Your Next Great Job Is Hiding In Plain Sight

Your Next Great Job Is Hiding In Plain Sight: Career search strategies only for the truly committed.

By Russ Riendeau, PhD

How bad to you want to find a new job or new career? Really, how serious, committed, driven are you to fully engage in this exercise? How many hours per week do you commit to making this happen? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being as committed as can be, where are you? Will your actions prove the number you say you are?

For the sake of our conversation here, let’s assume you are not living the dream with your current job and definitely want to make a change. You’re not merely kicking tires or “seeing what’s out there…, or putting some feelers out…”-- you are serious and committed to change jobs. Or perhaps you got laid-off, right-sized, fired, terminated or quit because they were going to let you go anyway. In all cases, you want to get back working and getting a paycheck.

So let’s predict a few outcomes:

·     After you spent some time reflecting on your next career move, you succumbed to family pressure and agreed to “just do something to get some interviews” and signed up for the career fair tomorrow night. Results: Low-paying jobs with big promises.

·     Or you have a networking meeting the very next morning sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. Results: Nice people, local businesses that want more business, not candidates. The coffee and rolls were tasty.

·     You sent your resume out and called a bunch of recruiters, but they say they can’t help you and will “keep you in mind.” Results: No calls back and no interviews. And your resume had grammar errors and wasn’t customized for the job, is a good bet.

·     And you posted your resume on Indeed, Zip Recruiter, CareerBuilder and job boards in every solar system you can find. Results: No calls back, frustration, silent rejection. Now you get emails from strangers selling weird stuff.

·     You even applied for posted jobs that sound exactly like what you are looking for but it was a blind ad--with no company name and a untraceable email. Results: No calls because the job really doesn’t exist and you were a guinea pig.

·     You even snooped around LinkedIn’s job boards as well, hoping to see something of interest. Results: You gave up sooner than you thought you would because it seems a waste of time and your LinkedIn profile looks really weak compared to the other ones you stumbled on.

And let’s guess again: You didn’t score many, if any decent interviews even with all these different approaches.

Why not? Because every one of these search scenarios above are not calculated enough for you to research and customize your interview approach. All of these approaches are built on the hope, prayers and numbers game to try and find a great job. This approach is not strategic enough because the data and urgency are long gone from the employer and you have too many gatekeepers and guards to pass through to get noticed. So you don’t get noticed and you got more frustrated, angry and discouraged. And the headhunters you called can’t convince their clients to pay them a fee to hire you because you are not able to present a compelling value proposition for why you are qualified for that job.

If you read this and are getting discouraged—we would not be surprised. And yes, there is a solution. Perhaps you are reading these examples and seeing the flaws in your approach. And it may reveal that you really are not fully committed to change. You say you are, but you are not all-in to the time, energy and risk it takes to find a great, new job. You're a casual looker, life is good enough and not painful enough to start the journey. If this is the case, fine. But don't be surprised when things change and you aren't prepared. Pay attention to the signs of change around you. This could be a wake-up call to get your career act together and take a more strategic, mature approach to finding a new job.

As a longtime executive search professional, my world has been a straight commission world, since 1985. No salary, no guarantees. I get paid only when I add value to my clients by introducing top talent that they hire. Over 120,000 interviews and over 6000 searches have shown me the most productive, successful approaches to securing the top jobs in good and bad economies. I hear the real reasons why people are not hired. I have heard every excuse for why people get fired or laid off. I see the faulty interview skills and missteps. I see the lack of preparation, the false statements and laziness in interviewees. I see the salary money left on the table that more effort would have put in that person’s pocket. I share these facts, not to brag, but to give legitimacy to the ideas and strategies shared in this article. One becomes very efficient when one is paid purely on performance. And if you are committed and do the work suggested, there’s a better chance of us working together to find you a better job with my client companies.

Below is a list of the some proven, defined techniques to secure more and better interviews in whatever your field of interest. But there is one critical catch: Tell the truth in your quest. If you lie, embellish, present misleading information or abuse the facts to misrepresent your skills, accomplishments, education, etc., you will be caught as a liar, fired soon after you get hired and then you have an even bigger problem. State your skills, accomplishments and why you are interested in this job/field in a way that demonstrates you did your research and are aware of what you need to be successful.

1.    Don’t just apply for every job that looks tasty. Pick an industry that appeals to you, appeals to your interests, your taste for risk, innovation, location, culture, a cause, a mission, technology you like. Target markets and companies that have jobs that you can see yourself doing everyday for a few years—not 10 years, this ain’t gonna happen anyway.

2.    Examine what your personality and internal drivers are telling you. What are you drawn to? What kind of people do you want to work with? Smart, average, analytical, slick, covert, sensitive, rough around the edges? Do you want to work in office, in a zoo, in the dirt, in the basement? Do you want to see the sky or see a wall? Do you want to present ideas or evaluate data? Do you want authority or responsibility? Do you want to be the boss or report to the boss?

3.    Now, once you target some of these industries or companies how do you find job openings? First, research LinkedIn and look at what employees work there. What are their prior backgrounds? What did they learn/do/prepare to get hired? Reach out to them and ask if they like working there.

4.    Look at their connections and trace back who they know and where those people work. Maybe you see they changed jobs recently—what does this tell you? It means there may be an open job at their former employer. Call them! Tailor your resume to look like you are a fit, based on what they looked for in the former employee. Use words, examples and phrases that are aligned with their industry.

5.    Look up a company of interest leadership page. Where did these leaders work before? Maybe there are jobs open over at that company? Maybe you can contact that leader and ask for a referral? Easy, eh?

6.    When you see one of your LinkedIn connections changed jobs and posts it, follow up with their former employer—if you like the company—and apply. The job is still fresh and probably not posted yet.

7.    If you do see a job posted that has the company name listed, don’t just send a standard cover letter and your standard resume, as the odds of getting a call are slim to none. Instead, bypass the website address, bypass the HR department (they won’t know, they won’t care and if you get the job, you won’t care either) and find out who the hiring manager is for the job you see posted. Now, you send your resume directly to the hiring manager—a resume that is customized to fit the needs that he/she needs because your research helped you profile the right message. And the manager will be impressed you found him/her.

8.    If you do have to send your resume to HR, send the resume to the hiring manager as well, or call that manager before you send the resume to HR. This approach gives you the leverage to follow up for an interview without HR feeling like you by-passing them. HR folks are nice, smart and mean well, but can be a roadblock to your interview chances if you get caught in the mix.

9.    The resume has to show specific examples of how your experience, education and accomplishments tie into the job requirements. Demand a job description before sending your resume. If you can’t see a good job spec, don’t bother chasing that job—it is a waste of your time. Follow leads that allow you enough information to do your research better than your competition.

10. Look again at employee profiles that are in industries/companies you desire. Call their boss and ask for an interview even if there is not a job opening posted. Why wait? If you fit a spec, assume companies in this tight labor market are always looking. And the odds of someone quitting are always good in big and small companies.

11. Upgrade and improve your LinkedIn profile. Headhunters will not call you if your profile stinks. Make it look professional, add content, add a good photo, add contact info, a good summary, tell the world what you’re great at, show you study your craft and connect with smart people. If you don’t have a good profile, it will destroy your chances of getting a great job offer, as well as not being found.

12. Income needs. Let’s get very personal here, for a moment. We are paid based on our value to the marketplace in a capitalist society. Are you earning an income that is better than the average in your industry? Are you earning more or less than others your age and with your experience? If you’re a college grad looking for a job, how will you show you’re worth a certain wage? If you’re not earning more than the average person in your field, ask yourself why? And then come to terms with what you are not doing right to earn more money. Become self-aware. Admit it is your responsibility to make changes. Stop blaming others for your low pay. Stop blaming the market because of your age. Stop blaming your industry for not paying better—you decided to stay here, so it’s your decision for staying. Stop blaming the market conditions when others around you are making more money in tough times too. Stop blaming the company for not promoting you, when you’ve not done much to demonstrate you’re promotable and committed to moving forward. It’s your skills that need upgrading. These are excuses. Your commitment to your craft and business intelligence that needs tweaking. Read books on your craft, watch videos, study industry association stats. Start today to stop the excuses and commit to excellence in your field. As Jim Rohn said, “Don’t wish things were different, wish you were better.”

13. Professional image is critical to success. If you’re obese and not taking care of yourself, the perception of others will be that you are not disciplined. If you make good money—enough to afford good insurance and attend a health club—then you should look the part. You should look and sound healthy. If you have crooked teeth and compensate by not smiling or wearing burly beards—get your teeth fixed. If you have a wart on your nose—get it removed. Stop excusing your way out of investing in your professional and personal health. Yes, this is blunt and personal stuff, but we’re adults and you need to address these issues directly and maturely. Are your clothes hip and current for the market? Is your car in good shape or is it a rust bucket that you hide around the corner? If you want to earn the money you believe you want to and can earn then demonstrate you are a viable person for the role. Invest in the accessories and behaviors expected. Again, it’s perception that will matter. You can’t explain your way out of behaviors that got you here.

14. New college graduates looking for jobs: All the above ideas apply to you as well. You must also find ways to relate your young life’s experiences to mirror the demands of a job. Maturity, responsibility, learning quickly, strong vocabulary, good research on why you want to work in this industry and for this company. Find people you know in that industry and secure referrals, references and insights to the culture of that market. Make the argument that even though you don’t have industry experience, remind the hiring manager that they, too, didn’t have experience at some point and they got hired. Maybe you have the same qualities as they do. Ask them the question. It works! Know what your true interests and drivers are in your inner self and show hiring managers how that energy and drive will pay off and is a natural fit.

If you invest in the above career search ideas and in your professional development, you’ll experience success sooner. If you don’t commit and keep fooling yourself that things will change in your life without committing to self-improvement, you will still find a job somewhere—but it may not be the job you really want. Business competition is fierce, fast and frenzied. You and I have to invest monthly in keeping our skills sharp, current and relevant. Regardless of age, race, gender or demographics.

And a note to every hiring manager: If you don’t see these behaviors, actions and effort in candidates that you interview from any source—search professionals, HR, friends, family, etc., be very careful to whom you make an offer to. Test, ask questions, demand examples and proof of the claims made in an interview. If that candidate is not showing the effort described in this piece, the risk/reward will not be worth it.

Today’s tight labor market has job openings and needs in every company on this planet. Leaders can’t find good talent that is smart, dependable and can learn quickly. Be that person and watch what happens. Call managers of companies you want to work for with a researched and rehearsed persuasive argument to meet you. An offer will be sooner than you think.

Dr. Russ Riendeau is senior partner of New Frontier Search Group and author of eleven books, including The Big Swing: What the Chicago Cubs are teaching business leaders about Capitalism, Commitment & Culture (Amazon Kindle). He can be reached at russriendeau@gmail.com