Job Hunting/Career Advancement Tools
The Paradox Regarding Job Hunting/Career Advancement Tools
A "tool" is an implement or
process used to achieve a specific outcome or goal. The value of
any tool should be judged based on the degree to which it contributes
to the efficient and effective achievement of the goal. This
assessment of the value of a job hunting and career advancement tool
should be determined by the degree to which it contributes to
achieving new employment or an advancement in the career.
The paradox regarding job
hunting/career advancement tools is that the "traditional" job hunting
and employment seeking tools are the creation of employers, not
the job hunter. These tools include the following:
The
question is "Why were these tools developed by employers?" and "To
what degree do they help job hunters and employment seekers obtain new
employment?"
The answer to the first question
"Why were these tools developed by employers?" is of major importance
to the job hunter. These tools were designed by employers to
provide a basis for eliminating all candidates for a position with the
exception of the relatively few whose resume and application data
ideally match the specific job description of the employer.
These tools were not designed to help the job hunter or the
employment seeker! They were designed to disqualify
candidates that did not match the employer's profile.
Based on this understanding of
the value of "traditional" job hunting and employment seeking tools,
it is critical to success that the job hunter only use these tools if
it can be determined that their profile is an ideal match for the job
being pursued. It is predictable that any effort to obtain a job
where there is not a match between the job hunter's profile and the
employer's job description, that the job hunter will be
disqualified from consideration based on the use of the employer's
traditional job hunting tools. Even to the extent that there is
a match in profiles, the fact that the employer knows that the job
hunter is seeking employment will result in a loss of negotiating
leverage on the part of the job hunter. The law of "Supply and
Demand" applies to employment too.
The Identification and Use of an Alternate Set of Job Hunting/Career
Advancement Tools
If using "traditional" job
hunting tools is not advisable, what is the alternative? Job
hunters need to develop an understanding of how employment can be
achieved without the use of "traditional" job hunting tools, and use
this knowledge to identify and make use of an alternate set of job
hunting tools.
The first question is "Does
employment occur without the use of the traditional job hunting
tools?" The answer is that the best new employment
opportunities and career advancement opportunities come when the
individual is not looking for a job, but when approached by an agency
or search firm ("head hunter") based on a recruiting assignment from a
company. In these instances the agency or search firm finds
itself in the position of having to offer inducements to the
individual to get him/her to consider a change of employment and join
the new company. These inducements take the form of significant
increases in salary, status, benefits and sign on bonuses.
The key to this process is
understanding that the employment/career advancement opportunity
did not come because the individual was looking for a job, but
because the employer was made aware of the individual's value in
filling a specific business requirement in the company. The
employer had a "demand", and the individual was not perceived
to be in "supply".
Understanding and applying this knowledge allows
the job hunter to develop a set of job hunting/career advancement
tools that create a "demand" for the individual's talent, experience,
background and business skills without allowing the targeted employers
to become aware that the individual is in "supply". This means that the job
hunter must find a creative way to make the target employer aware of
his/her business value and refrain from using the traditional job hunting tools
which will not result in the achievement of the goal.
The Alternate Set of Job Hunting/Career Advancement Tools
The basic tool essential to the
successful job hunter is the adoption of a new more scientifically
based attitude toward
job hunting, employment and career advancement. This new
attitude must be based on the individual making the decision to take
the affirmative, creative, innovative and non-traditional steps required to ensure that
awareness of business value is introduced to perspective employers
without creating the appearance of being a job hunter or being in
supply.
The most effective alternative to
traditional job hunting tools is the communication of a "business
proposition." Simply stated, a business proposition is a
statement suggesting specific business benefits that might be gained
were the company/employer to make a specific decision or take a
defined action. An example of how a business proposition might
be introduced would be to ask a target company/employer "If you could
increase your sales in the widget market by 15% next year would you be
interested?" A person with past success in that market would be
familiar with how to sell into that market and would be able to
discuss a business proposition about increasing sales by 15%, that if
well presented, might lead to employment interest on the part of the
target company. It is noteworthy that it is not necessary
for the company to have a job opening or be actively seeking employees
for the business proposition to produce a new employment opportunity.
A business proposition has the
potential to generate immediate attention and response from a target
company/employer where the sending of a hundred resumes could take
many months to produce a traditional job opportunity.
The Development of Day to
Day Set of Career Advancement Tools: What are the tools
that will achieve the introduction of a job hunter's value to an
employer and create a "demand" for that job hunter, without the
employer learning of the job hunter's interest in a new job and
resulting a loss of leverage by being seen as in "supply?"
They are tools that communicate a compelling business proposition that
will make employers/companies aware of the specific business value
that could come from a relationship.
First, individual who are
interested in advancing their careers should take affirmative steps to
ensure that employers in their industry are aware of their business
value and the benefit that might come from having them as an employee.
This can come by adopting a strategy designed to achieve recognition
in the industry. This can be accomplished in any of the
following ways:
-
Writing articles in industry
journals
-
Making presentations at industry
seminars and conventions
-
Joining and being active in
industry associations
-
Offering articles for industry
newsletters, local and regional newspapers and other media outlets
-
Volunteering to serve on key
business committees in business and the community
These activities provide
powerful, attractive and highly visible documentation of a job
hunter's value and can provide a foundation for the creation of new
employment opportunities when the time is right or the need emerges.
The Development and
Activation of Career Advancement Tools: When the time is
right, the individual needs to develop a set of tools that will result
in a timely introduction to new employment opportunities. If
"traditional" job hunting tools (e.g. resume, applications, cover
letters, etc.) are not likely to produce quality results, the
individual must generate a compelling business proposition will get
attention and result in
success. That strategy must achieve the following goals:
-
Introduce the
individual's value to a target employer without
allowing the employer to become aware of the individual being in "supply", job
hunting status and interest in employment.
-
The introduction must
make a business proposition that can be transformed
into an invitation to meet to discuss in greater detail of the
proposition and the
benefits that the employer might derive from a relationship .
-
The meeting should include sufficient detail and documentation of
the value to the company gained from the business proposition to create a "demand" for the job hunter's skills
without the employer becoming aware that the job hunter is
in "supply".
-
The employer's demand
must be escalated to a point where the employer makes a job
offer to the job hunter.
-
The job hunter must
conceal his/her interest in employment and engage in a
strategy of leveraging the employer's demand into an
environment of negotiation with the expectation that the
employer will have to offer inducements to employ the job
hunter.
-
The new employment
relationship must be transformed into a written
"understanding" that memorializes the terms of the
relationship and includes some agreement regarding the job
hunter's protection against any future separation or
termination from the employment relationship.
The development of these tools is
a highly sophisticated and individualized process that requires rigorous planning, tool
development and discipline in implementation. Career Problem
Solving Services has been a pioneer in the development of these
services and can guide its clients in the development, implementation
and conclusive use of these tools on a personal and confidential
basis.
Complete a CPSS Information Form
by clicking
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greater detail by clicking
HERE.