3 Job Search Tips That Got Me My 1st Job

3 Job Search Tips That Got Me My 1st Job 3 Job Search Tips That Got Me My 1st Job Wouldn’t it be great to instantly do all the things the job search pros say you should do: confidently you’re your achievements in the best resume format, make yourself easy to find when it comes to LinkedIn for job search, and get up from behind that computer and get out there! Let’s concentrate on the “get up from behind the computer” part. I’m going to illustrate this case study for you because back when I did it, the Internet had not been invented. I searched for and landed my 1st job the old-fashioned way. I was 13 years old, and I repeated some version of this method every single time throughout my adult life. I was a bookworm always in the public library. That’s where I noticed another kid from my school reshelving books. He and I weren’t really friends, but we knew each other. His name was Phil. I walked up to Phil and said, “So, how did you get the job working here?” He gave me the name of the person in charge, I presented myself, talked about my education, activities, love for English, love for books, and willingness to work there. Voila. Hired. Guess what? This is a classic example of a hidden job. There was no ad. There was no resume. The only thing that existed was a need that the company had to fulfill. Here are the hidden job market secrets for you to apply in your own job search: 1) “Networking” is not a dirty word. The #1 job search approach according to virtually every expert I’ve known since I’ve been in this business for 16 years now is networkNetworkNETWORK. But you don’t want to do that. Or you think it’s hard. Or you anticipate too much effort. Or you think your network is dead. None of these need to be true for you. If you get out of bed every day and leave your home, you have a network. Your network is in the places you frequent. I happened to frequent the library. I also happened to frequent my school every day. All those people â€" kids and adults â€" knew me. Though Phil was not a good friend, he had some awareness of the level of classes I took and the circle of friends I had, enough to say to his boss (and my potential boss) that yes, I’d be pretty good for the job. 2) You’ve already probably been in or had contact with your ideal employer. A sales person will tell you it’s easier to sell something additional to an old client, than find a new client and sell something to them. The same concept applies to job search. Look around you to see where you are, then look behind you to see where you’ve been. Those are your “old clients.” Reach out to a former employer and let her know you’re back on the market. The person knows you, so it’s okay to expressly state that you’d be interested to know if she’s aware of any opportunities. There are even more avenues to explore when you consider who your former employer’s vendors were. (At a future moment I’ll post about how I went through a vendor to find another job.) Once again, they know you. Pick up the phone and do something crazy like start a conversation. 3) The hidden job market is all about thinking ahead. If you’re only thinking about jobs that are open, you’re behind the 8 ball. I looked at what that other person in the library was doing and thought there probably was another position to do the same thing. Then I asked. And there was. And there was NOT a pile of 1,000 people who submitted their resumes for the job. Think of a need in an organization you’re familiar with. Inquire. You can show up in person, have a discussion at a professional seminar, or make contact some other way. Discuss what the need may be, and how you can contribute immediately. This will prove to be the most fruitful job search method in your career. While you definitely need the tools of today â€" the best resume, a professional CV, and a LinkedIn profile, understand they are tools for people to have a document that says more about you. The key word in the previous sentence is “YOU,” and the tools support you, they don’t replace you. Look at places where you go, evaluate where you’ve been, and talk to people about what they need and how you can help. I’d love to hear any non-traditional way you landed a job. Maybe it’s something we can all take a lesson from! Please share your story in the comments.