Strategizing Your Job Search: Get Out of the Ice Age and Join the 21st Century

Today's job market is in a state of disequilibrium and underemployment, which is forcing job seekers to evolve their employment search tools and methods.  Christina Romer, former Chair of Whitehouse Council of Economic Advisors reported that "nearly 14 million Americans currently are looking for a job, but can't find one.  Unemployment remains an absolute crisis" (Vanderbilt University Speech/March 22, 2011).

Christina Romer's proclamation may be difficult to accept, but it isn't too surprising.  If you've been applying for jobs through traditional methods, i.e. resume, cover letter and online application, you might be looking for quite a while.  Don't lose hope though.  Just change up your game plan and strategize your job search to include various self-promotion and marketing tools.

As with all challenges in life, we must find a way to climb over or break down the walls that prevent us from reaching our goals.  Constant changes in technology and a volatile economy are pushing job seekers find new employment search practices that diversify their efforts and incorporate 21st Century technology.  In order to successfully apply these new practices, you must learn to:

1. Understand employers and their challenges in finding great candidates,
2. Market yourself as a 21st Century-actively passive candidate, and
3. Promote yourself online and through social media

Understanding Employers

Due to the high rate of unemployment, it's a buyer's market out there.  Employers have their choice of many, highly-qualified candidates.  However, the market has shifted so far out of balance that many employers can't handle the number of applicants they receive per position.

On April 3, 2011, Paul Krugman of the New York Times reported to Christiane Amanpour that, "at this time, there are approximately five times as many job seekers as there are available jobs."  As a result, employers are searching for candidates through avenues other than public job postings.

Sure, there are still thousands of job postings available and people are winning interviews by applying to those postings every day.  But the trend is quickly shifting as corporations are downsizing and learning to do more with less.  Sifting through 200 or more applicants for one position isn't exactly a great use of time.

In response to their own needs, many employers are searching for candidates who market themselves online and through social media.  In other words, they want to shop around for the right person and not bother with those who don't fit their criteria.  This means that you need to make sure you are in the right place at the right time with a clear and professional message.

A Lead Sales Manager for a local radio station recently approached us with her frustrations about the amount of time it takes her to sort through the hundreds of applications she receives to public job postings.  To save time and narrow her search results, she now locates candidates of interest ahead of time through online search engines and social media.  Contacting them personally and asking them to apply allows her to control the number and quality of submissions.

Marketing Yourself as a 21st Century-Actively Passive Candidate

Many job seekers I've talked to in recent months qualify as "active" candidates.  Most are currently unemployed or expect to be within the next year.  They are registered in every job board available and often apply for 5 or more jobs per day, many of which they are not qualified for.  Their intentions are honorable; however their applications may never be seen by the hiring manager.  For employers, finding their perfect candidate through public job postings is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Worse yet, the perfect candidate might very well be in that stack, but many companies don't have the resources available to thoroughly check every single resume submitted.  Several months ago, our company posted a position for a website designer on Craigslist and we received almost 1,000 submissions!  We were so overwhelmed by the responses that we opted to wait on hiring because we just didn't have the time to deal with the onslaught of emails and phone calls.

A smaller group of job seekers we work with might be considered "passive" candidates.  They are extremely picky about the positions and companies they apply to and have a list of non-negotiable criteria that can be difficult for employers to meet.  Employers often question whether or not passive candidates are truly serious about their job searches, or if they're just flirting with the idea.

Somewhere in between active and passive candidates, are job seekers who have truly figured out how to emerge from the Ice Age as glorious victors in the 21st Century.  We refer to these individuals as "21st Century-actively passive" candidates.  These strategists know how to balance their strong desire for new employment while pursuing only well-qualified positions that will fully utilize their experience, education, and skills.  These candidates aren't afraid to think outside the box and diversify their job search methods through online promotion and social media.

Promoting Yourself Online and Through Social Media

Many job seekers are frustrated with the results they find on large, online job boards.  Each day their email inboxes are filled with numerous "work from home" or "business opportunity" postings that have "scam" written all over them.  We certainly don't encourage our clients to rely solely on online job boards, but they aren't a complete waste of time and energy.  Some of their positions are legitimate, but they are best for luring recruiters and head hunters directly to you.  So go ahead and register away!  Just don't rely solely on these groups to find your next opportunity.

Keeping your LinkedIn profile updated and your Facebook clean and professional are great ways to promote yourself through social media.  Post your resume on both and let your contacts know that you're looking.  Consider starting a blog or Twitter about your job search experience and skills you are gaining in the process.

The key to effective social media is diversification, so use several sources, link them together, post often, and make sure your messages are consistent, professional, and meaningful.  Not only does this show your determination and entrepreneurial spirit, but it also builds your online credibility.  Danny Schaeffler, Founder and President of Engineering Quality Solutions believes that in the world of social media, "if companies don't know you're out there, you won't have an opportunity to be considered."

Another powerful tool in the 21st Century job search is online promotion through a website, or Webumé (online resume & portfolio).  Linking a Webumé to your LinkedIn, Facebook, blog, and Twitter allows employers who are out there searching for candidates to see how you might be the perfect fit for their position.  We always advise our clients to add an interview video and/or a welcome video to their Webumé as well.  This increases your online searchability and gives you a chance to show your personality and verbal presentation skills while impressing them with your greatest achievements.

WebumeNow.com is quickly gaining notoriety for helping job seekers strategize their employment searches through our self-promotion and marketing products.  Christina Pomoni, freelance Business & Finance writer for Yahoo! Finance and Yahoo! News stated that, "I think WebumeNow.com is a pretty innovative idea and, to be honest, it is the first time I have come across a website like this one.  It offers job seekers greater exposure and above all a well-structured and very presentable resume that incorporates one's strengths and capabilities very effectively."

Here is my challenge to you:  Stop and analyze your current job search methods.  Don't define insanity by repeating the same actions over and over again and expect to see different results.  Instead, strategize your job search, get out of the ice age, and join the 21st Century.  We'd love to see you here!

As always, please feel free to contact me with specific questions or concerns regarding your employment search issues.  I'm always here to help!