Whoever said that looking for work is a full-time job is obviously employed. The job search is more like being self-employed. There’s no one telling you what to do and you only get paid if you produce!

If this is the case, the importance of thinking strategically about the job search must be at the forefront. The problem, however, is that the job search is often a reactionary process due to the stress of losing a job or the need to make a transition into another position. Both of these work against the job seeker, from a psychological as well as a tactical perspective. 

 Psychologically, the signs are usually expected and clear. For example, there may be an onset of mild depression which causes an inability to focus on the task at hand. Tactically, the job seeker may be unrealistic about their job choice — as the job search goes on, this can potentially mean wasting valuable time and energy.

So what can the job seeker do?

Thinking strategically about the job search from the beginning is vital in order to reduce the time it takes to find a job. Most often, the job seeker focuses on their ideal job, their “dream job,” the one they’ve been trained to do. The problem here, though, is that this typically limits the job related opportunities available to us.

The strategic job seeker, on the other hand, actually runs a parallel job search.

Prior to commencing with the job search, it’s important to look for your “dream job,” but to also look for opportunities that support you eventually getting your ideal position. Those supporting jobs should meet the criteria you have set for moving you closer to getting your dream job. For example, if you want to be a teacher, you need to list all the skills and experiences required to be a competent teacher: teaching, curriculum development, leadership, etc. Taking those skills and finding them in other jobs will not only build your competencies but also position you as highly competitive when you do get an interview as a teacher. Taking a job as a tutor starts to make more sense when you know you can acquire the skills necessary to increase your value to the employer.

It’s important to think long term when it comes to the job search. Strategically determining your job search path is critical if you want to effectively and efficiently make the transition to the labor market. Although taking a job other then your dream position may feel wrong, it’s more about how the job you’re taking fits into becoming more competitive in the labor pool. Get strategic about your job search and you will reap the benefits down the road!

In these tough economic times, the hidden job market has become more obscure then ever before. The number of job postings is dwindling, and the decrease can be seen among a number of different fields.

The key to the job search is our ability to connect with people who can potentially provide job-related information. In fact, this idea of connecting with people applies to a number of aspects in our lives, not just in the job search. It’s nothing new, but has become ever more important in the face of an economic downturn. We tap into social resources through the activity of networking. So why don’t we network more when we know that there are a number of resources that can lead us to employment?

The answer to this question is not so simple.

We could say that it depends on our motivation or ability to network. Others would argue that the reason we don’t network is that we’re afraid of rejection or that we don’t think people will help us.

Children complain about eating vegetables, saying they taste funny or look weird. Parents know how important these vital nutrients are to development, so they continue to encourage, saying vegetables will help the children grow up strong and healthy. The kids continue to whine about the very thought of sticking a piece of broccoli in their mouth.

Over the years, parents have become very innovative in getting their children to eat the dreaded food, though. They cleverly blend it, puree it and disguise it into other food, all in an effort to give something to their children they know is beneficial. Great strides are taken to ensure the vegetables are added to a healthy daily diet. So what kinds of strides do we take in networking when we know that it can lead to our success?

Many individuals believe that networking is not a tangible process, and its very practice becomes the same dreaded chore the veggies are to kids. JSB has taken great strides to address this neglect of networking, to understand the networking phenomenon and identify the process that people go through in locating opportunities within their network, connecting to people and finding solutions that help them accomplish their goals. The lengths a parent goes to get a child to eat vegetables are the same ones we use to get individuals to network. More importantly, they are able to network effectively.

Whether you’re using the JSB process or have come up with methods of your own, the key to networking is to understand that it takes time and that there is a delayed reward to the process. We don’t wake up one morning and say, I’m going to connect with someone who can help me attain my goal, then go out and do it. In a few cases it can occur that quickly, but it usually needs to play out over a period of time.

Networking is like eating vegetables. It doesn’t sound good and it doesn’t taste good for a lot of people. We know it’s good for us, but still we avoid it like the plague. For practitioners working with clients who could benefit from networking, it’s time to get creative and start presenting the concept of networking in a new light. Blend it in and disguise it if you have to, perhaps use different language to describe it.

The point is, effective networking leads to success. The fact that it’s green and ugly doesn’t mean that it’s not good for you.

Let’s face it, we live in an era when technology rules. Never before have people had the ability to connect in a way that is both instantaneous and simplistic at so many levels. With the advent of social networking sites and email, connectivity, at least in theory, should be skyrocketing. Lists of friends or contacts are limitless, access to resources is plentiful, and the ability to connect with a diverse group of individuals is but elementary knowledge. These modern conveniences have the potential to increase the likelihood of individuals tapping into their networks and accomplishing their goals.

Potential, of course, is the key word.

How many contacts do you have on your friends list? How many contacts do your children have on their friends list? Some individuals have well over 500 contacts listed while others are short of 100. This exemplifies the perceived connectivity that exists in the world today. With those numbers, access to resources is plentiful and goal attainment is a piece of cake. Right?

Well, in most cases the answer is probably wrong. The potential of these sites is remarkable, but the utility of them is still uncertain. Just because you or someone you know is signed up on a social networking website doesn’t mean that they are tapping into their network. Most likely it’s simply a dormant entity that is used to claim they know many people, nothing more.

The problem with online social networking communities is that they represent an opportunity for most of us to collect contacts and store them in a central place for people to see. What this means is that the goal (subconscious or not) is to put as many people on our lists as possible because it represents some ill-conceived notion that we are connected—when in fact it’s actually the complete opposite.

The fact that we claim to know a multitude of individuals does not mean we know much about them, how we can positively leverage them to help us, or more importantly how we can help them. This lengthy contact list can provide a sense of false support and a total lack of connectivity.

The need for society to be connected is a good thing, a healthy condition of human living. With technology at the forefront of our world, social networking websites are a natural forum for connecting, but for a majority of us they only serve to provide the potential to connect. If this is true, how do we then turn this potential into reality?

Potential means that a great opportunity has presented itself, but that opportunity is fleeting. The social networking trends are starting to show a leveling out in comparison to the meteoric rise over the last couple of years. It is now critical to unleash the potential of this medium and increase the user’s ability to tap into the resources that exist within the networks that have been created.

The first and easiest way to frame this would be to suggest that users set goals, then to utilize their contact list to find help. The websites have provided simple access to social resources, but the tricky part is in being able to utilize those contacts to help us accomplish our goals. Access is always important, but utilization trumps it tenfold. The common user’s network of contacts is likely comprised by a majority of weak ties. The frequency of contact would be minimal.

In this case, the ability to approach those individuals involves a different tactic then approaching someone who is fairly close to the user. A connection strategy needs to be developed in order to leverage the resource and help accomplish the goal, otherwise the opportunity for engaging the contact to help is lost. How we connect to one another needs to be a conscious activity or else the chances of converting the contact into real help may never happen.

Social networking websites are a marvelous 21st century phenomenon. The only problem is that we need to acquire 21st century skills to tap into the potential that exists within them. The need to teach users how to effectively maneuver these sites is critical if we wish that they remain available. After all, users will eventually get bored if they get nothing out of them.

In short, social networking websites are only as good as what you get out of them. Some may find that updates on contacts lives are all they require, while others are looking for more. It’s time we tap into that potential and start leveraging the vast array of resources that exist to help accomplish our goals. Let’s take these social networking websites and truly tap into the value that exists within them.

Social capital is not only part of our lives, it closely represents life itself. This may seem a bit extreme, but think back to the last time you accomplished a goal. Did you do it on your own or with the assistance of another individual? It is likely you had some help from a family member, friend or acquaintance. Following this logic, those individuals who have experienced some level of success (the achievement of their goals) likely have higher levels of social capital than those who have not. Simply, social capital can be defined as the relationships an individual possesses. The key is to understand the importance of who we know, what we know about them and if we can link them to accomplishing something we set out to do.

Whether we are in school or working, the greatest opportunity for success in accomplishing our goals is the ability to tap into our network. Our network contains many different types of social resources (for example, our contacts, their addresses, their knowledge) that are capable of supporting our endeavors. The key is to understand and remember that these types of resources are all around us. We first need to gain access to them, then ultimately utilize them to attain our objective.

At the same time we access and utilize the social resources, we also have to give back to the network in order to access them again in the future. Building mutually beneficial relationships is key to long-term resource access. Just like a savings account, if we continue to withdraw money and do not replace it, eventually the account will be depleted. This holds true with social capital, too. Even though it exists in spite of us, our social resources will quickly dry up if we do not offer an exchange of our own resources in return. Becoming knowledgeable of what we have to offer and taking the time to explore opportunities with contacts on both sides is critical to ensuring a win-win scenario.

If we want to increase our utilization of social resources we must fully explore the opportunities that exist between what we want to accomplish and what our contacts have to offer. The connection between goals and resources is the best way to determine what resources exist in the network and which ones are best suited for accomplishing our objectives.

Social capital exists regardless of who we are and what we need. The value of this capital can only be determined by its utilitization; whether we are leveraging our relationships for emotional, financial or goal support, we subconsciously tap into it. Imagine if we were to make a conscious effort to leverage our social capital in our lives, while at the same time providing our own resources to others in the network. Think about the difference this would make!

Some people are able to do this quite effectively, but most of us think little about it and therefore fail to tap into this valuable life resource. Perhaps we feel that it is a burden on someone to ask for help, or perhaps we do not wish to give anything in return. Whatever the reason, it is essential to success to think about what we hope to do and how the people in our lives can help us.

So is social capital important?

It is not only important, it is essential to our success. Whether you are looking for a job, vying for a promotion at work, buying a house, selling a car, or fixing a broken toilet, access to social resources will allow us to accomplish these tasks in a more efficient and effective manner. This is not to say that you cannot accomplish these tasks alone, but at what cost? Social capital leads to economic and human capital that is at the forefront of all our minds. We increase our annual earnings by accessing a contact who knows someone at an organization that pays above the typical salary offered elsewhere. Without the link between your contact and the organization, this opportunity would not be possible.

The next time you attempt to accomplish something think about the best way to do it. You must weigh your options to go it alone or locate someone who can help you. If you believe the research stating that those individuals with higher levels of social capital are more likely to accomplish their objectives, finding a contact that can help you is likely your best chance for success.

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN INTERVIEW AGENDA?

The idea of an interview agenda is easily illustrated with an example. 

A job seeker has recently been offered an interview one morning the following week.  They begin preparing for the interview by doing some basic research on the company.  Where is the company located? How long will it take to get there?

They then begin to formulate questions to ask the interviewer.  How long have you been with this organization?  What do you look for in a model employee?  What is the long-term plan for the company?  Though they are not often asked during an interview, these questions can ultimately provide pertinent information that can move the job seeker forward in the job search process. 

Ideally, these questions are asked near the beginning of the interview since it is their responses that are critical in determining the the job seeker’s next step.  Understanding the agenda for the interview is another way of sharing control of the job interview process.

Depending on the company, the agenda will vary and can potentially change very quickly.  The interviewer will try to set the tone for the meeting—their main goal is to gather as much information about the job seeker as possible, to find out if the candidate is the right person for the job.  Essentially, to assess and determine the level of risk they would incur if they were to hire the job seeker. 

WHAT’S ON THE INTERVIEW AGENDA?

The goal of the job seeker is to gather as much information as possible so that an intelligent decision may be made about working for the employer.  The job seeker’s main goal is to find the opportunity that best fits their uniqe career plan. It is extremely important to be aware of what type of employer is doing the interviewing. This is especially important when a job is truly needed.

If the job seeker wishes to manage the job search, however, it is critical that they approach each opportunity with as much control as the employer.  Going through the job search process is a frame of mind.  Rejections are inevitable and often occur much more often than actual job opportunity acceptances.  This is a fact of life that needs to be addressed early on.

The interview agenda is one way of dealing with this issue. When putting together an Interview Agenda, five key agenda items are required:

1. Identifying the right person (To whom does this position report?)
2. Ensuring a “fit” for the position (Does the opportunity fit in with the job seeker’s intended career plan?)
3. Identifying the hiring process (Will there be more than one interview?)
4. Identifying the hiring timeframe (When would the chosen  candidate start?)
5. Identifying the right dollars (Doe this opportunity meet the job seekers financial  expectations?)

A job seeker who enters with an agenda shifts the goal of the interview toward gathering the information needed to make an accurate assessment of the opportunity. In essence, this changes the focus of getting the job to actually determining if it is the right job giving some control of the process back to the job seeker.

When we last left our job seekers Jen and George, the phone was ringing. George our strategic job seeker has a profile on MyJobCardsTM and has identified clearly his job goals. Jen on the other hand is struggling, she’s sent out several applications and has met with some recruiters – she’s hopeful her turn will come soon. Let’s listen in on our job seekers to see what happens next… Jen’s house… Ring, Ring… “Hello!” Jen rushes to answer the phone. “Hello may I speak to Jen please?” Lisa the Human Resources Manager asks. “This is..” Jen breathlessly answers the phone. Jen has a moment of panic; she knows this is a potential employer just from the way the call has come in. She has a stack of papers on her desk and really hopes that she can find her resume quickly. “Jen this is Lisa B from Spectacular Company, I’ve seen your resume and I’d like to speak to you more about the opportunity here. Do you have a moment?” says Lisa “Ah, er, ok…which company did you say you were calling me from?” replies Jen. Jen struggles to sort through her big pile of papers on her desk. She sort of remembers this company, she knows this could be a good opportunity if she could just remember where she put the job advertisement and the resume she sent. Uh oh…we just know Jen is not making a good impression! First impressions start from the moment you answer the phone. A good management system will enable job seekers to pinpoint their applications and associated documents effortlessly. Let’s check in on George. George’s house… Ring, Ring… “Hello, George speaking.” George confidently answers the phone. George naturally knows that at any time an employer could be calling in response to his resume. “George this is Lisa B calling from Spectacular Company. I have your resume here and would like to speak to you with regards to our opportunity do you have a moment to speak to me?” the HR Manager asks. “I’d be happy to chat with you.” George replies. George quickly heads to his computer and opens his profile JobSearchBoardTM through his MyJobCardsTM app on Facebook. MyJobCardsTM app stores all of his resumes and cover letters to enable George to quickly pull up the resume that he sent for this company. As George progresses through the phone interview and is invited to attend an in person meeting George moves his card from the “Applied” column to the “Set Interview” column. MyJobCardsTM is strategic; it allows job seekers to actively manage their job opportunities through a very strategic and well organized process. This naturally allows job seekers to gain confidence in their activities as they can track exactly where they are in the process. Have you tried MyJobCardsTM yet?

The concept of finding a job can be overwhelming to anyone. The job search takes an individual who is resilient to rejection and can maintain a level of motivation throughout the process. However, when we approach our job search by only concentrating on the end result, it can seem at times that we’re trying to eat the whole elephant at once. This can affect our motivation in negative ways as the time it takes to find a job can go on for many months. So what do you do? The first thing you need to do is break down your ultimate goal of finding a job into sub-goals. Structuring your job search this way will allow you to accomplish goals that support your main objective of finding employment. If you take one bite at a time, or focus on accomplishing one task at time, psychologically you’ll be able to maintain your momentum in finding your job.

Below are some exercise that you can do that will lead you to your ultimate goal of employment:

Activity 1: Identify 3 people that you know, visit them and start to explore who they know that may lead you to job related information. You can focus the conversation on who they know and where they work.
Goal: Explore your network for potential contacts

Activity 2: Bring your resume to an organization that you want to work at but who are not presently hiring. If they have a Human Resources Department, ask to meet with the person responsible for interviewing and ask to get some feedback on your resume. You’ll be surprised what people are willing to do to help out!
Goal: Get feedback from individuals who actually do the hiring

Activity 3: Research an organization that you would like to work for. How long have they been in existence? What is their primary service/product? How large is their workforce? What are the different types of positions they have? These are just a few of the questions you want to answer.
Goal: Find information about an organization that will help you determine if you want to work there.

Activity 4: Call 5 organizations that won’t hire you. This may seem like a waste of time, but the point of the activity is to provide you with the opportunity to practice your cold calling. Thinking that you don’t have an opportunity to get a job will lower the anxiety you may have about making contact with the employer. Give it a try. It’s a great way of practicing your approach without effecting your chances for getting an interview at an employer you really want to work for.
Goal: Work on your approach to contacting employers.

Activity 5: Before you go on your next interview, ask yourself ‘why you might not get the job’? Try and think about the risk the  employer might face in hiring you. Are you new to the job of interest? Do you lack some of the skills required for the position?
Do you live far from the place of work? Does your experience match what they are looking for? You can think of other questions
to ask yourself. By focusing on the risk factors,you can proactively develop a plan on how to deal with any ‘hidden objections’
the employer may have and deal with them straight on.
Goal: Assess the employers risk on hiring you.

Activity 6: Come up with a Job Search script. For example, when you tell people you’re looking for a job, what do you tell them? Hi, my name is John, I’ve been trained in the culinary field and am in the process of conducting a job search. I was wondering if you or anyone you know is presently looking for a chef? Develop your own script that you feel comfortable with. The key here is to get comfortable communicating what your intentions are and letting people know that you’re in the ‘process of conducting a job search’.
Goal: Develop a job search script

The six activities listed here are examples of taking the challenging task of finding a job and breaking it down into manageable pieces. Keep in mind that if you focus on each of the individual goals from the activities it will be much more manageable.

Regardless of their social ability, everyone has a certain level of social capital. Whether considered the biggest jerk on the face of the planet or the most caring person in your office, both of these individuals have a level of social capital regardless of who they are and what they represent. One could easily argue that the number of people in your contact list is meaningless unless there’s something to gain from knowing them.

When economists look at social capital, they immediately look at the cost/benefit scenario. After all, maintaining social capital is an expensive task, especially if you have many strong ties (consider all the time you spend maintaining a relationship). So from the economist’s perspective, turning social capital into social income is the key to successfully leveraging our relationships for something meaningful. Not too romantic, but it demonstrates the potential utility of our connections (i.e., emotional and financial support, contacts, information, knowledge).

The key to successful networking is developing mutually beneficial relationships so that the social capital doesn’t dry up. Just like a bank account, if you continue to make withdrawals and don’t deposit more funds, you’re eventually end up with a zero balance. It’s important to realize that when we refer to leveraging contacts, the need to approach networking that is mutually beneficial is crucial....I take something from the network and I give something back.

So how do we look to our network and identify what social resources exist within it? To catalogue all the embedded resources would seem like an impossible task; where would we start?

To make this process more simple, the first step is to be clear about what you want to accomplish before you even consider going to the network. This means setting clear and concise goals that can easily be communicated to contacts. By setting goals, we’re able to determine if there are social resources in our network that can help. By doing this, it makes the task of cataloguing resources more manageable and will motivate us to continue to network. If you require a plumber to fix a leaky toilet that is causing damage to your bathroom, who in your network can either fix the problem or is most likely to know someone who can? When you go to the network with that specific goal, the contact can easily determine if they can help you or if they know someone that might be able to. It’s as simple as that. Be clear on what you want to accomplish and make sure that you’re able to communicate it to the network in a concise way. If this can be accomplished there is no telling what can be achieved.

The myjobcards app on facebook enables you to clearly identify the goal you would like to achieve and keep you focused on these goals.  Consider identifying your goal clearly and then populating the information appropriately.

Turning social capital into social income can only be accomplished if we’re clear on what goals we want to achieve. When we set goals, the social explorer is no longer setting goals for themselves but the network itself. This means that goals need to be clear, concise and to the point. After all, if we make our contact figure out what we actually need, the likelihood of them helping dramatically reduces.

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.  Seneca, Roman Philosopher Mid-1^st Century AD

Success in 21^st century job searching is all about ensuring readiness when opportunities present themselves. We’ve heard it time and time again; current economic times continue to indicate that it an absolute necessity to foster and develop your network even when you feel comfortable in your current occupation. We are constantly being told; access the hidden job market!  Certainly some individuals are extremely successful in achieving this while others may find the process difficult and need help. 

Accessing the MyJobCards app on Facebook is the platform you need to guide you through the process of executing a strategic job search plan.   Strategy is weaved throughout the entire process the moment a job seeker accepts the app in Facebook.  Job seekers identify their ideal job as they fill out their profile.  This is where they identify their goal in clear terms.  In addition job seekers, they also identify the criteria for which they might choose an alternate path.  Why is this so clever?  MyJobCards recognizes that sometimes it’s wise to take role that may not be your 100% match as it may lead you to your perfect job in the future.  A clever strategy MyJobCards!

Filling out your profile enables you to share with the world the kinds of opportunities you would be interest in (the emphasis is on you the job seeker!) so that your friends and others within your network can keep an eye out for opportunities you may be interested in.  MyJobCards also helps job seekers ask for assistance by allowing you to invite others to join as well ask for the referral.  Let’s face it the biggest challenge in tapping the hidden job market is asking for help. MyJobCards does the work for you, clever strategy MyJobCards!

This is the tip of the iceberg, enjoy MyJobCards and stay tuned for more details how MyJobCards App in Facebook can help you maneuver strategically through your job search.

 

Meet Jen and George.  Currently they are both looking for work and have two very different approaches.  

George is exceptionally organized and has wisely chosen to tap into the hidden job market by using the MyJobCards Facebook app to help him manage his search. 

Jen is very different; she knows she needs to tap into the hidden job market because she hears about it all the time.  The trouble is, she just does not know how to use it. She’s got a few friends on Facebook but just has not taken the time to figure out a strategy to access the resources she has right under her nose.

Let’s take a look at George and Jen’s day as they begin the week job searching…

Jen begins her day but updating her Facebook  status as to how her weekend went.   She finds job searching quite discouraging as she just does not know where to start. It feels it will be a good day today, she has a meeting with a recruiter and just knows the recruiter will have something for her!  Her resume is half decent, she has had it reviewed by a few friends and they’ve corrected the mistakes.  It’s early in her job search so she’s feeling fairly optimistic about her ability to find work in good time.  Browsing the internet she looks at the career section of some of her dream companies but still does not see the advertised opening she was hoping for.  Next she looks at a large job search website that advertises a bunch of job opportunities; she sees a few that closely resemble jobs that relate to her skills so she decides to send off her resume. As she reflects on her efforts she must have put out at least 25 applications this month alone.  Something’s got to give.

Suddenly the phone rings…

George uses a very different strategy in executing his job search.  George has also heard about the hidden job market and knows this will be the key to his success.  It was the perfect timing that George received a job card from his friend.  Cool George thinks!  This could be a key to help me execute my strategy.  George checks out the MyJobCards app on Facebook, watches the video and begins to fill out his MyJobCards profile.  Wow is this ever cool.  George knows that by filling out his profile he is helping others keep an eye out for opportunities that will match his skills.  George carefully takes the time to fill out what he is looking for in his next opportunity and get this…there’s even a section for opportunities that may not be his 100% match. Why is this so clever?   Strategic job seekers know that it often takes multiple steps to finally land a dream job.  After making sure his profile is filled out, George begins seeking opportunities that match his skills.  Boy tapping into the hidden job market is hard work, networking can be a bit intimidating but George loves how easy it is with MyJobCards.  MyJobCards has an invite button that does all the work for him!  He clicks on the button, selects friends to join MyJobCards and the automatic message gives him the words he’s been struggling to find.  He adds a personal message and sends them off.  Next George uses the search function to search for possible opportunities in his area, he finds a few matches for himself and one that’s a perfect match for his friend who introduced him to MyJobCards.com.  Way to go George! It won’t be long before you land that job and looking for opportunities that will be a benefit to others is a way to improve your social credit.

Suddenly the phone rings…

 

To be continued…..

Strategic Job Search Management System