Job Search Success is a Numbers Game
Hunting for a job can feel like a thankless job. It is hard to measure success or know when you are making progress.
It is more than a matter of sending out the right number of résumés because there are no magic numbers when it comes how many résumés or interviews it takes to land a job.
The only numbers that count are the ones that result from doing the right things, regularly. And here is a point system to help you do just that. Use it to track daily and weekly progress. It provides specific weekly targets.
This system is focused on outcomes. It requires that you get out of your house, routine and comfort zone. The key is to rack up at least 30 points each week — the more the better.
Business cards collected at networking events are worth one point each, provided that you collect them as a result of a real conversation. You earn no points for just swapping cards. Attend each networking event with a specific goal in mind: for example, talk to seven new people, collect at least five business cards and make follow-up appointments with three new contacts.
In-person information interviews earn three points; schedule at least two information interviews each week. Arrive prepared to ask for relevant information, feedback on your résumé, suggestions of people or organizations to contact. Under no circumstances should you ask for a job.
Telephone information interviews add one point to your weekly score. An information interview conducted by telephone should be your last resort, unless the person you are networking with lives out of the area.
Be prepared to ask for the same kind of information that you would if you were meeting face-to-face.
An initial call to a referral to schedule a meeting is worth three points.
Before picking up the telephone, determine what you want from the call: an appointment to meet for an information interview, a job interview, or specific information about a person, company or industry.
Your follow-up call to someone you met at a networking event gains you two points. Approach it as an opportunity to build a business relationship with someone new.
A first or follow-up interview is four points. Decide the outcome you plan to achieve as a result of this meeting.
For example, it may be that you want to pass the prescreen with Human Resources and be invited to meet with the hiring manager, or you want the hiring manager to arrange for you to meet the rest of the team or you want to be referred on to the vice president of operations. Whatever your goal, identify and prepare for it before you get to the interview.
Forwarding your résumé to a contact who has explicitly asked for it earns three points. Build a relationship with your networking contact or the hiring manager before sending a résumé.
Make them eager to get it. When your contact asks for your marketing tool, it increases your potential value.
Sending a letter to a specific individual at a target company merits three points. Identify and research your ideal companies. Send a target letter to the person with the authority to hire you.
Focus on the ways you can add value to the organization. Ask for a meeting. Do not include a résumé. You earn four additional points by following up by telephone to personally schedule the meeting.
Writing and sending a thank you letter that continues to sell you after the interview nets two points. Every interview, whether it is a job or information interview, requires a well thought-out thank you letter.
Take advantage of this second selling opportunity to shine, shine, shine. Give yourself five points and a pat on the back for getting the job offer. Consider it carefully before accepting or declining it. Make sure it is the right fit for you. |
