Monday, April 27, 2009

Marketing yourself (Sourcing)

Once you have the resume drafted and you are comfortable with how it represents your best product (you!), it's time to get it in front of some qualified prospects! Sourcing employers is where you begin the process of taking your product to market. You are looking for as many touch-points as possible (casting a wide net) without letting the process become counter-productive. Much like a sales process, you want to create a steady pipeline of contacts and activity. The more "at bats" you get, the higher your probability of success. Market conditions will dictate the ease or difficulty of your sourcing efforts. In a robust market, opportunities will find you and there is very little need for me to be writing these words. In a tight market (such as the one we are currently in) sourcing is far more difficult and will require more patience and resilience to find success. The good news is that there are more tools available to the job seeker today than there has ever been. I will address some of the strategies you can deploy. In the interest of brevity, I can't be exhaustive, but can go over some of the more important points.

Personal Network: Without question, the greatest success in both identifying an opening and securing an interview will come from your personal network. This is where the years of maintaining cordial relations with past employers and colleagues can pay off. Make sure that you connect with your second and third tier contacts by email, letting them be aware of your availability. I would recommend contacting your primary contacts via phone. In all cases, inquire if they are aware of any openings in their companies and ask them if they can connect you with anyone in their personal networks who may be in position to assist your efforts. Maintain these contacts throughout your search and circle back to them at comfortable intervals. Be sure to inform them when you land your new position and thank them for assisting your efforts. It's always a good idea to let them know that you will be ready to reciprocate should they ever require your assistance.

Executive Recruiters: Of course, I'm biased on this one. But headhunters are a way of extending your personal network, especially if you have developed a healthy relationship with your recruiter over time. (Indeed, your recruiter should be on your primary contacts list). If you find an experienced, professional recruiter who has deep contacts in your industry, then you are wise to develop a strategic relationship with him or her much as you would with you financial advisor or attorney. Your recruiter is in position to leverage their contact base on your behalf and will also do an excellent job of presenting your qualifications in an accurate and compelling fashion. They will also managing the process and give you invaluable strategic insight you could never glean on your own.

Social Networks: These are the newest players in the game. Social networks can prove invaluable before a search, during a search, and after a search. Services like LinkedIn (linkedin.com), Facebook (facebook.com), MySpace (myspace.com) and Twitter (twitter.com) all offer similar (yet in many ways distinct) value in connecting you with people and opportunities. There are other services as well and a quick Google search will turn up plenty of information on available services and how to leverage them to your greatest advantage. If you aren't into the Social Network "scene" yet, I would immediately jump on this valuable resource.

Personal Research: It's a good idea to jot down the names of competitors or companies you hold in high esteem early in your search. Then research other companies who are in your industry or in your area of interest and add them to your list. Visit their websites and look at the careers page and Executive profiles to get a sense of any current openings and the strength of leadership in the company. I wouldn't discourage you from submitting a resume at their "resume submittal" link, but I would go a step further. Identify the names of the managers who would most likely be in need of someone with your skills and competencies (if the website doesn't have this information, go to LinkedIn and perform a company search. You will find many local and national managers profiles). You can make contact with them on LinkedIn or send an email to them directly with a note of introduction. (Keep this note relatively brief and to the point and if the website lists a position suitable to your skills, be direct and tell them you would be interested in establishing an exploratory and confidential meeting). It isn't too hard to figure out the companies email convention. Look at the company's website press release section. You'll often find press contact email information (and therefore the proper email convention). You can also make an educated guess ("first initial, last name"). If the email bounces back, try "first name.last name" and other common convections. Don't be afraid to also send an introduction letter and resume directly to a senior HR executive. When you're done, you will have sent an introduction and resume to 2 or three different company representatives. And these are strategic contacts. Most people stop after sending their resume blindly to an automated submittal system. A little bit more creativity and work will increase your odds exponentially. Also, if you don't see a job listed on the website, don't assume that they don't have an opening. Replacement hires are usually stealth and companies are not always diligent in maintaining their career pages.

Job Boards: This is the widest net you can possibly toss. Many people look to Job Boards as a first line of search strategy, but Boards may produce the least favorable results for experienced and executive people. That's not to say they are without merit and they are not all created equally. I would recommend that you use these boards judiciously if you chose to use them and consider them to be a part of your search arsenal. People have told me that the greatest value in many of these boards comes to lesser-experienced professionals. But do some research. There are some boards out there that are specifically designed for tenured and high income people.

Be innovative and – most of all – be as patient as you can. The job markets can be very fluid and are ever-changing. So keep detailed notes of your sourcing activities and come back to companies a second time if the search gets protracted. Your diligence will pay off. And remember – you just need one position to be the right one. If you manage your search well, your search for the next position will be shorter.

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