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New Year, New Times.
New Job Search Tools.
By Gordon Miller, Executive Career
Coach
If you’re one of the 52
million people in the U.S. thinking about changing
jobs or switching careers this “new resolutions”
month, know this. Many of the traditional job search
strategies alone aren’t working very well. For
most, they aren’t working at all.
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The Internet. You can now electronically
“zap” your resume to hundreds and thousands
of destinations. As strong of an idea as that may
seem to the job seeker, it’s not such a great
thing for the hiring manager. The problem is recruiters
and companies are being deluged with so many resumes,
to the tune of hundreds or thousands a day, they
seldom even look at them.
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The market. Blame it on the economy,
9/11, and the late 90’s, but companies are
now a lot slower and more selective in their hiring
processes. They can be. They have lots of candidates
to choose from. Plus, given reports that show that
close to 50% of workers “stretch the truth”
on their resume, they want “proof” that
you will be a good fit in their culture.
Here’s the point. Today’s
job seekers must go above and beyond in differentiating
themselves from the masses of people looking for a
new position. Polishing up your resume or perusing
the job boards or help wanted ads might not be enough.
Putting the word out to a few friends or acquaintances
that you’re in the market probably won’t
work either. In my opinion, you have to get more creative
than that to get the attention of a company or hiring
manager. You have to incorporate a more comprehensive
strategy to stand out in the crowd.
One new tactic is to send a job proposal.
I can say that with some authority because I personally
used one to get my last two great positions in the
Denver market. A number of my career-coaching clients
have had the same successful results in the last couple
months. I’m not suggesting you scrap your resume
or networking
activities. I’m recommending you expand your
overall job search strategy by adding this powerful
new tool to your belt.
What is a job proposal? It’s a
one or two page “mini business plan” that’s
intended to get you an interview with the decision-maker
of a targeted prospective employer. Where a resume
tells someone what you have done in the past, a job
proposal tells in some detail what you are going to
do for the company down the road. Specifically, how
you will help them achieve their vision of success.
It generally explains the vision you have for a new
product or service, how to enhance an existing program,
or why to implement a new process. It may also outline
your plan to increase company sales or improve accounts
receivable. You get the idea
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The three primary components of
the job proposal;
It’s based on the in-depth research you did
on that company to insure your ideas match perfectly
with the company’s ideas. There was a time
when it was customary to ask the person you were
interviewing with to tell you about the company.
That’s no longer the case. It’s now
a sure way of getting you removed from the short-list.
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It communicates your passion for
being part of their firm. That’s different
than your passion for finding a job. Hiring managers
want people on their team who love the company’s
products and services, their culture, and their
vision for the future
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It details your proposed position.
Specifically, what your game plan is for joining
the company and making things happen. It isn’t
in response to a current opening you may have seen
on the Net or in the paper. You’re being totally
proactive.
Today’s change-an-hour economy
and resulting job market is clearly volatile and unpredictable.
It’s also a great time to move your career forward.
When you challenge the relevance of using only the
traditional job search strategies and begin adding
new tools and techniques that clearly distinguish
you from the pack, most anything is possible, including
winning a dream job with a great company during a
down economy.
Gordon Miller is a career coach,
speaker, and the author of 'The Career Coach' (Doubleday
2001). He can be reached at gordon@coloradocareers.com.
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