While the conventional means of finding a job work for many people, responding to job postings and newspaper ads are not the only way to land yourself a great job these days. So think outside the box-the ad box.
Networking is the name of the game for people willing to get out there and angle for the 70% of jobs that never make the papers and job boards. Networking can help you stand out from the crowd and get in first before the company ever has to consider advertising the job or turning to a recruiter to fill it. Here are a few suggestions for unusual but effective ways to land a job even in this tough economy.
*Let your friends and family know you’re available for a new opportunity.
Tell them specifically what skills you have and the types of positions that fit your skills. Encourage them to send your well-crafted email on to everyone they know as well.
Use several marketing tools to showcase your abilities. Post your resume everywhere you can online. Join Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Start a blog, follow industry blogs, and make posts with a link to your resume.
Put an ad in the newspaper.
Instead of just answering ads, put a “job seeking ad” out there. Put an ad in Craigslist. There are tons of free classifieds online – use them lead people to your online resume and portfolio of work. Seeing is believing. Why would the company’s hiring manager bother to look for candidates if they know that they have a position coming up and have already seen what you can do?
Cold call businesses to see if any opportunities have cropped up.
Call and ask for the HR department and see what if you can get a foot in the door. Find the name of someone at the company via LinkedIn who is in your area of expertise and learn more about them and their company. Then call and ask for a moment of their time and take it from there.
Hang signs around town.
You’ve seen those signs on telephone poles that declare, “We Buy Houses.” It could just as easily read, “Great Salesman Available For Hire” or “Great Website Designer.” Again, lead them to a special URL with your resume and portfolio of work. Also consider using a unique QR code on the sign so people with a Smartphone can just point and click (hint: make your resume mobile-friendly). The QR code will make it convenient for them to find out more about you and also show that you are following the latest technology trends. This is a must depending on the kind of work you are looking for or industry you are in. You can made QR codes online at QRstuff.com. Be sure to create a unique landing page at your website which the QR code can lead them to.
Make up business cards that state you’re looking for a job.
Include your occupation of choice, name, phone, email, and a link to your resume. Also include your QR code on the card as above. You can also create a QR code that will load your contact information right into their list of contacts on their Smartphone. Go to QRstuff.com to learn more and create your own for free.
Fire-up the fax.
Fax your resume to companies that meets you specifications. You never know! They might have upcoming positions to fill and you could be saving them the trouble of advertising and having to interview widely.
Go to networking opportunities.
Meetup has all sorts of interesting groups in large cities that cater to all different kinds of interests, from movies to Scrabble. If you are outside of the house, you are meeting people, and can meet nice new people and hand out business cards as appropriate.
There are also special networking meetups, such as contacts and cocktails, for general or specific industries. Even if you don’t get a job through these meetups, you are practicing meeting strangers and talking your way through your skills. You will also often meet people you might use yourself at some future date, or possibly even partner with.
These are just a few suggestions as to how to think outside of the job ad box and use modern technology and networking techniques to broaden the scope of your job search. Think beyond the traditional job hunting methods that everyone uses. Instead, be creative and pro-active about your job hunt, and you may soon catch the attention of your next boss.
For more information on job hunting successfully, see Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next Job Interview
For more information on how to create a powerful professional profile for yourself online, see: How to Raise Your Professional Profile Online
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