As if you haven't noticed, times are tough for developers. Talented individuals who would have been snapped up a few years ago now find themselves seeking employment for months, sometimes more than a year, without success.
Recruiters in some cities have reported receiving more than 100 qualified resumes for every open job listing. In this market, to land an interviewâ€"and eventually a positionâ€"you have to hone your job-hunting skills with the same dedication you'd put into sharpening your skills on the job.
Your main objectives
In the hunt for employment, having a personal contact within a hiring company is the ultimate inside track. But even if you're extraordinarily well connected, you need more tricks than that in your job-hunting bag. In your search for employment, you must focus on three key goals:
- Finding, creating, and pursuing opportunities
- Standing out above the competition
- Maintaining your composure
By focusing your efforts, you'll be able to handle a larger number of leads at one time. You'll also find you can reduce the emotional impact of riding the job-search roller coaster. Best of all, you'll be improving your resume and gaining experience while you look.
Although it doesn't pay very well, job hunting is a means of employment itself. You start, as in business, by finding opportunities.
Showing up is half the battle
Finding leads doesn't have to be difficult, if you're open to new possibilities. The first step is to expand the way you plan to market yourself. Don't limit yourself to looking for jobs that exactly match your primary skill set. Instead, expand your search to include development positions within industries where you have experience. By doing so, you'll open up a whole new arena, and you'll have an advantage over developers who haven't worked in that industry before, regardless of technology base.
Now that you know what to look for, where should you look? The obvious places are Internet job boards and newspapers. Unfortunately, everyone knows this, so postings on major sites have huge responses. Focus on local sites and check out state-operated Web sites, which often have postings that other places don't. Job boards and employment papers should be a staple in your daily routine, but they should take up less than a third of the total time you spend searching.
Target companies directly. Use your local yellow pages to create lists of companies that operate in industries where you have experience or interest and visit each one's Web site. If you don't find career information there, contact the company by telephone and ask to be connected with the appropriate manager. Sometimes you'll find an opening; if there isn't one, ask to send your resume anyway and follow up periodically.
Read business news from your area. This tactic is invaluable in generating leads. Watch for reports about new management, new projects or ventures, mergers, and so on. Send an inquiry that mentions how you heard about the company. Attach your resume and stay in close contact.
Never let up
Always be persistent with your follow-up. Stay in contact via a phone call, voice mail, or e-mail message every few days until you're able to get a definitive answer about an interview. Never expect a company you've contacted to initiate updates, even after you've met with them. Pursue every opportunity with resolve.
If things start to drag after an interview, don't ease up in your persistenceâ€"often the hiring manager must seek approval, and work gets in the way. Instead, find out when would be a good time to contact the manager again and promptly do so.
A thank-you note after you've visited a company is the perfect way to remain in close contact. However you follow up, always be sure to mention something that shows you are a good fit. You are your own best advocateâ€"and that fact brings me to your second goal: keeping the competitive edge.
