Strategic Job Search
Today I want to focus on one of my favorite topics that people neglect: job search strategies.
There are two main issues with how people job search. The first is not focusing on the right things and the second is not having a strategic plan for the search.
The first issue is just looking for any job. If you want any job, head over to the exchange as the food court and exchange are probably hiring. Often we are looking at anything and everything. This can make the job search overwhelming. You want to focus the search.
The second issue is not searching the right way. Let's start by looking at how employers fill jobs verses how potentially employees search for jobs. If you have been reading my articles for a while, you have probably seen this graphic:
(Source: https://careerlinkbc.wordpress.com)
You will see that most employers look for employees through internal promotions, recommendations from staff, and all other forms of networking; yet, job seekers spend the most time on job boards. Why? Because it provides a sense of accomplishment. When you fill out that on-line application and submit a resume it feels like you have done something.
So how do you change this dynamic? That is what we will be focusing on all month! My goal this month is to help you develop a strategy that works.
It is estimated that up to 80% of jobs are filled through networking of some sort. This can be anything from your employer asking if you want a promotion to your neighbor letting you know about an upcoming opening at their company. As a part of this, that there is a "hidden" job market. There are jobs that are never posted anywhere because they are filled through this networking. It may even be a job is created for a person because of their skills.
So how do you go about this and find that right position? Let’s go with some basic steps.
Narrow the search.
The first step is to narrow down your job search. When you look at any job and everything, it is overwhelming. You want to narrow your search to your career field and industry. Look long term. Let's use nursing as an example. If your goal is to eventually become a nurse, but maybe you are not even in school yet, working at a bank is not all that helpful compared to working at a nursing home, hospital, or doctor's office. You can narrow your search to medical organizations, maybe even a place that will pay for you to earn your licensed practical nursing certification.
Develop an elevator pitch.
An elevator pitch is a one to two minute chat about you and your career goals. It is focused on your accomplishments and goals for the future. This can be used quickly to talk to a potential employer or coworker. You can quickly customize it based on the company or person you are with. Zapier has a great article on building your pitch. It provides examples to create each of the five pieces of a pitch:
Hook which draws your audience in and tells your story.
Value which focuses on the value you bring to the table for the organization.
Evidence showing your value and gives and example of what you bring.
Differentiator showing how you are different and stand out and what you bring that highlights your uniqueness. It might be your passion or technical expertise or unique experience.
Call to action, something often skipped, that asks for something such as a recommendation on what you should do or a referral to a job.
Creating structure for the search.
Creating structure can help you in so many ways. It provides that same accomplishment that applying on that job board gives, but it does it in such a way that you are actually accomplishing something. We want to focus our job search on the best possible outcomes so we want o focus in that networking area. I'll go into more detail on how to network in a few weeks, but let's talk about the basics here. You might structure your week something like this.
Monday: Identify organizations and find out more about the company by researching on the internet and seeing if you already know anyone who works there.
Tuesday: Follow up with contacts from last week and apply to jobs on the websites of those companies. Volunteer in your career field.
Wednesday: Find contacts at the companies you identified on Monday. Make some calls, connect through LinkedIn, and try to make appointments to meet.
Thursday: Attend a networking event through a professional organization or local job fair. Hold an informational interview or have coffee with someone in the career field or industry.
Friday: Hold two informational interviews or have coffee with someone in the industry at a company you identified this week or in the previous weeks.
Weekend: Self care and attend fun events.
Network everywhere you go.
That elevator pitch can be used in all sorts of situations, think spouse club talking to a nurse that works on base or at your doctor's office asking the nurse about his or her career. You can network anywhere! I had a client that had a job created for her because she was talking in the line at the grocery store. The owners of the company were talking about a problem with their business and she asked them some questions and suggested some solutions. The owner gave her their card and offered her a job on Monday when she called.
OCONUS tips.
When you are OCONUS, there are unique challenges due to language and/or Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA) which may limit your ability to work off the installation. There are specific tips to help you with your job search OCONUS.
Meet with the Employment Readiness Program. They are aware of contract positions as well as ways to be hired on post.
Register with NAF and AF human resources. There are unique programs OCONUS for military spouse hiring.
If you are in the medical field, talk to the American Red Cross. They manage volunteer opportunities at the medical and dental offices.
Talk to the Volunteer Coordinator at your installation. There are unique volunteer opportunities OCONUS that can lead to employment opportunities.
Attend events on post and meet people. Networking is key. You may learn about a remote opportunity or an upcoming job opening.
Please share additional resources that you know about in the HUB, where you can catch Rose’s weekly topics!
Rose Holland has served the military community for over 30 years in a variety of roles as a volunteer and family program staff. Through this work, she has seen many inequities imposed upon military families. Her passion to assist military families is driven by her own experience as a military spouse of almost 33 years and has shaped the service she provides. Rose became an activist for military families in the area of career and employment, serving as a career counselor and providing corporate and local organizations insights into the military world and helping the community understand the hidden talent pool of military families.
Rose has a BBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, a Master’s in Theological Studies with a focus on pastoral care from Saint Norbert College in DePere Wisconsin, and a Doctorate in Education with a focus in Educational Sustainability at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Her dissertation project focused on military spouses in federal employment and their perceptions of perceptions of federal position during the pandemic.