Prospecting Campaign
This very special type of campaign is reserved for the sophisticated job seeker who knows where to find opportunity and how to go after it. In this campaign, a job seeker does not follow up company-announced positions or contact firms out of a basic desire to work for them. Instead, a type of "sixth sense'' is employed as the job seeker actively searches for significant company news of changes that may unofficially signal new job needs or future job announcements. Such news releases are "masked indicators" that fuel the prospecting campaign.
The job seeker continually seeks these interesting company tidbits by reading professional and trade journals, business magazines, and the business and financial sections of newspapers. To the sophisticated prospecting campaigner, opportunity for follow-up comes in many colors. Such opportunity-building announcements include
- the promotion, retirement, dismissal, or demise of an employee, indicating a vacancy,
- the opening or construction of a new plant or office, indicating that hiring is soon to follow,
- the introduction or expansion of a new program or the winning of a contract, indicating a need for new personnel, and
- the addition of a new line of products or services or the purchase of a new technical process or system, indicating a need for specialized personnel.
The success of your prospecting campaign depends on your regularity in reading the proper publications, your ability to identify possible job leads in significant company news, and your concerted efforts to follow up these job leads. Once you've identified a prospective job lead, contact a key individual in the firm with your resume and special prospecting letter, which shows the reader how you came to know of the new company’s need or possible job opening.
Unsolicited Sales Campaign
This campaign, like the prospecting campaign, is initiated by the applicant, not by the company. Unlike the prospecting campaign, it involves no company news that could be associated with future job openings. The job seeker realizes that there are no advertised openings and masked indicators with clues of soon-to-be-announced jobs. Nevertheless, an unexpected and impressive letter of application and resume to the right person at the right time could very well be just the impetus needed for stimulating thoughts of, and possibly even creation of, new jobs.
This unsolicited sales approach opens up entirely new possibilities for making contacts with companies that appear interesting to job seekers. Once a firm is selected for contact—selection can be done in any number of ways—the applicant must be able to capture the attention of and engage the interest of a company representative through an impressive application letter and resume that effectively express personal reasons for choosing the firm.
The opening of the unsolicited sales letter is critical in order to create interest in your application. One of the most effective ways to involve a reader in your letter and resume is to "write to him about himself and then immediately follow with a discussion about your interest in his firm. Whenever possible, personalize your letter, and personal interest will be shown to you by the reader. Agree with or praise an accomplishment, honor, or statement of an executive. Indicate where you found out about the information: at a recent lecture, speech, or talk; in a news clipping or article; or from an employee of the executive's organization.
Advertising Campaign
You have the right to actively solicit jobs, just as companies have the right to actively solicit applicants. You may do this by placing ads in the situations- or positions-wanted sections of newspapers or professional and trade journals. This approach may help enhance your chances of making yourself known to employers or third parties who may be searching for qualified people.
While you may have some hesitation about this campaign for fear of projecting an image of desperation, many qualified people have successfully landed jobs through advertising. Remember, this campaign is only one possible procedure for generating job leads and should receive an appropriate allocation of your job-search budget if used.
Third-Party Campaign
Many job seekers use the job-finding services of third parties or facilitators, which include state employment commissions, civil service commissions, private employment agencies, executive recruiters, and management consulting firms. In addition, employment services are available to members of professional and trade organizations and to college students through career and placement offices located on college and university campuses.
These facilitators act as clearinghouses, collecting information on job openings and also on qualified employees who are seeking work. Their function is to match jobs and people. Obviously, some of the services mentioned are nonprofit. The '*for profit" facilitators, however, receive their finders' fees either from the job seeker or from the prospective employer. Make certain you understand clearly who pays for the services of the third party: you or the employer.
Even if the employer pays the third party finder's fee or commission, you may be bound contractually to work for that employer for a certain period; and a premature resignation might constitute a violation of your facilitator's contract.
In such a case, you may be forced to pay part of the facilitator's commission for bringing you and the employer together in the first place. In general, be certain you understand all the terms of a contractual agreement between you and a third party before committing yourself to anything.
Some facilitator services include high fees for helping you design and conduct job searches, as well as for helping you prepare job resumes. If you feel confident about waging your own job campaigns and preparing your own job resume, you can save a great deal of money. Simply make it clear to anyone providing you with help that you are only interested in receiving good job leads and can handle the other aspects of the job search yourself.
There are many reputable facilitators who are in a position to help you land some excellent interviews. Therefore, consider using the many job contacts available through such channels; but remember: the third-party campaign is only one of several that make up the job-search master plan.
Conference and Convention Campaign
Statewide, regional, and national professional and trade meetings often have official employment booths or services available. In addition, such occasions are known for the many prospective employers and job seekers who attend in order to share and exchange valuable employment information in particular fields. If you do not currently belong to the professional or trade organization in your field or do not attend such meetings, this is the time to become active.
Smart job seekers who do attend professional or trade meetings make important contacts with people who are in positions to interview or hire. And the oftentimes congenial and social settings of the conference and the convention help to provide a relaxed atmosphere that permits more effective job-selling.
Word-of-Mouth Campaign
Whenever possible, spread the word that you are seeking a new job. Talk to people in your field who have good contacts or who may work for other firms. If relatives or friends have opportunities to meet important people in your field, ask them to spread the news about your availability. Relatives and friends have a vested interest in you and, more than anyone else, will proudly sell your virtues to others.
If you know certain co-workers, relatives, or friends who can help in your job search, consider giving them copies of your resume so that they can substantiate what they say about you to others. In general, word-of-mouth advertising by people who care about you and respect your qualifications can be a strong plus in generating solid job leads.
