There comes a time when most leaders and professionals have to find a new job. It may be because you’re looking to step up into the next level of leadership, your company has downsized, or you get a new boss that resembles Attila the Hun. Suddenly you find yourself in a job search.
If you’re like most people, you may think that there are four or five ways to find a job. Here at Donna Schilder Coaching, we believe there are at least 59 ways to find a job (listed below). The key to a successful career search is to understand which strategies are best for you. Just as it’s important to find a job that is a good fit for you overall — the right culture, the right professional development opportunities, the chance to make the right impact — it’s also important to develop job search strategies that are a good fit for you and your goals.
The “59 Ways to Find a Job List” below will give you a starting point for creating a Job Search Plan to find your perfect job, but don’t get overwhelmed — you don’t need to use all 59 strategies. We can help you choose the best five to seven strategies, that not only match your target position and industry but also match your personality type. In addition, since different job search tactics yield different possible positions, we’ll help you choose a combination of introverted and extroverted strategies that will uncover as many different jobs as possible, while still delivering targeted, relevant leads.
The 59 Ways to Find a Job – List
COMMON WAYS TO FIND A JOB
Network
- Call People in Your Existing Network (Extroverted Actions in bold)
- Connect with Internal Recruiters at Your Target Companies
- Email People in Your Existing Network (Introverted Action not bolded)
- Do a phone call or coffee with professionals in your network
- Network at Professional Organizations, Workshops, Webinars & Events to Create New Relationships with Hiring Managers, Recruiters, or People in Your Profession
Job Search Websites
- Search Job Search Websites for Job Openings
- Create a Job Alert on a Job Search Website
- Construct a LinkedIn Profile So Recruiters Can Find You
- Add Your Resume and Work Samples to Your LinkedIn Profile
- Look at Linked Job Ads
- Look for Recruiters on LinkedIn to Contact via Email (or Phone)
LESS COMMON JOB SEARCH STRATEGIES
LinkedIn (Less Common Strategies)
- Set up a LinkedIn Job feed so it automatically sends you new, relevant job ads – Donna Svei, Executive Resume Writer, AvidCareerist
- Set up a Google feed for LinkedIn Job Ads (So that you get job ads ASAP) – Donna Svei, Executive Resume Writer, AvidCareerist
- Join Recruiter Groups that List Open Jobs
- Use LinkedIn’s Green ‘Open to Work’ Sign to Encourage Recruiters to Approach You. (If you’re currently employed, choose Recruiters Only) – Phyllis Mufson, Career Coach
- Follow Your Target Companies’ “LinkedIn Company Pages” – Phyllis Mufson, Career Coach
- Build Relationships with Targeted Leaders and Recruiters by Commenting on their LinkedIn Posts. (Then reach out with a LinkedIn message.) – Phyllis Mufson, Career Coach
- Create LinkedIn Posts for Your Industry (use hashtags) to Appear in the Feeds of Leaders in Your Industry. – Phyllis Mufson, Career Coach
Leverage or Build Your Network
- Build Relationships with External Recruiters
- Contact Vendors You Have Worked with & Let Them Know You’re Available
- Network into Another Department at Your Current Company
- Network into Your Target Companies
- Perform Informational Interviews (within Your Company or Externally)
- Contact Prior Employers to See if They Have an Opening
- Set Up a Phone Call with Your Manager at a Past Employer to Brainstorm How to Find a Position
- Attend Industry Trade Shows to Build Your Network & Access Hiring Managers
- Go To Career Fairs (University, Public, Community, Regional, Industry)
- Do Volunteer Work in a Organization Where Your Target Hiring Managers Typically Volunteer (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, or Rotary)
Job Listings and Ads
- Post a Resume on a Job Search Website (if you’re not keeping your search a secret)
- Review Job Listings on Your Target Company Websites
- Look at Job Ads on Professional Organization Websites
- See what’s on “Craig’s” List
- Review Online Newspaper Job Ads
Leverage Your College Resources
- Use The Career Center (at Your High School, Trade School, College, or University)
- Contact College Alumni You Know and Don’t Know to Find People in Your Target Companies. – Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer, Chameleon Resumes
WORK YOUR WAY INTO A JOB
- Consult in Your Target Industry
- Do Contract Work in Your Target Industry
- Work Through a Temporary Agency in Your Target Company or Industry
- Do an Internship in Your Target Industry or Profession
- Take an Entry Level Job in Your Target Industry or Company (Then Work Your Way Up)
OUT-OF-THE-BOX JOB SEARCH METHODS
- Create and Pitch Your Dream Job at Your Current Company
- Pitch Your Dream Job to a Target Company
- Build your Own Website (to Showcase Your Resume, Samples of Your Work, or Your Portfolio)
- When you Find an Applicable Job Ad, Apply to the Competing Companies Because the Company May Recruit from Its Competitors – Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resumes, CCMC, CPRW, NCOPE
Leverage Non-LinkedIn Social Media Platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube)
- Follow Recruiters
- Follow Target Companies
- Create Posts (with Applicable Hashtags) to Be Found by Recruiters
- Comment on Recruiter and Hiring Manager Posts
- Join and Post relevant Content in Facebook Groups. (Look for Groups by City, Profession, or Industry (or a Combination). – Phyllis Mufson, Career Coach
Follow Your Target Companies To:
- Look for Job Openings
- Find people to Contact
- Gather intel to use in interviews and e-mails
- Identify Problems Companies Have that You May Be Able to Solve. – Chris Sier, Executive & Career Coach, Glacier Point Solutions
Use “Old School” Job Search Methods
- Make Cold Phone Calls to Hiring Managers at Your Targeted Companies
- Set Up a Google Alert for Your Target Job
- Review Printed Newsletters Job Ads
- Do a Mass E-Mail Campaign
- Mail (Snail Mail) Your Resume and Cover Letter to Hiring Managers
- Look Through Printed Newspaper Want Ads (You Might Notice a Different Job Looking at Paper Instead of a Screen)
Now that you’ve reviewed our job search strategies list, you have probably realized that some of the strategies align better with your personality type. For example, some strategies are more comfortable for an introverted person and others are a better match for an extrovert.
NOTE: In the List, extroverted approaches are bolded and introverted approaches are not bolded.
Our Coaches will not only help you find the approaches that are the best fit for you and the job you’re looking for, but we will also help you identify one or two strategies that may be out of your comfort zone but will yield different jobs (so you find more options). This will also help you stretch and grow and may even translate into new job skills for you.
It’s important to use a variety of ways to find a job because you can’t find all the job leads available if you use all online strategies or all networking strategies. For example, some jobs are:
- Never posted at all, and only shared through networks
- Posted on a company’s career pages (job openings pages) but not on job websites (like Monster) or job boards (like Indeed)
- Only marketed through executive recruiters
The more different ways you look for a job, the more job leads you uncover.
When you work with a Donna Schilder Coach, you’ll not only get support in choosing job search strategies, but we’ll also help you be more effective at the strategies you choose, which will greatly increase the number of job leads you uncover.
In addition, you will receive access to the valuable job search information on our Clients-Only web pages.
Reach out today to find out more about how we can help you find your dream job.
Donna Schilder