There are jobs out there. What may come as a surprise is that they may not be listed on websites like Workopolis, Hotjobs, Craigslist or company web sites.
According to networking and job search guru Molly Wendell, the key to finding a job is all about getting out there, meeting people and having good conversations. In fact, she says most employers don’t even care about what’s on your resumé; they’re more concerned with who you are what you can do in the future, as opposed to what you’ve done in the past.
“I was unemployed for two years and three days. After a year and a half, I knew I was doing something completely wrong,” Wendell told Metro. “So I turned off my computer and got out and had interesting conversations with people within the industry I wanted to work.”
Over the next 90 days, Wendell had 30 interviews. By abandoning her web-based approach to finding employment, she found all kinds of opportunities and got offers that weren’t even listed.
“To get a job, you actually have to do something,” she says. “Put on your game face and get things done.”
She says one of the keys to starting your job search is to focus on what you want to do for a living and what you want out of life. “To be specific, is terrific. To be vague is the plague,” she says, quoting a grade school teacher.
Next, find people in the industry you’re interested in to talking to. And cast a wide net, because, she says, the people who know you least will often offer the best help.
For those with small networks or those who are relatively shy, she says you’ve got nothing to worry about. The reason is that the best networkers often talk the least. The key to networking, you see, is all about asking the right questions and engaging your company, she says. If you want to be a good networker, you must be a good listener.
“Say, ‘Hey, I need your help. I want to learn and talk,’” she says. “No one wants to listen to ‘me, me, me’ all the time.”
The kind of engaging questions she suggests asking are things like where the company is now, and where it is going. Where the customer base is headed, and how they can best be served in the future. She says to focus on the present and future, while asking smart questions as the conversation continues.
It’s important to keep in mind that interviews, much like conversations, are a two-way street. Meaning you want to do your best to get as much information that you can to ensure it’s an opportunity you’d like to pursue.
For more tips about finding the right job, visit Wendell’s blog at executivesnetwork.wordpress.com or check out her new book, The New Job Search.
