When you invest the bulk of your time only pursuing posted jobs, you are missing out of the opportunity to meet with individuals inside companies that could potentially hire you and this is where the real opportunities lie!
Companies don't like hiring. It is a painful and time-consuming process. Not to mention, a risky proposition. Here are four reasons you need to stop chasing jobs and be proactive, not reactive, during your job search.
The majority of jobs are filled by internal hires.
It is so much easier for a company to promote someone internally. The candidate already knows the company, the culture, the processes, etc. However, that doesn't always mean an internal candidate is the best choice.
Even if there isn't a job available, you should be having conversations with people inside companies you would like to work for.
As you meet with people to learn more about their business, be sure to share how being an outsider offers fresh, valuable perspectives on solving their problems.
Learn more about informational interviews here: 5 Networking Tips To Help You Do It Better
Inevitably, they will be hiring someone and you want them to think of you as their next great hire!
You are competing against hundreds of other job seekers
Once a job posting goes public, everyone and their brother is applying. All the employer can see is your resume, if they even see that.
If your resume doesn't contain the right keywords or skill sets required by the company's screener, chances as slim that anyone will ever see your resume. And what makes you think you are a stronger, more likable candidate than the hundreds of external candidates AND the handful of internal candidates? What tips the scales in your favor when the competition is so steep? Can you see how much more difficult it is to stand out?
They may have already hired someone else
or have a strong candidate in mind
By the time the job posting goes public, the hiring manager has already been asking everyone they know, inside and outside the company, who would be a good fit for the upcoming open job. Sometimes this has been going on for months before the job gets announced. Imagine all the people who come to mind and who are referred for the job.
If all you do is wait for posted jobs, chances are, your name won't be in the running. Once the job does get announced, perhaps it has been custom tailored to match the very unique and specific skill sets and background of the predetermined candidate. You will never meet the requirements of the job if this is the case. You can't. It has been written so that only one person is truly qualified.
Applying for jobs drives reactive job search, not proactive
How frustrating is it when you don't see any good jobs available? And then there is the frenetic rush on the rare days when you see more than one job available and you have to research the company, tweak your resume and customize your cover letter to get it to the company ASAP.
When you only look at posted jobs, you have peaks and valleys of activity. Your job search activity is driven by their timeline, not one you have influence over. I would prefer you have more control over your activities and use of your time, wouldn't you?
To launch an empowering and proactive job search read: How To Find Target Companies For Your Job Search
Use Job Postings for These Purposes Instead...
- Job postings give you the opportunity to learn what skills most sought after. (Acquire these skills and include them on your resume and cover letter)
- Postings help you see what creative job titles being used now. (Add these job titles to your search criteria)
- Analyze which industries seem to be doing more of the hiring for the roles you are interested in. (Add these industries to your target list)
- See which recruiters are doing hiring within companies. (Use these recruiters to help you get an interview with companies that interest you)
Try using these 7 Tactics That Trump Searching The Job Boards instead!
