Consider the various departments or functions within a business they usually include: Accounting, Marketing, Human Resources, Sales, Research and Development, Procurement, Business Development and Administration.
If you’re running your job search without incorporating these functions there is a good chance that your job search is not going to run efficiently. Furthermore, things will be slow to improve unless you make some serious changes, which includes incorporating some or all of these functions into your search.
It’s been said before, but it’s worth repeating, today’s job search is very different from the job search of 10 years ago. For starters, due to the availability and accessibility of information as well as the means to secure off-shore back-offices business the search is going to take longer. Good economy or bad, candidates and workers from across the nation and around the globe have access to the Internet and the ability to compete with locals for jobs. In short, it is going to take larger companies a while to sort through their options and make a decisons as to how they will go about filling available positions.
This brings us back to why the job search has grown from being a job and into a business. These days you have to conduct your job search as if you are the CEO of a small business. The only thing that makes your company different from a traditional business is that you only have one product to sell and that product is you. To get your product sold you will have to manage all of the functions of your company. You may use the services of a few consultants such as your network, recruiters, employment agencies or coaches but the job of moving the product rests on you.
So let's look at your basic corporate structure:
Accounting
Adequate funding will be needed to support the search. Expenses such as parking, admittance to events, dry cleaning, lunches, gasoline as well as funds to support your headquarters including rent or mortagage, electricity, food, vehicle maintenance, Internet access and so forth. It's good to identify your liquid assets (cash) from the start as well as consider other assets that may be sold-off or liquidated in order to increase your cash flow if necessary.
Marketing Communications
You can’t do this without a marketing department. Your resume and cover letter are your primary marketing tools. You will also have to think of ways to become visible to your target audience. This may mean developing a database of companies that you would like to work with and contacting these companies through traditional methods or social networking. You may consider starting a blog to help to brand yourself as an expert in your field.
Human Resources
Make sure that your documents are in order. Do you have a birth certificate, passport, social security card, drivers license or other acceptable forms of identification. You may want to run a criminal background check and credit check on yourself to make sure that there are no errors. Beware of things that can get you into legal or financial troubles such as work-from-home opportunities or jobs that hire you as an independent contractor. There is nothing illegal about being an independent contractor but remember you will be responsible for managing your withholdings. If you have never done anything like this before and you decided to give it a try it may be necessary to speak with an accountant before getting started.
Sales
Since you are the one person that knows you best you are the one person who is best able to sell your services. Be prepared to tell potential employers not just what you do but how you go about doing it. Make sure that you keep abreast of what is going on in the industry. Listen carefully to what the interviewer is telling you about the position so that you can offer what the employer is seeking. Remember the job of selling is not based on talking it’s based on listening and identifying areas where your product can fill a void. Find out from the interviewer exactly what the company needs, ask them to tell you about the day in the life of the person holding the position. Find out where the interviewer feels that there is a need or room for improvement. For each question, be ready to respond to how you will can fill the company’s needs. For example, you may want to relate a story about how you solved a similar problem for your previous employer. If you feel that you can’t fill the void be honest with yourself and don’t make-up things in order to make yourself look good. If you do this and get hired you may find yourself right back on the job boards, posthaste. No one wants a product that does not perform as promised.
Procurement
You will have to decided what type of paper you are going to use to print-out your resume. You have to decide what type of thank you notes to purchase and if you will be using notes or buying cards. You will need some business cards for when you go out networking. Decide if you want to design and print your own or if you want to hire someone to provide this services for you. If you don’t have a computer in your home you will have to decide if you should buy one or rent one to use during your job search. It may be best to use the library if funds are not available.
Business Development
As the head of business development you are responsible for seeking out opportunities where you can be seen and present yourself to potential employers without actually trying to make a sale or close a deal. Your business development strategy may include attending meetings of experts your industry. Also, attending town and government meetings in your area to get to know businesses owners, and residents in order to develop new contacts. You may also be able to learn about upcoming projects in the area and get information on who to contact regarding job opportunities resulting from community projects. Depending on your level of expertise in your field you may request an opportunity to make a presentation at a local business gathering.
Research and Development
Research and development is important and will ensure that you have evolved over the years. Sometimes people who have stayed with the same company for several years missed out on some of the newest business trends. For example, if your former company used Office 2005 and now you are confronted with Office 2007 you may be in for a bit of a shock. If your former company's main method of communication was through the local newspaper, you may have to get up-to-speed with social media. You may have to redesign your product in order to find more customers (potential employers). This may mean taking a writing class or computer course it may mean learning something totally new such as medical terminology. In short, you don’t want to be dated. You want to be a fresh, innovative and exciting product.
Administration
Remember you are your company's CEO and responsible for your company's suvivial. It is your job to determine if your efforts are providing acceptable returns. You have the final decision regarding which programs will be cut and what programs will be enhanced. The buck stops at your desk and you have to be the enforcer because you want to keep your company afloat. If you are going to temporary employment agencies and spending $30.00 a month for parking but not getting any work, it may be time to make a decision 1) stop going to employment agencies or 2) only go to employment agencies that are located in buildings with free parking. If you are attending networking events and coming home with a pocketful of card from other job seekers but nothing from potential employers it may be time to cut-back on networking events that target job seekers. If you are attending community meetings and becoming known and connected within your community, you may want to keep it up. Remember, most successful businesses know how to do two things really well 1) How to turn on a dime when a strategy is not working and 2) How to capitalize on strategies that work.
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