Never, ever, prejudge whether a particular person or company could lead you to the job you want. That's a good way to kill a possible lead even before it is given the chance to take seed. You need to talk to everyone, repeatedly, using every possible resource to lead you to these people.
Experts say that somewhere between 5 and 15 percent of all jobs are landed via employment agencies and recruiters combined. Does that mean that you should avoid what looks like a rather unproductive prospecting resource? Of course not. Your new job could be included in this small percentage, but it won't be unless you use this resource. The great majority of job seekers confine their prospecting efforts to two resources: help-wanted advertising and employment agency recruiters. All the more reason to use every possible resource-your competition won't.
If you do not inquire about a job "opening," an employer cannot turn you away with the usual… no openings line. Therefore, your objective is to sit down and talk, face-to-face, with every possible prospective employer and network contact. Face-to-face meetings can and do lead to wonderful things, but you must get them to make them pay off.
Did you know that only 14 percent of all jobs are filled through help-wanted advertising? Employers do not advertise to fill positions if they can avoid it. They try to fill openings in-house first and then through people who recommend other people. It's cheaper, easier, and quicker than advertising. The moral of this story? Get the interviews, and the job openings will follow.
The Library
Job prospecting and library research go hand in hand. Today's libraries have all types of manual and computerized information retrieval and storage systems. The modern library is truly a "nice place to visit," a place where you will feel right at home. The rapidly increasing number of Americans taking advantage of today's libraries attests to the validity of this statement. In fact, the library is also a favorite haunt for knowledgeable job seekers-and rightfully so.
There are libraries to meet just about any need. Larger universities often have several devoted to such disciplines as business, law, arts and sciences, and so on. Businesses, such as stockbrokers and attorneys, often have their own library facilities. Find them. Use them. You can develop more leads in a library in an hour than you can develop all week using every other means.
If you're looking for a specialized library in your vicinity or for a specific need, call or go to the nearest library. Ask if they have a publication called the Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers. Here is a sample entry as might be found in this directory: When using the library in your prospecting efforts you will soon discover that the types of reference books you need cannot be taken home. In fact, you may have to surrender your driver's license before being allowed access to certain of these books. The nature of these publications is such that they are in great demand and would also cost a pretty penny to replace should they vanish mysteriously. Plan on spending some time with these reference materials once you get there. Bring along a few pencils, a notebook, and a supply of change for the copy machine.
Librarians
Following are some of the resources at the library that you will find useful in job prospecting. Remember that there are many more references available for researching a specific company or industry.
Think creatively. If you don't know where to find a certain type of reference book, or, for that matter, what reference books are available, ask the reference Librarian. Librarians are almost always extremely helpful, knowledgeable, patient, and professional. They are paid to help you. The librarians I have encountered live for the challenge of locating hard-to-locate information.
Newspapers
Many libraries carry the Sunday editions of major newspapers from across the country. Usually they do not appear on the newspaper rack until two or three days following the date of publication. If you cannot find a library that carries Sunday editions, you might try to locate a busy newsstand or bookstore. The majority of help-wanted advertising is found in the Sunday paper. Remember, if you think you can do the job, go for it.
The Business Section
Large newspapers have a section of the paper reserved for business news. Depending upon the paper, some specific days are more heavily business news oriented than others. Included in the business section will be reports of promotions, resignations, hirings and retirements. Also included will be news of mergers, acquisitions, expansions, and so forth. All of these areas involve change, personnel transactions. Change is almost always accompanied by job openings of one sort or another.
Keep your eye on the business section, as well as on the news in general, for announcements concerning product or service development. This type of information is useful as background material for phone calls, cover letters and interviews-an excellent way of demonstrating to a prospective employer that you're alert and informed.
When reading business news articles try to become sensitized to problems companies are reported to be experiencing. It shows the interviewer you're aware of the company problem and care enough to want to do whatever you can to be part of the solution. And, once again, you're aware of what's going on in the industry.
Chambers of Commerce
As you undoubtedly know, chambers of commerce can be found in local, regional, state, national, and international directories. They promote community good will and provide businesspeople with every opportunity to be successful at what they are doing.
Almost every chamber publishes a membership directory. If there is a particular town or city you would like to work in, con tact the chamber in that community and ask to receive this directory. It should be a wonderful source for local job leads. The information published by most chambers of commerce also contains such local information as tax rates, educational opportunities, health and recreational facilities, etc.
Most chambers hold a monthly luncheon meeting. Try to attend one of these meetings. You'll be warmly welcomed. They're always looking for new members. While there, shake a few hands, pass out some resumes, and collect as many business cards as possible. If you have the time, try to set up some one-on-one get-togethers.
Places Rated Almanac
Published annually by Prentice-Hall, Inc., the Places Rated Almanac contains information for over 300 metropolitan areas, ranked and compared by: living costs, employment outlook, crime, health, transportation, education, arts, recreation, and climate.
"Career Counselors"
You've probably seen their ads in the Sunday paper help-wanted section: "Discover the Hidden Job Market," "The Best Jobs Are Never Advertised," and other similar headings. They call themselves "Career Counselors," but their counseling often consists of little more than helping you to write a resume and distributing a few hundred copies of it. For this, you can expect to pay anywhere from $2,500 and up.
Summary
There is absolutely no reason why you should ever run out of job leads. Not if you use all of the resources contained in this chapter. Your most important source for job leads is networking. Use the methods and techniques described in this report to build your network. Don't expect your network to ever be complete. Continue to expand it and re-contact it until you have landed a position-and even after! As you will discover more with each passing day, a strong network can be a powerful resource-not only for getting a job but also for conducting your business and domestic affairs. The network you create now can fruitfully reward and support you for the rest of your life.
The most important element in effective network usage is continued, repeated contacts. For this reason, there is probably nothing in this book as important as the Rule of Seven. Should you find yourself at a dead end, immediately check to see whether you have or have not obeyed this rule.
Very few openings ever make the newspaper. Companies take an easier, less costly, less time-consuming approach to filling openings. They look internally, officially or by word-of-mouth. Filling an opening in-house also makes the employees much happier than to see an outsider brought in.
Your mission is to expose and infiltrate this in-house network.
What does this espionage pay? That depends solely upon how successful you are at accomplishing your mission. It could land you your "dream" job.
