Today, job hunting is all about having (and building) connections and relationships. Although not the
easiest method, the premier approach for accomplishing this is your LinkedIn
account. For those seeking employment at the executive level, this is a given.
Even for those
seeking non-corporate-level opportunities, a presence on LinkedIn is a
prerequisite for securing meaningful employment. For jobseekers, locating key
decision makers within an organization amounts to priceless information. You hinder
your employment (social-selling) options whenever you wing it.
To illustrate, we
will use two jobseekers (Joe and John), both of whom have nearly identical
skillsets, education and experience. Both are seeking identical positions at
the mid-executive level.
Joe’s
job-hunting method amounts to chasing job ads posted on various career boards.
The instant a job posting appears, he responds to it with his generic
salutation e-cover and résumé. Because Joe has a solid background, and his
presentation is respectable, he hits the average response rate of 5:1, which
means for every five contacts, he generates an inquiry.
Joe’s method is
by far the easiest and least time-consuming. The moment he receives notice of
an opening, he can respond to it in under five minutes. Occasionally, he will
customize the e-cover to address a specific issue prior to pressing the ‘send’
button, but beyond that, Joe’s job search routine involves little time and
effort.
From a
behaviorist’s perspective, Joe’s approach pursues the path of least resistance.
It works for Joe just enough for him to keep using it. Naturally, if his method
generated no results, he might chance changing it. Unwittingly, however, he has
marginalized himself, as well as new employment prospects.
John’s approach
to job hunting used the social-selling method. Being social-media savvy, he
invested his time and efforts building relationships on LinkedIn. He started
his job search by identifying those potential employers for whom he might want
to work.
From John’s
LinkedIn account, he selected ‘Interests’
and placed selected companies under his ‘Following’
category. Once that was completed, he began searching those companies for key
decision makers within his field of expertise. Each time he located a relevant
decision maker within one of the companies, he sent a request to follow that
individual.
John’s next
step involves visiting the companies’ websites, and applying for specific positions
directly. His e-covers address key decision makers. John uses the time between
sending his résumé and waiting for a response to study the company, its
products and services. He familiarizes himself with the company’s history and
current events.
If Joe and John
were simultaneously interviewed, only one stands a chance of delivering an
award-winning interviewing performance. When asked, “What do you know about our company?” Joe would no doubt do his
best to fudge a response. John, on the other hand, would be dropping names, facts
and statistics. He might even know the CEO’s golf handicap. Any guesses on
which one gets invited back for a second interview?