Land the Job You Love: How to Identify 10 People to Call

This continues our series describing what you can do to get a great job and salary

I taught nursing students how to find a job during the last semester of their bachelor’s program. During the class, I asked them to make a list of people they could talk to about job possibilities. I asked them to prioritize their list indicating people who A) worked for companies that could hire them, B) knew people who worked for companies that could hire them, and C) who knew lots of people. Most would list 7-8 B’s out of 75 people on the list. I concluded the exercise by highlighting that they were saying that only 7-8 people on their list knew a doctor.

Where to Identify People You Could Call

First, do not limit the people you call to those who know of current openings. You want to gather information and identify needs that you can solve. Second, do not eliminate people just because you don’t know what to say. Third, remember that 35% of all jobs are found through word-of-mouth. These phone calls help you tap into that word-of-mouth network. Contacting companies directly accounts for 31% of jobs. (Statistics provided by JIST Works) You can find people through a variety of sources. For example search through your

• Address book whether it’s in Outlook or a spiral bound notebook in a drawer
• Contacts on your smart phone and email list
• Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others
• Lists of companies with contact names (www.careeronestop.com or others)
• Association web sites that list company members (www.SHRM.org, www.PRSA.org)
• Alumni association contacts or network (www.alumni.usc.edu)
• Job boards (www.Indeed.com, www.Monster.com, www.ratracerebellion.com)

Reasons You May Discount Some People

You may not call your uncle, cousin, family, or friends because you don’t know what to say to them when you call. You don’t want to offend, irritate, or annoy them. You know they don’t work for a company or have an open job you can fill. So you don’t call them. So, you ignore them.

Friday we will discuss what to say and ask when you call close relatives for help