Don’t limit yourself
There are tons of different ways to find a job these days. Here is a list of just a few of the ways you are probably already familiar with:
- Monster/CareerBuilder style job boards
- LinkedIn/networking
- Niche job boards (local/industry specific)
- Company websites
- Recruiters
- Ads in the paper
- More…
Each on of these serves as a job search tool. And for each one I could tell you someone who has given a good review and a bad review. Take the for-pay service to find exec/$100K jobs, The Ladders.com. I have talked to some people who have had success finding a great job through their service. I have talked to others who said they did not follow through on their promise to provide $100K jobs (some were not even close in salary) and they pushed hard on additional services like resume advice. So is their service good or bad? Same with Monster. Tons of people use will with little or no success. But then you meet the guy who found the greatest job of his life using their site.
There is no one ultimate source for finding a job. Some of these outlets will lead to success and others will not.
The point is you need to diversify your job search. There is no reason to limit yourself to one or two search tools. Use them all!
The best strategy I have heard is to make each day’s search focused on a different tool. For example:
Monday - Monster Day: Hit Monster and all of the other mainstream job boards.
Tuesday - Networking: Correspond with people via LinkedIn. Use other social networking sites to connect with new associates and let people know you are looking for a job and what you are looking for.
Wednesday - Company Day: Go directly to the corporate websites of any company you feel would be a good fit. Apply online through their site.
Thursday - Contact a Recruiter: Ask around. Find a recruiter who is in your particular industry. Give them a call. You can call more than one. See if they have any leads. See if you like working with them.
Friday - Read the Paper: Check out your local paper. Read the classified job ads. I have known a few great companies that only post in the local classified ads in the paper rather than online job boards.
You get the picture. The more you diversify your job search, the greater the chances you wont miss out on any opportunities!
