You Can’t Do Your Job Search Alone, with Dawn Rasmussen

On today’s bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Dawn Rasmussen, President of Pathfinder Careers, shares her contribution to our book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere.

How effective is networking? If you apply for a job online you have a 2% chance of getting an interview. If you apply through someone you know you have a 50% chance of getting an interview. Direct networking is that impactful.

Are you thinking, “but I’m not a type ‘A’ networker. How do I practice?” You should be proactive and put yourself out there by:

• Growing an informal connection with someone through continued follow-up.
• Taking the fear out of talking with unknown people by making them a known quantity.
• Getting involved or volunteering with a business or organization that interests you.
• Check out Dawn’s book “Forget Job Security: Build Your Marketability! by [Dawn Rasmussen]Forget Job Security: Build Your Marketability!” 

Transcript

Mac Prichard:

Hi, this is Mac from Mac’s List. Before we start the show, I wanted to let you know about my new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. I’ve been helping job seekers find meaningful, well-paying work since 2001, and now I’ve put all my best advice into one easy-to-use guide.

My book shows you how to make your resume stand out in a stack of applications, where you can find the hidden jobs that never get posted, and what you need to do to ace your next job interview. Get the first chapter now for free. Visit MacsList.org/anywhere.

This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life. I’m Mac Prichard, founder and publisher of Mac’s List.

On today’s bonus episode, we’re sharing exclusive content from Land Your Dream Job Anywhere.

For fifteen years at Mac’s List, we’ve helped people find meaningful, well-paying work in Portland, Oregon, one of the country’s most competitive job markets. Now we’ve put all of our best job hunting advice in one new book that can help you no matter where you live.

Land Your Dream Job Anywhere also includes tips from many of the national career experts who’ve appeared on our podcast.

Today, we’re sharing one of these features exclusively with you, our podcast listeners. Here’s Dawn Rasmussen, president of Pathfinder Writing and Career Services, reading her contribution, You Can’t Do It Alone—Help Others Help You.

Dawn Rasmussen:

When it comes to a job search, networking is priority number one. Yet I see a lot of people tune in and out when it comes to practicing it. “I’m too busy. I don’t have time to go to this networking function.” This is a huge mistake; networking is the critical lifeline.

Most people find jobs through someone they know. Gerry Crispin from CareerXroads shares a statistic: if you apply only online you have only a 2% chance of getting interviewed. But if you apply by working through someone that you know, you have about a 50% chance of getting interviewed. That stark contrast really shows how direct networking impacts your job search success. Building and nurturing relationships allows you to continue the conversation from the initial meeting point and lays the groundwork for future conversations—not only when you need to talk to your contacts, but also in situations where they may consider you for positions they have.

So what do you do if you aren’t exactly the Type A networker?

There’s hope.

You can grow any informal connection through continued follow-up. This doesn’t mean stalking someone. Instead, try being mindful if you encounter an article or feature that might be interesting to that person, and forward a link. Wish him or her well on any announcements posted on social media. Or better yet, start setting up informational interviews.

Take the fear out of talking with unknown people by making them a known quantity, and your comfort levels will go up. That way, it is an easy conversational segue into discussing a potential job opening when they already know how you fit.

Another way to incorporate community into your job search is for you to get involved with a business or organization that interests you. I know we’re all pressed for time and it’s hard to carve out space for a volunteer experience, but this is a great way to get familiar with other people and similar types of jobs. Once you volunteer, you end up becoming a known quantity as you give back to that organization.

Networking and volunteering are both great ways to make yourself known. No one is going to reach out directly to you and say,“I’m going to help you throughout the rest of your career.” That just doesn’t happen. You have to be proactive and put yourself out there.