Career Strategy
How to be the first person to find out about the jobs you want
Building your Early Warning System to make sure that your CV is the first one that employers see
There are things you can do to give yourself a head start in the race for a new job, and find out about a suitable vacancy before other jobseekers. If you do it well, not only do you land a role, it will also save the employer time and the costs of using a recruitment agency. It’s far more effective than just relying on your LinkedIn presence to bring opportunities to you. Go out and hunt for them.
Do what recruitment firms do
A common and very effective technique used by recruiters is to proactively market a candidate.
A good candidate will have been identified with something which sets them apart. It might be certain sector knowledge, tech knowledge, or something else. We would then draw up a hitlist of companies in conjunction with the candidate and make an approach on their behalf. This could be a list of industry/commerce firms or public practice firms if we’re talking about accounting roles.
We would then follow up each approach. This led to countless candidates getting jobs that were not advertised or hadn’t yet gone live. It worked. The bonus for us was that we were then able to build a relationship with a new client. Everybody won.
So, this is what you can do too…
Draw up your target employers list
Identify every business in your commutable range that interests you. They might be in a sector you already have experience of or want to get into.
Relevant sector experience becomes increasingly important as you progress your career. Accountancy, for example, might be the same on paper everywhere, but in reality, there are important nuances. International trade, construction, engineering, retail, energy, public sector, charities and all other sectors are different.
Once you get past a certain stage of your career, say your late 20’s, it becomes increasingly difficult to switch sector. Not because you can’t do the job, but because there will be someone else who knows the sector better than you do.
Build your own intelligence system to get early warnings about new roles
Once you have a target list start using LinkedIn to find out who the relevant decision makers are. This would be one from HR and one from finance. Do you know anyone who knows them – i.e. 2nd level connections?
Send an invite to connect with a note explaining that you would be interested in a suitable vacancy with them should one arise. And, crucially, tell them why. If they connect, stay in touch. Ask if you can send them your CV.
Keep records of everything you do in a spreadsheet.
Put each of your target companies into Google news and look out for events which can lead to a vacancy. Examples include new product launches, a new CEO being appointed, mergers and acquisitions, major new contracts won. Don’t forget to study their website in detail, including their ‘Work for us’ page. You never know what you might discover.
This Early Warning System is a method I teach recruiters to enable them to get ahead of the market. You can do it too.
Write to the business about what you have learned and ask if they might be interested in you.
It’s a numbers game but it’s a game you must play if you want an edge. My recruitment training clients won huge amounts of business using my Early Warning Systems and Intelligence Gathering techniques.
Contract work can be a good source of intelligence
If you are out of work, make yourself available for contract work, even if the position is below the level of your capabilities. You might get a permanent job out of it. At the very worst, it’s a foot in the door, pays the bills and helps your mental health.
There may also be other contractors there who become useful sources of intelligence. Get to know who they know. There is a vast underground network of contractors, and it can be hugely valuable.
Yes, you may have to make small talk at a networking event
I have a confession. I was never a fan of attending network events, but it was a necessary part of my job. You too should attend them. Find out what business clubs or societies there are in your region and join up. Get yourself known.
It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. Go with an open mind. There will be centres of influence in your local business community. Try to get to meet them.
Treat it as a learning exercise rather than a ‘Here I am, hire me’ venture. You will get asked what you do and sooner or later someone will ask you if you are looking to change job. Have something valuable to offer. Good networking at events is about giving first, then hopefully taking later.
Here is a tip. Don’t take a plate of food and a drink at the same time. Keep one hand free. Get some personal business cards made up. Dead cheap. Hand them to anyone you meet. If anyone gives you their card, keep it in a file at home and give them a call within a couple of days telling them you were pleased to meet them and to let you know if they hear of a suitable vacancy.
Before you know it, you will have an army of allies keen to do you a favour. It works.
Career Strategy
How to be the first person to find out about the jobs you want
Building your Early Warning System to make sure that your CV is the first one that employers see
There are things you can do to give yourself a head start in the race for a new job, and find out about a suitable vacancy before other jobseekers. If you do it well, not only do you land a role, it will also save the employer time and the costs of using a recruitment agency. It’s far more effective than just relying on your LinkedIn presence to bring opportunities to you. Go out and hunt for them.
Do what recruitment firms do
A common and very effective technique used by recruiters is to proactively market a candidate.
A good candidate will have been identified with something which sets them apart. It might be certain sector knowledge, tech knowledge, or something else. We would then draw up a hitlist of companies in conjunction with the candidate and make an approach on their behalf. This could be a list of industry/commerce firms or public practice firms if we’re talking about accounting roles.
We would then follow up each approach. This led to countless candidates getting jobs that were not advertised or hadn’t yet gone live. It worked. The bonus for us was that we were then able to build a relationship with a new client. Everybody won.
So, this is what you can do too…
Draw up your target employers list
Identify every business in your commutable range that interests you. They might be in a sector you already have experience of or want to get into.
Relevant sector experience becomes increasingly important as you progress your career. Accountancy, for example, might be the same on paper everywhere, but in reality, there are important nuances. International trade, construction, engineering, retail, energy, public sector, charities and all other sectors are different.
Once you get past a certain stage of your career, say your late 20’s, it becomes increasingly difficult to switch sector. Not because you can’t do the job, but because there will be someone else who knows the sector better than you do.
Build your own intelligence system to get early warnings about new roles
Once you have a target list start using LinkedIn to find out who the relevant decision makers are. This would be one from HR and one from finance. Do you know anyone who knows them – i.e. 2nd level connections?
Send an invite to connect with a note explaining that you would be interested in a suitable vacancy with them should one arise. And, crucially, tell them why. If they connect, stay in touch. Ask if you can send them your CV.
Keep records of everything you do in a spreadsheet.
Put each of your target companies into Google news and look out for events which can lead to a vacancy. Examples include new product launches, a new CEO being appointed, mergers and acquisitions, major new contracts won. Don’t forget to study their website in detail, including their ‘Work for us’ page. You never know what you might discover.
This Early Warning System is a method I teach recruiters to enable them to get ahead of the market. You can do it too.
Write to the business about what you have learned and ask if they might be interested in you.
It’s a numbers game but it’s a game you must play if you want an edge. My recruitment training clients won huge amounts of business using my Early Warning Systems and Intelligence Gathering techniques.
Contract work can be a good source of intelligence
If you are out of work, make yourself available for contract work, even if the position is below the level of your capabilities. You might get a permanent job out of it. At the very worst, it’s a foot in the door, pays the bills and helps your mental health.
There may also be other contractors there who become useful sources of intelligence. Get to know who they know. There is a vast underground network of contractors, and it can be hugely valuable.
Yes, you may have to make small talk at a networking event
I have a confession. I was never a fan of attending network events, but it was a necessary part of my job. You too should attend them. Find out what business clubs or societies there are in your region and join up. Get yourself known.
It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. Go with an open mind. There will be centres of influence in your local business community. Try to get to meet them.
Treat it as a learning exercise rather than a ‘Here I am, hire me’ venture. You will get asked what you do and sooner or later someone will ask you if you are looking to change job. Have something valuable to offer. Good networking at events is about giving first, then hopefully taking later.
Here is a tip. Don’t take a plate of food and a drink at the same time. Keep one hand free. Get some personal business cards made up. Dead cheap. Hand them to anyone you meet. If anyone gives you their card, keep it in a file at home and give them a call within a couple of days telling them you were pleased to meet them and to let you know if they hear of a suitable vacancy.
Before you know it, you will have an army of allies keen to do you a favour. It works.
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