Ask The Headhunter®: How To Start A Job Search

Start Here

The Update

Features

How-To

Specials

Resources

Partners

Business

How To Start A Job Search
By Nick Corcodilos

If you’re searching for a job, consider this Zen koan, or paradox.

A man sees our Zen hero, Nasrudin, down on his knees groping around in the dirt. "What are you looking for?" asks the man. "My keys," replies Nasrudin. The man kneels down to help search. "Are you sure you lost them in this vicinity?" asks the man. "No, I lost them in my house," says Nasrudin. "Then, why are you looking here?" asks the man. "Because," answers Nasrudin, "the light is better here."

Too often, people search for jobs where the jobs "seem to be", and they adopt the commonly accepted job hunting methods. When you think carefully about what Nasrudin is doing, you’ll find that he’s being both silly and smart. His keys are of course not where he’s searching; but the light is, indeed, better there.

Ask the difficult questions.
Zen koans are intended to make us think; not to provide easy answers. When you start your job search, don’t skip the obvious questions. But, don’t let convention keep you from addressing the difficult ones.

Do you seek new opportunities by simply reacting to the job descriptions that "come along" in the classified ads?

Are you building a reputation for being part of that horde of opportunists who will network with anyone because they believe almost any job is worth chasing?

Are you wasting time mailing resumes to people you don’t know who don’t know you?

Do you rely on resumes, applications and other static documents to convince random employers to pony up thousands of dollars to hire you?

Are you known professionally only to a small circle of people in your own company?

These are painful questions, partly because most people find it’s easiest to follow the rules of America’s employment system. It’s difficult to think about career development techniques that require a lot of work. But, what great new job is easy?

Search in the light.
Like the story of Nasrudin, the good job search is a paradox because it never really appears to be a search in the traditional sense. A smart job hunter:

Doesn’t seek out jobs. He seeks out people, products and businesses that intrigue and challenge him. When he studies them carefully, job opportunities sprout.

Participates in her professional community. She develops solid, long-term relationships with people who share her interests and goals, and devotes her energies to aiding their success. Their successes create her best opportunities.

Always goes straight to the owner of an opportunity, and trusts his ability to deal face-to-face. By dealing with decision-makers, he gets an edge on his competition and trusts his ability to deal face-to-face. By dealing with decision-makers, he gets an edge on his competition.

Leads with her profit-making potential. She knows that her ability to demonstrate how she’s going to make a specific employer more profitable matters more than her employment history when it comes to getting a job offer.

Is a person to know throughout his industry.

You can look for your next job where you think it is. Or, you can spend your time in the light of your professional community, where you may find what’s right for you rather than merely what you were looking for.

Please tell us what you think of this article.