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Focus your job search, then make contact

In last week’s column, I discussed the common but somewhat unhelpful tendency of job seekers to rely on print and electronic postings as their primary source of job leads.

The problem isn’t that these sources don’t provide good leads — they do. They just don’t provide all, or even most, of the leads available at any given time. To make matters worse, these sources are known to everyone, creating more competition than is helpful.

As I noted last week, the solution is to learn of openings before they are advertised in a public forum. By doing so, the job seeker becomes one of only a few people — or the only person — vying for the job. Although this is a more difficult job search, because it requires one to act instead of react, the payoff comes in higher-caliber jobs from which to select.

So how to find these jobs before they’re posted? The key is focus. You need to identify at least one primary descriptor of your next employer before you can start. Mind you, “an employer who pays well” doesn’t count as a descriptor. Not only is “well paying” a subjective concept, but it’s also difficult to research and doesn’t narrow the field enough.

Better criteria will include one or more of the following: an employer of a particular size, in a particular field, specializing in a certain product line, or doing business in a particular geographic territory. Add to this mix your work area or job title and you’re starting to build a nicely focused job goal.

With a list of potential employers in hand, and an understanding of the work you would like to do for them, you are ready to launch your job search. Now, you don’t have to rely on posted openings, but can instead (or also) look for openings before they are advertised.

This type of job search is often called “the hidden job market,” which simply means the openings aren’t known to the general public. To find them requires you to approach companies without knowing in advance if they are hiring. If that sounds scary, remember that the payoff is huge: With the right timing, you could be the only candidate a company considers.

The best way to find these openings is through someone who works at the company, or through someone who knows someone at the company. This leads us to the well-known but dreaded territory of networking.

If it helps, you can reframe the word into something softer, such as “connecting” or “relationship building.” Or you can just call it networking and get on with things. Whatever you call this process, the steps will always be similar: Make a list of people to contact, then do it. Some of the people will be folks you know, others will be people you need to meet. But if you’ve chosen well, all of them will be people who can provide a link in the chain leading to your next job.

Here are a few tips to get started.

• Using your list of target companies, note all the people you know at each company. For the moment, set aside those companies where you have no contacts.

• Start contacting the people you know in each company for advice. Explain the job level you want to work at in the organization and ask who you should be contacting. Consider asking if your contact would make an introduction for you.

• Make this next level of contact, using the first contact’s name when possible. This communication can be done via mail, e-mail or phone. The point is to introduce yourself, explain that you are interested in working for the company and in which capacity, and to ask for a meeting. If the contact declines to meet, say thank you and ask whom else, inside or outside of the organization, you should contact.

• The companies where you have no contacts will need to be approached “cold.” In these cases, call to get the name of the person heading the department you would likely work in. Then call or write this person, introducing yourself and asking for a meeting.

• Throughout this process, keep your broader network of friends and colleagues informed of your steps. A regular e-mail will keep everyone up to date, while inviting them to forward leads or contact names.

If this seems like the long-shot approach to job search, remember that most jobs are won through personal referral or contacts. So, this isn’t the long shot — it’s the best odds you have.