By Katy Piotrowski
I’ve talked with hundreds of eager
job seekers this year, and these are the top job-finding opportunities they
seem to miss most consistently:
• A clear focus
Even cats know it’s smart to have a
plan: “One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a
tree,” reads Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland.”
“ ‘Which road do I take?’ she
asked. ‘Where do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice
answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.’ ”
• A directed LinkedIn profile
with a healthy group of contacts
With just a few keywords, such as
“marketing analyst Fort Collins,” a hiring manager can locate prospective
candidates. If your profile doesn’t align to your job search goal (or if you
don’t have a LinkedIn profile), you’re sure to be missed.
Join related LinkedIn groups, such
as Colorado Purchasing Managers, to quickly expand your network.
• A target list
Refer to my cat comments above, and
then create a list of at least 20 organizations likely to hire someone for the
job focus you’ve chosen.
Research the hiring manager at
those businesses — not human resources; the person you would report to — and
send her your resume with a short note saying, “I could be a resource for you.
Could we meet?”
Mine your LinkedIn contacts for
possible opportunities to connect with people at those companies.
• A resume that reflects where
you’re going, rather than one that recounts where you’ve been
Most of us don’t enjoy reading
history, so why would a resume screener, who has to look at hundreds of
documents each day, want to know the nitty-gritty details of a job you held 20
years ago? Instead, inspire her to call you by presenting a carefully chosen
set of facts and accomplishments that show her why you’re the right person to
meet her needs.
• A team of supporters briefed
and actively helping you
Inform anyone who believes in you
of your job hunting goal, show them your target list, and ask for next-step
ideas. Then roll into 2013 with much better job-hunting momentum.
Katy Piotrowski, M.Ed., is
the author of “The Career Coward’s Guides” and provides career and job search
support with Career Solutions Group in Fort Collins. Reach her at (970)
224-4042 or katy@careersolutionsgroup.net.
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