Being proactive gets better jobs - and faster!

What is proactive job search

Proactive job seekers don’t wait for jobs to be advertised; they start straight away and go out looking for the sort of work they want. This approach has a number of advantages and the first one is that it saves time.

Proactive job search starts with deciding exactly what sort of work you want to do. The next step is researching organisations which offer that sort of work and selecting two or three to apply to. The it’s a matter of making yourself known to people within these organisations and then being offered a job.

OK, it’s not always as easy as that. It requires consistent hard work, perseverance and sometimes getting outside your comfort zone – but it does help you get a job of your choosing and so much sooner than conventional, reactive job search. How to do it successfully is fully described in other podcasts in the ‘Go, Get That Job’ series.

This episode focusses on why proactive job search is so much more successful than the conventional, reactive approach.

1.???Full-time

You don’t have to wait until you find a job advertisement you could apply for. Instead you can get started straight away in carefully selecting the sort of work you want to do. Then, instead of trying to find openings of that sort on job boards, you proactively seek them out. This requires discipline and consistent hard work, but it’s not rocket science. Anyone can do it.

And because they are jobs of your choosing, you are enthusiastic and motivated to get them.

Because you are working on the job search campaign full-time, or as full-time as you can afford to make it, you will achieve much more in the course of each day than those who are trawling through job boards and applying for everything they think a possibility. Result: you get the sort of job you want a lot sooner than those who choose a reactive approach.

2.???Focus on 2-3 jobs

If you focus on just two or three jobs at a time, the sort of work you really want to do, you can spend more time on each application. The greater your motivation and the more time you spend on the application process, the better it’s likely to be - and it’s usually the best application which wins the job! By application, think of the whole application process including research, networking and information interviewing.

Don’t waste your time on second-class applications. Put all your effort into just those positions which really interest you. That way, you’ll have a much greater likelihood of getting one of them.

Better still, spend most time on the position which excites you most. If you’re working full-time on your job search campaign, spend perhaps 20 hours a week on your first choice, maybe 13 on the second and less on the third choice. And when things get exciting, you are becoming known within your first choice organisation and you’re getting good feedback, you might want to put in 30 hours for that first choice and perhaps five hours each for the other two.

The better your applications, the sooner you’ll get the job!

3.???Jobs of your choosing

And you focus on jobs with the organisations you have chosen. Jobs that you really want; jobs which excite you. This means that you’ll be motivated to get them and your motivation will not only boost your determination to keep going with your job search campaign but will also be noticed by your prospective employers. Motivation is a quality employers prize. By demonstrating your motivation, you are more likely to get an offer sooner than is someone less motivated.

Another great advantage for your long-term career success is that by focussing on a career path of your choosing, you are more likely to be motivated and therefore to succeed – now and into the future!

4.???Greater confidence

By choosing to be proactive, by selecting the type of work and the organisations you’d like to work for, you are taking control of your job search campaign. You will discover that, through taking control, you boost your confidence significantly.

Confidence is essential in the job search. If you don’t have confidence, how can you hope to convince an employer to have confidence in you? But through having control of the job search campaign, your confidence will grow and with it the likelihood of your being offered a great job.

5.???Evade discrimination

If you are concerned that discrimination could be holding you back there is one sure way of getting round it – make sure that you are known within the organisation before your application hits the hiring manager’s desk. To do this, you need to be proactive.

You can make yourself known in two ways. The first is through following people within the industry on social media, liking and commenting on their posts, reposting or sharing them and making posts yourself to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding. The second is identifying people within the organisation, connecting with them and then contacting them. Arranging an information interview is the pinnacle.

If you are known by people within the organisation, this fact is likely to be conveyed to the hiring manager. Then instead of your application being read looking for reasons to reject your application, the application will be read with interest because you are already known.

6.???Reduce the competition

Through being proactive, through making yourself known within your target organisations, you put yourself well in front of the competition. “It’s not what you know, it’s not even who you know – it’s who knows you”. This means that your application is more likely to be shortlisted.

And, of course, if you find an available position before it is advertised – and, in a proactive campaign, this happens quite often – you may well be the only applicant!

7.???Bypass many of the steps of conventional recruitment

Recruitment can be a long, drawn-out process. Usually when employers have a position they want filled, they want it filled sooner rather than later. Conventional recruitment can take weeks or months to complete. Through being proactive, you can reach the hiring manager even before the position has been advertised. The whole process may only take a matter of days or perhaps a week or two but not much longer. And as long as you convince the employers that you could perform well in the role, they are likely to offer you the role now rather than wait several weeks to go through the conventional process.

8.???Be ready for proactive recruitment

Recruiters don’t like the conventional methods of selection either. They, too, are becoming more proactive. If you are making yourself known in the industry through the people you are following and communicating with online, and if you have a good profile on LinkedIn and other relevant social media platforms, recruiters are likely to find your name and then contact you.

If you make yourself known in person to people within an organisation, and if they think you could help them in a specific role, you may well find yourself being interviewed for the role before you have submitted your résumé.

The wrap up

The conventional, reactive approach to job search is broken. You scroll through job boards looking for any job that is half-way possible, apply for it half-heartedly and then wait for a response which never comes.

The proactive approach, on the other hand, encourages you to choose the sort of work you want to do, identify possible employer organisations and then use proven business marketing strategies to make yourself known. Employers like this approach; they appreciate your initiative and motivation. Through this approach, through making yourself known, you demonstrate your organisational and interpersonal skills, your determination and reliability. This is what they are looking for and it is likely to get you a job of your choosing and a lot sooner than the conventional approach.

It's a no brainer - the proactive approach is the best way to get a good job fast.