The five least efficient ways to hunt for your next job

Heather Townsend — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:45:58 +0000

I am currently reading ‘What color is your parachute, 2009’ by Richard Nelson Bolles and it confirmed what I already suspected about the least efficient way to find a new job.

1. Replying to Internet job adverts

Research has shown that for every 100 job hunters who answer internet job adverts, only 4 will actually find their next role this way. So, don’t place all your faith in the power of monster.co.uk to help you find your next job! The good news is that if you are looking for role in IT, Engineering or Finance then this figure rises to 10 job hunters. Still not great odds…

2. Sending out your CV to random employers

Using this method results in only 7 out of 100 job seekers finding a new role. It is rumoured that there are over 40 000 000 CVs on the internet floating around.

3. Applying to jobs advertised in trade journals

Unfortunately, this method has the same success rate as the previous method… only 7 out of 100 job seekers will find their next job this way. This surprised me…

4. Answering local newspaper adverts

Between 5 and 24 job seekers, out of 100, will find a job this way. This method of job hunting is more successful when people are seeking a lower paid job.

5. Using a recruitment agent or executive search firm

This really surprised me, but between 5 and 28 job seekers, out of 100, will find their next job this way.

What these figures don’t take into account, is the age distribution of job seekers. I once read somewhere, that if you are below 35, you are 80% more likely to find your next job by using a recruitment consultant rather than through your personal network. If you are over 35, you are 80% more likely to find your next role via your network rather than using a recruitment consultant.

It is interesting to note, that all of these five methods of job hunting and generally the options that most job seekers will use to find their next role.

Definitely food for thought! In tomorrow’s blog post, I will look at the five most efficient methods of job hunting.

Four questions you need to answer to get your job search up and running efficiently

Heather Townsend — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 14:58:11 +0000

Maybe you have sensed that your organisation is going to be re-structuring or downsizing in the next six months, or maybe you have decided that you will find a new job. But, how do you actually get started on an efficient job hunt?

Many people decide the first thing they need to do is write their CV. Wrong. In fact, less than 10 percent of all job hunters who start their job search with writing their CV find a new job. The first thing you need to do is work out what your next career step is going to be. Until you are clear about your end goal, chances are that you will waste a lot of your precious time and emotional energy in getting there.

We have adapted a method, invented by the late John Crystal[1], which simply helps you to do your homework, before you write your CV – and job seekers which have used the original method, have an 86% success rate of finding a new role.

What…

Think of all the activities you have done in and out of work. What skills do you enjoy using the most? Note the word, enjoy, it’s not what skills you are seen to be best at, it’s what you enjoy doing. If we spend more than two-thirds of our waking hours at work, it would make sense to do the stuff that you enjoy in these hours. These skills are called your transferable skills, and your next role needs to focus on you using these skills.

Where…

In what environments do you thrive? Does the hustle and bustle of working with clients do it for you, or do you crave the chance to work in a supporting role in-house? Do you get a kick out of working with high profile and large corporate clients, or would you prefer a more intimate relationship with a small business owner? For example, some people love the buzz of working in a large corporate office environment, whereas others like being in a small satellite office.

How…

This is the hard bit, how are you going to get to where you want to go? How do you find the right job in the right organisation, in the right geographical area for you? Who do you know, who may know, who is the right person to speak to approach to get onto this organisation’s radar?

And finally, When…

When do you want to be moving into your new role? Fixing a date for being in your new role, makes it real – and forces you to think of timescales!

[1] What color is your parachute, 2009, Richard Nelson Bolles

The Thoughts And Ideas Of The Efficiency Coach » efficient job hunting

The five least efficient ways to hunt for your next job

Four questions you need to answer to get your job search up and running efficiently