Where Are They?

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HELP…I NEED A JOB!

How long will it take to land another job?

Old Rule of Thumb… 1 month for every $10,000

Example:

$40,000 = 4 months

Experts agree that, in this economy, the average job

search takes

6 months or more!

10 reasons why you may not be finding a job!

1. You’re not making finding a job YOUR JOB!

• It takes effort, commitment, and

preparation

• If you want a 40 hour per week

job, you should be job searching

40 hours per week

2. You haven’t developed a system of finding a job.

Search with Purpose

Develop a Strategic Job Search Plan

Developing your Job Search Plan

Organize your job search

◦ Target companies that match your career goals and values

Map out a strategy

Set priorities

Establish goals

3. You have an unrealistic idea about the market for your skills.

Do a skills inventory

-YOUR skills vs. REQUIRED skills

Skills you have

Skills employer

wants

These are the skills you should focus on

4. You aren’t acknowledging the stress that changing jobs/job loss entails.

Make sure to stay healthy, balanced, aware, and careful

Stress Busters

1. Get active

2. Meditate

3. Laugh

4. Connect with others

5. Do yoga

Stress Busters

6. Assert yourself

7. Sleep

8. Journal

9. Get musical

10. Seek counsel

5. You ignore small businesses.

98.4% of businesses in

Michigan are small businesses!

6. You don’t recognize that face-to-face interviews are what really matters.

Meeting an employer in person is what allows you to really shine!

7. You don’t prepare well for interviews.

• Research the company

• Practice answers for common interview questions

• Prepare examples of what makes you the best candidate

Preparation is critical!

8. You’re not selling yourself.

Approach your job search as a method of marketing; YOU are the product!

9. You have the attitude: “What can you do for me?”

It’s not about YOU!

It’s about convincing the employer that you are the employee they need

10. You’re only looking at the Advertised Job Market

What is the advertised job market?

•Help Wanted ads

• Job banks

•Advertised job openings

You have to tap into the

Hidden Job Market

It’s not enough to just search the Help

Wanted ads…

U.S. Department of Labor, Bulletin

1886 - 10,400,000 Job Seeker

Survey Employment Ads

Hidden Job

Market

Referrals

School

Placement

Private/Public

Employment

Agencies

70-95% of jobs are filled or created here

Hidden Job Market

H J M

Strategies for Accessing the Hidden Job Market

1.Research—investigate to find hidden jobs:

1. Business directories

2.Search engines

3.Company websites

4.Trade publications

5.Social networking sites

Strategies for Accessing the Hidden Job Market

2. Networking: just what it sounds like—casting a net to catch job leads

“Networking is simply about building

and maintaining relationships with

people around us. The more people

we know—and the more people the

people we know are connected with—

the more powerful our network.”

Quintessential Careers

1. Know exactly the type of job you want.

2. Remember: you’re not asking for a job.

You’re looking for information that may lead

to a job.

There are 2 keys to networking successfully:

Okay…HOW???

1. Develop a networking mindset

2. Develop a 30 second commercial

3. Identify your target

4. Identify where to network

5. Prepare your meeting strategy

Who Should be in Your Network?

Past and present co-workers

Bosses/Supervisors

Friends with similar interests

Colleagues from business associations

Alumni from your university/school

Acquaintances from online networking services

Family, friends, neighbors, or anyone who might have a connection that will help

Prioritize Your Networking List

A. Most likely to know of a job

B. Most likely to know someone who knows

of a job

C. Very likely knows someone at a targeted

company or organization

D. Least likely to know someone who knows

of a job

Start Networking!

1) Contact in order of priority

2) Keep track of networking activity

3) Tell them you are not asking them to find you a job,

just to keep their eyes and ears open for you

4) Ask them to be part of your TEAM!

5) Follow up in 7-10 days

1) Ask if they’ve thought of anyone you can contact

6) Ask them to let their friends know you’ll be in touch

Strategies for Accessing the Hidden Job Market

3. Develop a list of targeted employers

• Develop a list of keywords

• Grow your list by thinking outside

the box

• Research!

Strategies for Accessing the Hidden Job Market

4. Cold calling

Identify an employer who needs you to solve their problems… then make contact!

Strategies for Accessing the Hidden Job Market

5. Stand and Deliver!

Call your contact.

Briefly explain who

you are, what you

know about the

company, and how

you could help with

some challenges

they’re facing.

Ask for a 12 minute

meeting to

demonstrate your

ability to contribute to

the bottom line. Keep

it to 12 minutes,

unless the manager

wants to talk further.

Let’s Get Practical! Tools for Success:

Résumé

Cover Letter

References

Letters of Recommendation

Performance evaluations

Work samples

Let’s Get Practical! Tools for Success:

• Get to the decision makers

• Practice your interviewing skills

• Keep records

• Always follow up

• Do some cold calling

• Have a business card

• Use your Elevator Speech

• Research

And…

It’s not just who you know. It’s who knows

Like what you saw?

We hope you found this information helpful. Check us out at www.miworksmo.org.

•Give any questions/comments/concerns • See our workshop schedule • Learn more about Michigan Works!

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