Fishing for sport can be relaxing when trolling the waters to catch a fish. However, when you’re fishing for food in order to eat, fishing takes on a very different meaning.
So it is when looking for a job. Passive “trolling” is not very effective. There’s a difference between passive and active strategies. All job search strategies below should be engaged unless you’re just not that serious.
PASSIVE JOB SEARCHES (Trolling) – The least effective job search strategies are the most passive ones, like:
- Sitting in front of the computer, looking for the perfect job online
- Sending out 100 resumes to people you may not know
- Responding to blind ads in the newspapers
These tactics are the least effective. They are passive and don’t engage you in an interactive connection with key people. Use them but don’t count on their results.
BETTER JOB SEARCHES – Effectiveness increases when the interaction increases:
- Use search engines to research and contact target companies that meet your criteria
- Contact those on your prioritized list who know you and the quality of your work
- Write an engaging article for your trade association or an essay to a newspaper
- Contact and meet with recruiters in your field of expertise so they know you personally
These activities give you more exposure to a larger field of contacts in a targeted way.
BEST JOB SEARCHES – The highest level of success is with a high level of interaction:
- Set up a meeting for coffee with key individuals you know, to talk about their industries
- Join and attend conferences, conventions, association and industry meetings
- Give a presentation to area service clubs, associations or other organizations
- Stay in touch with past workers and bosses who got promoted to a new organization
Now you’re interactively engaged with the people and organizations in your field. The personal connection with those who know what’s going on and the knowledge of who has a potential open position is the best strategy of all.
When you find a job opening, research all of your resources to find whom you know in that organization or industry. LinkedIn is a great source for this kind of research. These are the people who can give you information about the company, maybe about the function and possibly become an internal referral for you.
Passive job search activities will lead to passive results, just like fishing by trolling in a boat. The fish may jump out of the water and into your boat, but it’s not likely.
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