If you are thinking of changing your job, looking for a promotion, or looking to go into something completely different, then before you start your job search, it is a really good idea to decide what you need to do beforehand. If you are able to plan in advance, and use some modern job search strategies, it can help to find the position that you want.
Top job search strategies
So as well as that, here are some job search strategies to help you get started, find the job that you want, and be on the career path that you want to be on.
Job search strategies # 1: Use the hidden job market
Are you aware that around two thirds of all vacancies are never advertised publicly? If not, you are not alone: Around 95 percent of all applicants only use the public job market for their search and thus only see 33.3 percent of all vacancies. The other 66.6 percent are awarded privately, for example through contacts or an unsolicited application. However, only around five percent of applicants use this option for their job search. In summary this means:
Five percent of job seekers apply for 66.6 percent of the vacant positions on the hidden job market, while 95 percent of applicants rush to the 33.3 percent of positions on the public job market. So what is the conclusion for job search strategies? Your chances are significantly (!) higher if you belong to the five percent of applicants who are now concentrating on the hidden job market.
Job search strategies # 2: Unsolicited applications are more successful than you might think
One way of accessing this hidden job market is the speculative application mentioned above. Many applicants shy away from this variant. The risk of investing a lot of time and effort in the documents is too great never to receive feedback. In reality, unsolicited applications lead to success far more often than you probably assume.
Of course, a spark of luck is always part of it, but an unsolicited application can be a good opportunity for initial contact with the company – which you can build on later. Even if your speculative application does not immediately lead to the desired success, sometimes after a few weeks or months you will receive an invitation for an interview or you have at least expanded your network.
Job search strategies # 3: The power of networking
Network is an important keyword when it comes to the covert job market. The more contacts you have – be they private or professional – the higher the chance that they will know about vacancies and draw your attention to them. Perhaps they will propose you as a potential candidate directly or pass on the contact details to which you can send your application. If you are even more lucky, you will even receive an attractive job offer straight away.
However, this has only partially to do with luck. It is important that you constantly expand your network and know how to use it properly in the worst-case scenario – i.e. when looking for a job. Make your contacts aware that you are currently looking for a new job and roughly what you have in mind. Approach your professional and private connections directly to ask them whether they know of something … or know someone who knows someone who knows someone … Within reach.
Job search strategies # 4: Social media is not just for passive job search
It is a really good idea as one of the job search strategies to update your resume before you job search, which could be done by finding some CV templates online. But once you have done all of that, you will be ready to look at the job ads and commencing the job search. But as you update your resume, it is a good idea to keep things short and sweet; a modern resume doesn’t need to be more than two pages long.
However, it may mean that you’re not able to list all things in detail. Which is why connecting on social media and being on sites like LinkedIn is a really good idea. These days, the chances are that an employer will look you up on there anyway, so you can write more in detail about achievements and responsibilities in a particular role on there, rather than your resume.
You could also use your Facebook profile to make the most of your connections, as you can let people know that you are job hunting. Sometimes, jobs, or at least interviews, can come from referrals from friends, so letting them know what you are looking for can be a good idea.
In today’s digital age, of course, the internet plays a major role in networking. However, many applicants fall into the error that social media is only suitable for passive job search. They send in their application documents by traditional post or email and then expect to be “scanned” on Facebook, Twitter, XING & Co. Perhaps they are also scouring the professional networks XING and LinkedIn for job advertisements – but that brings them back to the public job market.
Social networks have long since ceased to just serve as a background check for applicants. Instead, recruiters consciously go into the digital world to look for suitable candidates for vacant positions on the hidden job market. Applicants can and should also use social media platforms for active job searches. But how?
Maintain your existing contacts also via social networks. Make friend requests to your friends and publish a message on your profile that you are currently looking for a job.
You can also make new contacts by adding people from your industry, commenting on relevant articles from your specialist area or writing to headhunters, HR professionals etc. directly to draw attention to your job search. Here, however, a little sensitivity is required, because decision-makers in important positions in particular receive such news every day. So get straight to the point, say why you are writing to this person, what you are looking for and what you have “to offer”.
Bring your profile up to date and make it clear to foreign visitors at first glance that you are currently looking for a new job. Make sure that all your profiles in social networks are uniform.
Job search strategies # 5: Position yourself as an expert in your field
You can also use social networks to publish articles on your subject and thereby position yourself as an expert – or to refer to a corresponding specialist blog. It is no longer uncommon for applicants to start their own blog and thereby draw the attention of potential employers to themselves.
Job search strategies # 6: A resume is not set in stone
But neither a résumé nor an application letter are set in stone. So you have to revise them at regular intervals and adapt them to your current situation and the job search. For example, choose a company that you would like to work for. Write an unsolicited application, use social media to make contact with internal employees or, better still, managers and, at the same time, adapt your wording and CV to the company or position of your choice.
The key word here is the famous common thread. It therefore not only depends on the channels on which you are looking for a new job and on which job market you are moving, but also on the “how” – in other words, your individual strategy to convince the employer of yourself and thereby yourself stand out from the competition.
Job search strategies # 7: Never beg for a job
It’s about convincing the HR manager, both on a digital and a personal level, that he or she cannot do without you as an employee. After you have established an initial contact via the channels already listed, you then have to “market” yourself optimally. Find the arguments that speak for you and mean your individual added value for the company, with which other job seekers cannot serve. Appear self-confidently and as an expert in your field. Convincing the recruiter never means going into the position of beggar. Don’t write messages à la this example:
Dear Mr. Miller,
I saw that you are a manager in the X department at the X company. I am writing to you because I am urgently looking for a job. I would therefore be very happy to receive an answer and possibly an invitation to an interview – it doesn’t matter for which job.
You will certainly notice for yourself how desperate and incompetent such a message appears and can therefore work out how high your chances are with this strategy – around zero percent. Instead, write, for example:
Dear Mr. Miller,
As an expert in the X field, I am approaching you today because I noticed that your Xcompany still has some catching up to do with the X problem. I have a lot of experience in developing tailor-made solutions for this problem and I would have some specific ideas for your company in this regard. I am therefore looking forward to your feedback and possibly the chance for a personal interview with the option of a job in the X department.
So give the person a reason to at least answer you or, better still, to invite you directly to an interview that they cannot resist. Offer specific added value in return for a response, invitation or even a job. Make the company aware of the extent to which the “investment” in you would be worthwhile. So instead of begging for a job or being bored to death, you need to arouse their curiosity.
Job search strategies # 8: A polite “thank you” has never hurt
Ultimately, it depends on your image: Would you like to be a beggar, a bore or would you rather be an expert? Do you see yourself as a visionary, a high performer or a manager? Make yourself aware of who you are, where you want to go on your professional path and which image best describes you and your goals. Then cultivate this image and treat it like a raw egg. Even a wrong sentence on your social media profile or a rude email can make waves in corporate circles and destroy your image.
You should therefore ensure that you appear polite and professional. As boring as it sounds: A simple “thank you” has already worked miracles when looking for a job!
Job search strategies # 9: Don’t waste your time
If you have seen a job ad for a job that you would love and think is perfect for you, but you don’t necessarily have the right experience or qualifications listed, is it something that you should still pursue and apply for as part of your job search strategies? This is a tough problem when job hunting, as some people would want to apply anyway, just in case. But it can be why many applicants don’t hear back from job applications, meaning that it has wasted valuable time. If you have that job in mind, then get yourself qualified first, and then you can go from there.
Job search strategies # 10: Think about salary
It is quite common practice for jobs to be listed without the salary, with the ad just saying something like ‘competitive’ in that section. If the salary is listed, then you need to make sure that it would be enough for you. If you applied, got the job, and then wanted more money, it will mean that you’re quickly on the job hunting again. If the salary isn’t listed, then make sure you ask at interview about it, and be prepared to ask what qualifies for what salary, if there is a salary range.
