Few of us would undertake a vacation trip without planning where we are going and how we will get there. Yet when it comes to our job search, we often don’t have a clearly defined goal or a method to assist us in reaching our goal. Conducting your job search without a marketing plan is like taking a trip without a GPS or map to guide you. If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up at the wrong destination or at best it will take you much longer to get to your destination.
In putting together a job search plan, it’s important to define what your goals are regarding the type of position or positions you are targeting; where (geographically) you want to work; what size organization is important; what industries are of interest to you and what the ideal culture would be. Waiting for job openings to appear online is a reactive rather than proactive approach to job search; however, putting together a marketing plan allows you to take more control of the process and be more proactive.
Networking is the best way to find a job, particularly today when the job market is so tight. Statistically, more than 80% of job search candidates indicate they obtained a new position through networking. Networking and getting a referral into a company puts you ahead of other candidates who look good on paper, but who nobody knows.
Using a marketing plan, which includes identified target companies, will help you with the networking process. It makes the process easier for people you know to identify contacts within your targeted companies rather than to try to identify job openings. The plan gives your search more focus and gives you more control of where you land.
If you don’t take the time to do the proper planning, you may end up in Kalamazoo, MI when you were heading to Palm Springs, CA; and that is quite a different end result, especially in the middle of winter.
For help with developing a solid marketing plan, I would be happy to guide you. Contact me at sylvia@jobinterviewcoaching.org.