Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from a recent session with Christine Dennison, The Job Search Coach.
Chris started the call asking people to describe where they were in their job search and found that there were some newbies on the call who wanted to get off to the right start. She noted that for those just starting out in the process, it’s tempting to see Internet job postings as the only resource one needs.
Chris suggests that you view the Internet as the place to start your education, looking at job postings in your area of expertise to develop your list of keywords and a sense of what are the hot topics in your industry. Check out your alumni, trade and industry association websites as well.
Use the information to help build a list of target companies. Once you have that in mind you can make sure that your resume and your online profiles point you in the direction you want to go, rather than just rehashing where you’ve been.
Understanding where you want to go will inform your decisions on how best to build your network in a meaningful way – online and off. Start lining up advocates, people who will provide references for you when needed and recommendations on LinkedIn.
Then, don’t sweat it – get on with the people part and make those connections that will get you into your target companies.
