Tips and Tactics: Prospecting For
Job Leads
Find Your Target Recipient...Whether you’re
changing careers, recently were laid off, or are searching for that first job out of school, your immediate need is the same:
Finding employment as quickly, painlessly, and cost-effectively as possible. Which is why our book, “Knock Three Times,” and its proven three-step system can help you locate and win the job you want.
There
really is no secret to finding employment, other than working hard to develop an approach, then implementing and sticking
with a schedule for being employed by a target date. This discipline will get you through procrastinating, and eventually
save you time and money. It will help you focus on genuine opportunities that might provide work, and ignore “long
shots” that will result in wasted time and effort.
First off, there are four
areas that you as a job hunter must address:
• You must develop a schedule of activities,
and stick to it.
• You must research the job market where you want to work.
•
You must be able to articulate your experience and abilities, clearly and succinctly.
• You
must employ top-quality and effective job search techniques and materials.
This tips and tactics discussion is dedicated
to helping you prospect the job market in which you wish to find employment. However, keep in mind that if you plan
to relocate – and you currently are unemployed – you’ll be faced with additional expenses such as travel,
long distance calling, and inability to “scope out” work locations in advance. Unless relocating is an imperative,
it might serve you better to find employment locally and switch jobs and locales later when travel and long distance communications
are within your budget.
In either case, your first task will be to gather essential information
about prospective employers, who you then will target with attention-getting mailings. While you gather this information,
you also can be preparing the hard-hitting communication materials you will employ throughout your campaign.
First, Apply For Your Benefits...
At the outset, if you have been terminated or laid
off – and worked and regularly paid employment taxes to your state’s Department
Of Labor (DOL) – then you deserve and should file for unemployment compensation. Not only that, your local
DOL office has myriad job postings and services available to help you find work. As soon as possible after you are out
of work, visit your nearest DOL office and sign up for benefits. And while you’re there, avail yourself of the
materials and services dedicated to helping you again become employed.
Following are methods of locating prospective
employers, and advice that will make your communications more effective:
Uncover prospects
on your own...
This is the most timely means of developing your prospect list, because you set your own hours.
Determine what type, size, location, and industry-specific organizations for which you would like to work, visit your local
library, and conduct research. Primarily, you want at least the name, title, address, and telephone number of the person
in charge of the department in which you want to work. Chances are, the library’s reference room contains publications
that will provide you with current information on any company, institution, corporation, or organization.
Armed
with this information, you then can make a few telephone calls to locate data you’re missing. You can apply this
same approach to prospects in the Yellow Pages who are listed under the fields in which you’re interested.
Another reason we listed this method first – other than your being able to control time and effort involved –
is that it represents the most rewarding and cost-effective means of locating prospective
employers. Mainly because you end up writing to managers at the hiring authority levels who know of jobs that are not
yet created, and certainly not posted. In fact, according to a recent article in Harvard
Business Review, about 80% of jobs available at any one time are not advertised.
Check with relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers,
or acquaintances who may know of job openings...
This also is an excellent means of finding work.
If these individuals can point you in the direction of an organization that is hiring, with only a little effort you can locate
your target individual – as well as the information you need to know about him or her.
It’s a good
idea at this point to begin developing notes and time tables regarding your contacts
or scheduled contacts with prospective employers. You need to make certain you know where you are in the contact stage
to keep from embarrassing yourself or missing a deadline or appointment. By the way, should the lead provided you by
one of these contacts pan out – and you are hired – make sure you reward
him or her with a small gift or nice meal, and certainly a card or “thank you” letter.
Respond to “help wanted” ads...
While the payback here is extremely small – about
1% of jobs available are advertised this way – it’s worthwhile to respond to placements that meet your employment
criteria. Here are a few tips to help you improve your odds:
Reply with a cover letter that responds to all requirements
outlined in the ad. (Ensure your resume reflects those qualifications.) Personalize your letter, and send it to
an individual – not blindly to Human Resources. A few telephone calls can get you the data you need.
Post your resume on the Internet...
Again, your chances of finding employment on the
Net are slim; unless you possess a high tech, Internet, or aerospace-related background, or substantial experience and accomplishments
at the CEO level. A s you can imagine, on the Internet your cover letter must work even harder to get attention!
Above all, good luck and good hunting!
