As they say, we live in a digital age. Technology has dramatically changed not only how we live, but also how we look for and fill job openings.
However, some things haven’t changed. After all, recruiting and hiring is an age-old marketing practice.
How do employers connect with job seekers? And, vice versa: How do job seekers connect with potential employers?
The above are always important questions to answer, but even more so in uncertain economic times like these.
When you think about it: We have 10 million legitimately unemployed people in the U.S.—and possibly another 10 million unofficially unemployed or ‘under-employed’—which means we are talking about 20 million people moving around out there.
No doubt, many of these 20 million people are trying to figure out what to do. Ultimately, of course, most unemployed people strive to:
- connect with an employer;
- get themselves noticed; and
- land an invitation to present themselves.
Most people would probably agree. One of the most stressful periods of anyone’s life includes being unemployed and searching for a job.
On top of that, particularly now during these uncertain economic times, many unemployed are not even thinking in terms of making career moves. Bills need to be paid, so they are in a survival mode, and they just need to find work. So the stress becomes more amplified.
This is why it’s critical that job seekers develop a strategy, or a plan, for successfully connecting with potential employers. At the same time, job seekers should try and put themselves in the employer’s shoes.
In other words, employers are simply trying to find the best possible candidates for filling positions. And, numerous unemployed people are trying to dive into these holes right now, which can put employers at risk. Employers have to be very careful in order to avoid making mistakes, especially the small business employers.
So before job seekers develop a strategic plan for finding employment, they should consider the following examples of connection points that have evolved over the past decades:
- Traditional advertising methods such as newspaper ads
- Social networks
- Business networks
- Outreach ministries
- Staffing firms
- Local, state and federal government programs
Next, job seekers should execute a plan. We all do this every week.
For example, when you go grocery shopping, you first prepare a list. You go through the store; then you find what is on your list; next, you might compare prices and evaluate deals; you might even have a few coupons to shuffle through. This process exemplifies executing a weekly strategic plan.
You may not think about it this way, but you are executing a plan because you want to make the best use of your time and your money.
A job search is no different, and job seekers want to approach it in much the same way as you would a grocery shopping experience. You have a budget and you need to make it worth your time.
So, execute your job searching strategy in much the same way. For example, you will want to answer such questions as follows:
- Where do I want to go to work?
- What places will I be contacting?
- What can I give them? And, so on.
Before closing, I offer a strong word of caution to job seekers.
As initially mentioned, we live in a digital age. However, there is nothing more off-putting than a crazy or overly casual e-mail address.
An address such as ‘Gun_toting_guy@blank.com’ is entirely too personal and comes across as slang. Furthermore, a crazy-sounding e-mail address does nothing to highlight the fact that you have been committed to various jobs and employers over the years.
In short, take out the slang, the personality, the color, the uniqueness of an overly-familiar-sounding e-mail address and replace it with something more professional. Otherwise, many recruiters will reject your inquiry before even reading your e-mail message.