Quick Tips for Getting Your Job Search Together

By Kristen Saulnier
Communications Professional

After attending “Getting Your Search Together,” a workshop presented in collaboration with the Boston chapter of Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN), promotions and special event expert Kristen Saulnier penned the following suggestions.

Speaking to a packed room of nonprofit professionals, Community Enterprise’s Sara Kyser shared a variety of ways job seekers can find their perfect match. She had participants begin with a self-assessment and skills inventory. Once this crucial initial step was completed, participants moved on to discuss concrete strategies that job seekers should take to get in front of hiring managers.

Power Search Strategies

Here are some of the most successful “power search” strategies, when used alone:

  1. Create a “Life-Changing Job Hunt,” which begins with a self-assessment.
  2. Join with other job hunters (Kyser recommends about 7 others).
  3. Use your network – let family, friends and other contacts know about your search.
  4. Use the so-called “Telephone Book Search” – look up organizations, research them and visit them in person with portfolio/resume in hand.

Basic Search Strategies

These basic strategies prove least successful when used alone:

  1. Looking at Internet job postings (this is actually the least effective method)
  2. Mailing out resumes at random
  3. Answering ads in professional/trade journals
  4. Answering newspaper ads

Interestingly, while a combination of strategies is the most effective method of searching, this is only true when up to 4 strategies are used. Using more than 4 different strategies will actually lessen the odds of you finding a job.

Takeaways

My biggest takeaways from the event?

  • Know yourself and your skills.
  • Be focused.
  • Use your networks.
  • Combine different search methods.

But, don’t get bogged down by trying to do everything at once.

“Getting Your Search Together” is part of a series of job-seeking workshops being held by YNPN Boston this fall. Join them for their next Nonprofit Job Seekers event – focusing on interview skills – at the NonProfit Center on November 15, 2011.