okok juz a little sth
from MSN.com
here goes,
Nine Hidden Job Market Secrets
By Debra Feldman, JobWhiz.com
Fortunately few executives acquire sufficient experience to call
themselves job search experts. With luck, they move from one
challenge to the next without having to master job hunting. In an
ideal world, just about when an individual decides they want
change, a new, appropriate opportunity miraculously presents itself
complete with conveniently acceptable terms.
In reality, it's more likely that a proactive job search effort
will be necessary. Worse, the results may not match their
preferences very well and then owing to financial or family-related
concerns, they end up taking a job which involves critical
compromises.
What can you do to avoid the shock of suddenly being forced into
the job market? Start job searching strategically before you need a
new career opportunity. Planning ahead offers more control over the
timing and specific details, as well as being able to prepare and
develop the most effective approach for securing a good
match.
Here's how to prepare in today's highly competitive and complex
environment.
1. Identify yourself as the expert go-to resource. Don't leave it
to a potential employer to figure out what your value is to them.
You have one chance to present your qualifications. Hiring managers
must conclude from your introduction that you are someone they need
to know better. Keep your message simple; what's in it for
them.
2. Target employers likely to appreciate your background. To stand
out, choose a niche and present your credentials to a strategically
chosen few who can appreciate your abilities. Focusing on the
specific needs of a limited group of employers and commanding their
attention produces better results than if you try to spread your
search far and wide.
3. Define your goals. Focus your search. Name specific employers
that have outstanding reputations or select prospects that intrigue
you with their mission, products, services and partnerships. These
employers and individuals comprise your project goals. You can
expand your list to include companies chosen for characteristics
like location, industry sector, size or ownership status. Limit
your project scope to a manageable number of employers with whom
you can "network purposefully" encouraging relationships and
credibility. Expect that these connections will provide inside tips
about career opportunities, cluing you into corporate changes that
produce new positions and create vacancies.
4. Create your value proposition to attract interest. Don't try to
adapt to suit every possible opening in order to get a job. You
dilute your strengths and thereby lower your cachet as the expert
with the best qualifications.
5. Customize your presentation for each opportunity. This is well
worth the extra preparation because you will more clearly
communicate your value proposition by addressing the specific needs
of each prospect and communicating that you are the perfect
solution for their needs. Remove any doubt that you will deliver
100 percent and demonstrate that you are low risk by promoting
trust and increasing interest in you as the perfect
candidate.
6. Dollarize your value. What is your specialty? What do you do
better than others with similar credentials? What can employers
expect from you to improve their bottom line, manage customer
relationships better, increase sales volume, widen profit margins
or reduce expenses while cutting costs?
7. Connect with the hiring authority. Stay on the decision maker's
radar. Be remarkable and memorable. Even the most well crafted
resume cannot be guaranteed to open doors and bypass corporate
gatekeepers. Take advantage of personal referrals, friendly
recommendations and confidential inside leads; these all depend on
establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Spend
almost all of your job search time working contacts. If your
network is not producing appropriate job leads, then expand beyond
your existing contacts by designing a network purposefully for your
campaign project and implementing this plan establishing new
connections.
8. Personally meet hiring managers. Follow up relentlessly. Your
goal is for the appropriate hiring manager at each of your target
companies to know who you are and understand your potential value
contribution. If there is not a current position available, stay in
touch because organizations are constantly in flux with new
staffing needs generated continuously. Keep networking! Ask for
referrals to others that you don't already know both internally and
elsewhere. Follow up on every lead on a regular basis and keep your
network alive even after you start your new job so that you are in
the loop for future positions and are considered a top candidate
even when you are not actively seeking a new challenge.
9. Network purposefully. What's the best way to penetrate an
organization? Connections. Find an associate or acquaintance you
share with your target contact and have this person arrange an
introduction. Make it easier for the connector by providing a crisp
synopsis of your potential value and endorsing your credibility.
Write out bullet points to help them present you, examples showing
what you will do for their success and why you chose this
organization.
Don't know anyone to set up an appointment for you? Make a cold
call and enlist the help of their assistant or a junior associate.
Don't say that you want to learn about upcoming job opportunities
or ask about available jobs. Stress your interest in sharing ideas
and be sure to convey that you have something to offer in return
for their time and generosity.
Do you hesitate to make that call or ask for help getting
introduced? Don't you enjoy helping others in different ways,
whether it is making a donation, lending a hand or giving advice?
The business world operates on the principle of reciprocity.
It is not just what you know, but who knows you. If you don't let
people know what your job search goal is, you are leaving your
future to fate. Network with a purpose to connect with individuals
who can introduce you to those with access to new opportunities
that match your specifications.