You’re looking for a job? Have you done something different this week?

Intellectually, we all know that doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting a different result does not make sense. If you always got lost on the way to someplace, would you continue to try to get there without a map or directions? If you always burned dinner because you didn’t set a timer and are always busy doing a million other things, would you continue to cook without a timer? I hope not!

By the same token, continuing to sit at your desk, applying for jobs online with the exact same resume and wondering why you aren’t landing more interviews (or ANY interviews) doesn’t phase you? It’s a tough market! You have too much (or not enough) experience. Your background isn’t exactly perfect for your target jobs and no one will give you a chance. I have heard all of the excuses. Well, it’s time for some tough love: It is very possible that what you are doing (and NOT doing) is the reason you aren’t finding more opportunities.

This week’s tip: instead of looking for a job, search for an organization!

I’ve advised this before. Since you spend so much time at work, it makes sense to make the effort to investigate the organization where you’ll be working before you apply.

However, I’m suggesting that you not only spend time researching the organizations where there are jobs to apply for, but to actually focus on organizations INSTEAD of on jobs.

Why might this strategy serve you well?

Since networking is a key job search strategy, one of the most important things you can do to court success is to make contacts within an organization who are willing to advocate for you. In fact, I recently listened to a podcast from Chris Russel that compiled the answer to the question, “What’s the best way to avoid having your resume go into a black hole?” The overwhelming response? “Have it referred by another employee in the organization.” Often, hiring managers will review these resumes as a consideration to the current employee. They may also be more likely to trust that an employee of the organization will be able to identify a strong applicant.

So, instead of looking for individual jobs, think about focusing your efforts and energies on an employer. Of course, at GreatPlaceJobs, we think it makes sense to target the award-winning employers we feature here on our site. Don’t forget that award-winning workplaces outperform the competition and weather the recession better than their competition.

Start thinking about how you can identify individuals in your targeted organizations. Joining GreatPlaceJobs and our LinkedIn group is certainly one avenue to consider. What other suggestions do you have for infiltrating a targeted organization? Please share your ideas in the comments!

Miriam Salpeter
GreatPlaceJobs Career Advice Expert
www.keppiecareers.com

Tags: career advice, career strategy, great workplaces, GreatPlaceJobs, search for employers instead of jobs

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 7:54 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.