3 Ways to find a job - Advertisements/Recruiters, Direct approach & Personal Connections

‘job hunting is a competitive exercise: you must dare them not to see you’

In my experience people find jobs in 3 ways. 

1.   By responding to an advert – online, in print or via a recruiter.

2.   By directly approaching a company.

3.   Through personal connections.

Each of these approaches to job hunting will depend upon the sector you work in and its recruitment culture. However, as a general rule 20% of people find work through responding to adverts and/or working with a recruiter, 20% of people find work by direct approach to the company they want to work, whilst almost 60% find work through personal connections.

The statistics above have been taken from Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point in which he quotes Mark Granovetter’s book Getting a Job. They shed interesting light on the job hunting process and each scenario is further explored in the sections below.

Regardless of how you choose to find work you need to keep at the forefront of your mind that you are entering a competitive exercise so you need to do everything you can to dare them not to see you! The following should help you do that (coming soon).

Cover Letters (3.0)

In the past, cover letters were deemed to be good enough if they simply introduced you and your interest in the role advertised and then referred on to your attached CV They were often too brief, functional at best, added no additional value and for this reason they were rarely read. 

Today, a cover letter matters. A well written, succinct and evidence based cover letter that demonstrates that you are qualified and passionate is essential and has become and offers the first chance to separate yourself from other job seekers and dares them not to see you. They are a valuable resource carefully read by employers and strong applicants know this.

In  a difficult post GFC labour market, cover letters form a crucial part of your application process regardless of whether you are responding to an advertisement, using a recruiter or approaching a company directly. A strong cover letter demonstrates you are much more than just your CV. But for a cover letter to be of any value it needs to be both accessible and readable and. The following builds on these two points:

Accessible: To ensure that your cover letter is easily accessible  it should be placed both in the body of your email and included as part of your CV - not as a separate attachment. Because cover letters are still seen to be of little value there is a temptation by some to skip over them. However, by including it in your email and also in your CV you ensure that it is much more likely to be read and therefore begins the process of distinguishing you from other applicants.

Readable: Having made it accessible you must then make it readable. First and foremost it should never be more than a single page long and ideally a good deal shorter. To help you do this limit yourself to 5paragraphs. They should demonstrate:

1. Passion for the job: The first paragraph must grab the attention of the reader. Employers want employees who are intelligent, qualified AND passionate about what they do. So this paragraph is not a statement about your understanding of the company, where you saw the job advertised or what the role is that you are applying for. Instead it must demonstrate your passion for the role and this is where your earlier research really pays off.                                 

Start with something like, ‘I am an experienced programmer with a passion for developing new and innovative products. Having spoken to, your HR team, many of your programmers and  your competitors and stakeholders I know that you are renowned for employing only the best and most enthusiastic staff but one of the key challenges you face is in finding qualified and experienced programmers who also have strong people skills. This was what I did in my previous role and why I am so interested in this position.’ 

This kind of opening is incredibly powerful. Firstly, what it does is immediately capture the reader’s attention. It then demonstrates from the outset a number of positive qualities - your enthusiasm for the role, your ability to do it, your intelligence, connectedness and (I can almost guarantee) that you have done more research than any other applicant thereby demonstrating you to be proactive. Not a bad beginning.

2. Your Profile: Remember that profile you wrote as part of your CV? The one that summarises your experience, your success, your achievements, your training... that you can do the job. Insert it here, insert it verbatim, cut and paste it so that it becomes your second paragraph. Yes, you are duplicating but you do not want this paragraph overlooked.  It is your answer to ‘Why hire you?’

3. Address gaps or issues in your CV: This should be a very short paragraph but everyone has something to address here. Perhaps you are too old, too young, over experienced, under experienced, it is your first job, it might be your last job, you are unemployed, you are changing career or just looking to get out of your current company. You should briefly allay any of your potential employers’ fears so that they do not discount your application because of their preconceived ideas about what you are or have done. For example, if you are looking for a role that is a long way away from your home but you are willing to relocate then this is the place to say so. Equally, if you are unemployed tell them why (were you fired, did you quit, health reasons etc) and what you have been doing that makes you employable (if you haven’t been doing anything see the critical section on Developing Personal Connections). Again, from experience I know how easy it is for employers to disregard an applicant because of ill informed or preconceived ideas. For this reason alone you need to ensure you are absolutely clear on any gaps in your CV. 

4. Something Interesting: Who would you employ if you had to make a decision between two or more equally qualified candidates? The one who seemed to have a personality and had demonstrated their achievements outside of work (clubs, sporting achievements, languages etc) or those who could not demonstrate any interests or success outside of a work setting and seemed the same as everyone else?

I once had a client who when they had the choice to add another candidate to the interview list added an applicant who had represented the UK in table tennis. They added him not because of his table tennis skills but because he was the only one they remembered from the list. The reality is that potential employers want to brag about their new hires so you need to give them something to brag about and remember you by.  

5.   Passion for the company: Again, this is one of the most important sections and is also based on your research. You could end with something like... ‘ Having spoken with your competitors and Mr X your Chief Executive and having been to your office and used your products I know that Company ABC is a leader in its field and you only employ the best people. My experience to date, my passion for programming and my eagerness to work in a high performing team are all reasons that I have chosen to apply to work for your company.’ This final summary demonstrates your connectedness, intelligence and strategic approach. It is a strong way to finish any cover letter.

The next step: How to find those job opportunities

Research, Research & Research (2.0)

This is by far the most important element of any application or job hunting process. Though, conversely, probably the most under-utilised and also the most difficult section to motivate yourself to undertake - it is even harder to do well. However, I guarantee that if you do this properly you will never regret it.

Most people consider research something desk based and done primarily online and it is done only twice in an application or job hunting process. Once when they see the job advertised, and secondly before an interview. Taking this approach will not differentiate you from any other candidate which is the whole point of your application process – to dare them not to see you!Online & desk based research should only be undertaken as a basis for more in depth work. So, what do you need to do? The research that is most effective can only be gained when you leave your desk or by speaking to people directly.

Firstly, visit the company personally to get a feel for the culture and set up and size. See if you can find someone and ask whether they know your potential employer and what he/she is like?' Then try and speak to someone you know who may work there or who may know a person who does. If possible take them into your confidence and ask them to introduce you to someone internally. Alternatively, if the company is a competitor of where you currently work you may be able to gain leverage from that . Ask a colleague what they think of the competitor’s services/products,  and their strengths and weaknesses.

I always use my job applications as an excuse to speak with my peers or better still to the peers of the person who might employ me. A particularly effective approach is to phone them, and tell them that you are thinking of applying for a role at X as they have been in the sector for a while and that you were hoping that they might be able to provide a perspective on what they do. Ask if they could spare five minutes to provide some insights?'

This can be a daunting approach but you will have achieved a couple of things by doing it: you will have generated a new connection (who might offer you work) and you will have gained an invaluable insight into the business.

Only at this point, after you have done your research, should you reply to the job advertisement or the contact you have for the position.. Never just ask ‘Can you tell me about the job?’ instead try ‘Hello, I would like to speak to you about the role X. I have been to the site, spoken to others who work there and some of their competitors. They say that X & Y are issues. I have gained this sort of experience andI think I could help. Is this the sort of experience you are looking for?’ This is a powerful approach and ensures you stand out from the crowd - incredibly important when dealing with recruiters but even more so when you are dealing directly with the company and employer itself (more on working with recruiters later).

I know, having done this myself that at the end of this process you will have the information you need to complete an application that stands out. You will know: what is important to the company; what the role demands; what it is like working there; how the company functions; what their products and services are and who their clients are ; Who are their competitors;  and much more. 

Furthermore, if you are lucky you may have had an improved offer from one of their competitors because you will have demonstrated that you are proactive and intelligent with the ability to develop a personal connections - all attributes that employers find attractive.

Having said that, I can almost guarantee that no-one reading this will do this level of research. Of all the hundreds of applications I have received less than 5% have ever gone to the lengths I have described above. However, those that have almost always get the job.

Many people worry about doing this level of research for a couple of reasons. Either they feel they are abusing the application process or are worried about what might be said about them without their permission. The first point is a valid one. You certainly do not want to be seen to be unfairly influencing the decision but this can be overcome if you approach all contacts with a clear desire to inform yourself about the role/organisation rather than seeking to influence decision making process.

The second point should not concern you if you do your research properly - if you represent yourself well then you will be represented well. In fact, getting people to speak warmly about you is exactly what you want to happen. It gives you an advantage at the shortlisting stage and in interviews because you are likely to be a ‘known product’ and as such a much more attractive candidate.

The next step: Use all of this information to write a cover letter that dares them not to see you.