elevator pitch just in case

• sprucing up their LinkedIn profile and photograph

• deciding whether to Tweet and have a presence on Facebook

• furiously adding more connections to their online social networks

Notice how these activities all are candidate-oriented, rather than employer-oriented?  A better way to maximize your job search efforts would be to identify qualified employers with whom you would be a good match and then contacting decision-makers within those companies. Job seekers often spend the beginning of a job search on tasks that are not effective and that may slow down their progress. Performing job search-related tasks without essential input about what employers appreciate, need, want, require, expect, value, and so on, dooms the search project to circling around employers but not engaging them. Engaging them is critical for reaching a mutually rewarding hiring agreement. Connecting the dots for employers to recognize your potential contribution cannot be left to chance. 

Luck is not a strategy. It’s an employer’s market today. Hiring decision-makers act like somewhere there exists an endless supply of interested prospective employees and among them is the absolutely perfect candidate. They are reluctant to compromise.  To become that prized candidate in employers' eyes, you must focus your efforts on grabbing the employer’s attention, showing how you will meet their needs, and gaining their trust.

Start a job search project by listing what you want, your skills and qualifications, and then identify employers who meet your requirements and employ people with your qualifications.  Don’t begin by writing a résumé that’s candidate-centered and sounds like an obituary of past jobs. Research employers to find a manageable number of target companies that satisfy the your selection criteria. Such specifications may include industry sector, geographical location, company size, ownership status, corporate structure, plus further research into company culture, competitive ranking, reputation, financial status, and so on.

For each company on the list, outline the employer’s challenges and describe how you can solve these, address these or manage these,  based on your unique skills, talents, experience, background, interests, connections, education and training.  The intention is to show the employer that you are the best available resource they will find. Note: if there is anything that might undermine your positioning as an expert, determine how to eliminate this, or worse case scenario, mitigate its impact.

Present your credentials to the employer showcasing how you are the perfect prospective employee. This means going beyond the traditional résumé.  In  today’s world, reputation often precedes a formal introduction. You should expect to be “Googled,” looked up on Facebook and LinkedIn, checked out on Twitter, ZoomInfo and other sites. Ideally, your public, published track record should clearly illustrate your capabilities and suitability for the employer. There’s no privacy, confidentiality or hiding from employers. Online information is the employer’s reality, and the résumé prepared by the candidate has to be consistent with the virtual image — or a convincing explanation made available. (See comment about anticipating and removing employer concerns above.)

• Start to document strengths, experience, accomplishments, etc. online immediately and keep this up to date even after starting a new job, especially during periods of high productivity when the achievements accumulate and there are lots of chances to show an ability to produce profits, decrease costs and/or improve processes.

• Develop a creative way to show enthusiasm, intellect, engagement, interpersonal skills, knowledge, skills, etc. using success stories, a powerpoint presentation, creating a white paper, etc. Why? You are not your résumé; you are your work. In other words, “Show, don’t tell.”

Ideally, you should introduce yourself to a hiring decision-maker via a mutual contact able to address concerns and recommend you. The inside contact should be a person with the authority to make an offer, not HR.  Choose  someone who will not be threatened and will appreciate you taking the initiative for the purpose of sharing a meaningful conversation that may produce potential job leads to a current opening or creating a new role just for you being at the right place at the right time. Remember that this is not a cold call to find a job, but a polite introduction to start a mutually beneficial relationship which just might unearth a new opportunity directly or through referral for either party now or in the future. Networking purposefully expands contacts for both of you and all of the connections each of you bring to a new relationship.

• After making the significant investment to develop relationships, maintain contacts. Your network is like long-term career insurance, providing ongoing mentoring, future job leads, referrals, expert advice, etc. Follow through on promises and keep in touch periodically by extending invitations, sharing ideas, exchanging links, making referrals, asking for advice, offering assistance, etc.

• Look for opportunities to be generous. Not only does it make the giver feel good to help, but people remember those who not only talk the talk but come through with assistance. Those who get help usually seek to return the favor, which keeps the relationship vibrant, dynamic and effective.

To achieve success in your job search, you must tailor your efforts to attract employers.  In most instances, this means turning your usual job search behavior inside out/upside down by focusing on the employer rather than on yourself.

It is an employer’s market; they call the shots, set the ground rules and have more power in this relationship. The closer the match between candidate and employer from the hiring authority’s perspective, the better the chances that the parties will come to a mutually successful agreement. Today’s job market reality is that it is not just what you know or even who you know, but who with hiring authority needs you and knows your potential.

© Copyright 2010 Debra Feldman.

Debra Feldman, founder of JobWhiz, is an executive talent agent with more than 20 years of senior management consulting experience. She uses networking to identify and connect candidates with unadvertised new career opportunities in the hidden job market. For more information, visit  www.JobWhiz.com, and to contact her, visit www.jobwhiz.com/contact.php.

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Opinions expressed are the author's.