Power Job Hunting: 5 Ways to Improve Your Chances

Jobhunting is a lot like fishing. You might get lucky and land the bigone on your first attempt. On the other hand, you could invest a lotof time and effort casting out numerous applications and end uphaving nothing to show for it. No one can guarantee either willhappen, but there are ways to improve your chances.

WhenI was a kid I did a lot of fishing in my summer holidays. For yearsit was all about luck. Find some water, bait a hook, cast the line... and hope. When an uncle of mine started joining us on ourholidays, he taught me how to be a bit smarter about my fishing.Later, as a recruitment consultant, I realised that much of what myuncle had shared with me is relevant to the typical job search.

1.Be clear about the job you want

Effectivefishing means using the right bait with the right equipment -especially the right-sized hook - for the type of fish you are tryingto catch. The same applies to job search.

Thetone of your application letters, the detail and emphasis in yourresume, the way you dress for, and answer questions in, theinterview. All of these will be different, dependent on whether youare going for a CEO role or a junior administrative role, orsomething in between.

Target specific industries andcompanies

Myuncle taught me the importance of finding good spots to fish:rock-pools, deep water channels, sheltered areas, and so on. Jobhunting is the same: the more targeted you can be, the more chanceyou give yourself of landing the ideal role.

Findout which organisations are most active in your desired industry andapproach them. Read trade magazines to become familiar with what isgoing on and who’s who. Apply directly to your ‘dream’employers: whether they are actively advertising or not.

Ask around

Perhapsthe most important thing I learnt from my uncle was the importance oflocal knowledge. We were always asking the locals where we shouldfish. Sure, they may have sent us to the second-best place and keptthe best to themselves, but we were still better off than all those‘random’ fishers.

Thelesson: don’t be afraid to ask. Ask former colleagues, customersand others in your industry what they know. Ask people who report thenews in your industry. Ask friends and neighbours.

Advertise yourself

Fishingwas a topic of camping conversation whether we were actually fishingor not. My uncle would always be chatting to people and he wouldalways, in these chats, turn the conversation to fishing. Nearlyevery time, he was able to glean additional local information as aresult.

Youcan use a similar strategy when searching for a new job, particularlyif you’ve been made redundant. The important thing is not to keepyour situation to yourself. Let people know, when the chance arises,what your situation is. Your local community, former bosses, prettymuch anyone. When you do this, you effectively gain an army of jobsearch assistants and increase your chances of finding out about theplum job that hasn’t even been advertised.

5.Use technology to help

Walkinto a modern fishing supplies shop and you’ll realise that thepastime has moved well past the era of a hook hanging from a stick.While it’s easy to go overboard, the fishing experience can be mademuch more pleasant through use of some quite inexpensive, readilyavailable tools.

Themodern job hunt is no different. There are job search websites,networking tools like LinkedIn and Twitter, and all sorts ofresume-building and personality-testing widgets out there to try. Youmay not use them all, but do spend some time getting to know what’sthere so you can make a considered decision about where to investyour time.

Jobhunting need not be a completely random hit-and-miss affair. By usingthe proven strategies of others, you’ll greatly increase yourchances of catching a prize-sized job in a short time.

David James Brewster, is a writer for Classifind.com.au. Classifind.com.au is Australia's largest search engine specialising in jobs. Hundreds of thousands of job listings from major Australian job boards are brought together in one place, reducing search time.