Job Search Guide

By Karen McAndrew

Director of Career Services

Harvey Mudd College

 

In a challenging job market, when the supply is greater than the demand, it is more important than ever to develop a good job search strategy. Regardless if your major is business or physics, begin by developing a marketing plan that includes product identification, market research, target market, ad campaign and evaluation of plan.

Product Identification

Begin by asking yourself what are you marketing to potential employers? Compile a list of your skills developed over the years through academics, work experiences or self-taught accomplishments. Let your thoughts free flow and not be restricted by your assigned value of these skills at this time. Include “soft” skills (team player, organized, self-starter) as well as “hard” skills (C++, Java, HTML). When you conduct your market research, you may find that some skills on your list are relevant to one industry while other skills on your list are appropriate for a different industry. Example: you love developing and playing games on your computer in your free time; these skills are relevant to some companies but not all that may fall in your area of interest. As you continue identifying the product (you), list your experiences, strengths and passions. In order to “sell” the product, you need to know what it is, and who knows the “product” better than you?

Market Research

When you have identified the product, the next step is to conduct market research to determine who is interested in the product. How successful would shoe manufacturers be if they tried to market their product to cats? This may sound ridiculous, but many times I have seen students conduct mass mailings that include companies that have no positions requiring the skills and abilities listed on their resume. In targeting the “wrong” market, you are setting yourself up for a failed campaign. Be creative with your market research; include industries, government, organizations, educational institutions, large and small companies, etc., who may have a need for the skills, abilities, experiences you possess. The World Wide Web enables you to conduct research quickly and efficiently. Additionally, industry-specific and major-specific directories may be available in your career center or local libraries.

Target Market

You have now researched and selected the market or pool of potential employers who have a need for the skills/abilities/experiences you possess. The next step is to identify who you will target and is based on your specific criteria: geographic preference, size of company, work environment, etc. Compile your list and be systematic in organizing your data. You may want to use a spreadsheet to list the company name, address, website, telephone number, fax number, contact, title, email address, the source of your information, position title, description, etc. When you begin receiving responses from employers, you want to be able to quickly look through your information to determine how, when and why you contacted the individual (referral, networking, classified advertisement, internet, etc.).

Ad Campaign

A crucial part of the job search strategy is getting the product information out to the target market, and this is accomplished through your advertising campaign. Write a resume that is focused on the needs of the specific target to which it is directed. This does not mean that you need to have a different resume for every company/organization in which you are interested, but it does mean that you should not have a generic, all-purpose resume if the recipients of your resume have differing skills requirements. There are numerous

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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