Maximizing your job search effort.

When I became unemployed in December, I was very aware of what I had to do:
1. Update my resume on the job boards.
2. Contact staffing/recruiting firms.
3. Contact my "contacts" and people I networked with. Both friends and people who knew my from my local work experience in recruiting and career services.
4. Directly contact ANY company I had interest in.
5. Check boards like "Indeed.Com" several times per day, as well as Monster/Careerbuilder/Hotjobs and Dice and Craigslist.
6. Spend time on items 1-5 every day of the week, and use weekday "business time" to make calls, go to interviews and make contact with employers.

In other words, I had a focused approach that I know has worked for me before. In effect, I was using as many of the available "tools" I had to make certain I could get to speak with decision making folks as quickly as possible.

I was maximizing my job search effort.

And that "combination" effort helped me to land a job in less than 3 weeks with the Christmas Holiday right in the "middle of things." Several years earlier, between jobs, I used a very similar approach and found an opportunity in just over a month.
That says less about me, and more about the importance of using ANY reasonable tool to find work - and to make effort EVERY day. Because I was spending time looking for work actively, I had less time to focus on my unemployment. My JOB was finding a job; that's an important focus!

Let's go over each of the tools and how they can help.
1. Update resume on major job boards.
Yes, I have gotten plenty of spam and calls of no value from resumes on Careerbuilder and Monster and Hotjobs. However, I have also gotten REAL inquiries from VIABLE employers. Quick Tip: Update your resume EVERY day if you can on these sites; that makes them come up FIRST in employer searches, as the newest ones "pop up" first!
2. Contact staffing/recruiting firms.
See if they have anything, particularly on the temporary side. In the early 90s, Today's Staffing got me a temporary position at a major company that lasted 10 months - long enough for me to find a job w/benefits elsewhere!
3. Contact "your" contacts/network.
Let EVERYONE, from the parents of your kids' friends to former co-workers know you are looking. This is particularly true if you are unemployed. ANYONE can provide help in unexpected ways. The more people you know who are aware of your search, the more likely someone may be able to help! I've gotten several jobs in the past from "friendly" referrals!

Think of it this way: if a very close friend told you he/she was looking for a job, wouldn't you keep your eyes open for job opportunities for that person? Of course!

4. DIRECTLY contact ANY company/employer you have interest in.
Find where you want to be and MAKE PHONE CALLS! Email messages get lost; mail gets misplaced. Nothing is more personal in a job search than a live person, or a live phone voice.
a. Don't be concerned if there are no jobs on the company website - the company can still MAKE ROOM for the right person.
b. Don't ask "Wonder if you are hiring?" or "Do you have any opportunities?" - because if the person you speak to says "no" the conversation can stall very quickly.
c. Instead, call and ask something like this "I'm hoping you can help me. I'm an experienced inside salesperson looking for a job. I was wondering if you had any leads or suggestions for me." On the phone, if you say "I'm hoping you can help me," the listener tends to shift into "I want to help" mode!

Chances are, the person who answers the phone DOES NOT know the answer - so he or she will very likely transfer your call to someone who could help. With that person, just ask the SAME question! He/she may have a job, know someone, or can even forward your resume to people who can be of help!

5. Check boards SEVERAL times per day.
New postings come up ALL the time; you can set up job alerts to capture much of this - but it NEVER hurts to see what's most recently been posted! You may see that the XYZ company has a job that's too entry level for you; however, the job is in your field - and you hadn't KNOWN about the XYZ company before! Thus, you have a new place to call!

6. Spend time on items 1-5 every day of the week, and use weekday "business time" to make calls, go to interviews and make contact with employers.
Think about this: loss of a job means a 9-10 hour HOLE in your day that just showed up. If all you do is "take time off," the loss of your job will hit you harder and harder.

Instead, use AS MUCH of this "free time" as you can working on your job search!
For most of you, you'll be getting available DAY TIME, which means plenty of opportunities to CALL employers, go to staffing firms and interview for any job you may find to be worthwhile. If there are job fairs, you have time to go!

To be honest, I was down being unemployed; the job I took didn't last 2 weeks and wasn't a good fit. And I'll admit that my self esteem and confidence took a hit, too. However, by spending as much time as I could on the job search itself, I felt better! My time was spent trying to make things happen: talking to people, sending out resumes and interviewing. Such helped me stay focused, and stay much sharper for the phone and in-person interviews I had. My JOB was to find a job - and that's what I put my efforts in to.

Simply, I maximized my job search effort.

Keep in mind that activity can increase your chances of success, and shorten the length of your job search as well.

And the "basics" are things you can spend time on nearly every day!