So you find yourself in need of job search help, needing to build your overall strategy for landing your next position. In preparation for the task, you have gotten your interview clothes prepped, begun organizing your space, and of course you have brought aboard a certified professional resume writer to help craft your message. Now, it is time to figure out your allies in maximizing your effectiveness in this effort. Here is some insight into those you will want to alert to your quest to receive job search help.
Fellow Professionals With Similar Careers
If you have been managing your career properly, you have developed relationships with those who ply the same trade as you in preparation for eliciting job search help. These like-minded professionals can be a good source for staying connected with industry shifts and developments. In this case, they can serve as an inside ear as to whether any job openings exist in their spheres for which you can apply. Put feelers out with these contacts to see if your search can be shortened with some inside information on positions coming down the pike that may not yet be public knowledge.
Professional Organization Members
Professional organizations have always been an excellent way to stay current on profession or industry trends. They usually offer access to relevant training, upcoming conferences, and contact with other organization members via message boards or chat rooms. If you have been managing things correctly, you should be a regular contributor to these interactive mediums. See if there are any members that know of any opportunities for which you can apply. Also reach out to organization members favorably positioned via locale, employer or position that can provide job search help.
Your LinkedIn Contacts
It is hard to imagine a better career tool that LinkedIn can exist right now. I call it the “Facebook of the Business World”. Hopefully, you have been making connections and serving as a resource for other professionals in need of guidance, because now it is your turn to reach out for assistance. You should have a crafted mix of LinkedIn contacts that gives you access the various professionals that can be of assistance. (If you haven’t already, then get to work!) Find allies within the groups you have joined. Also, seek out 2nd level contacts to which you can be introduced.
If you haven’t fully optimized your LinkedIn profile for search and presentation, you should hire a pro to help with that now. Recruiters and hiring managers overwhelmingly use LinkedIn to identify top talent. With a strongly written profile, your next opportunity may find YOU!
Well Established Facebook Friends
While wasting away an hour or two of your day looking at cute cat videos and funny dance routines on Facebook, did you ever think about building your Facebook friend list and posting content with your profession in mind? Many view Facebook as someplace they can vent and “act out”. But in a digital world, nothing stays private very long. You should post nothing that you would not want an employer to see, because there is a good chance that they will eventually. Meanwhile, who is on your friend list? Any professionals that can be of assistance? If so, why not drop them a private message and let them know of your situation to see if they can offer job search help to your cause? Who knows, maybe the lady who posted that cat video is a recruiter, knows one, or is married to one.
Social Club Members
Depending upon the social club, the organization can be made up of a diverse group that can lend aid to your search. Also, with it being a social club, if the relationships are strong enough, you might find them willing to go the extra mile to ensure their fellow club member lands on their feet. Be sure to activate this little used weapon in your arsenal to help shorten the job search time.
