358: Job Search Strategies - Active vs. Passive

We’re in the second-biggest hiring push of the year: after Labor Day through mid-November.

Let’s talk about active vs. passive job search strategies.

If you are in no hurry to leave your current employer, then a passive job search may be appropriate for you.

For those of you who are unemployed or see the handwriting on the wall, an active job search puts you in the driver’s seat, and will almost certainly shorten the length of your job search.

Let’s begin with a definition of active vs. passive strategies, along with possibilities for each.

Active Strategies

-LinkedIn networking – connecting with people and starting conversations

-Post on LinkedIn/other social media

-Face-to-face, 1:1 networking

-Informational interviews

-Target Employers

-Professional association networking events

-Other professional meetings where networking is possible

-Affinity/special interest groups

-University alumni association

-Volunteering

-Recruiters (those you already have a relationship with or have been referred to)

-Place of worship

-In person/virtual career fairs

Passive Strategies

-General job boards

-Industry (niche) job boards

-Target employer websites

-Professional association job postings

-Recruiters who reach out to you

-Personal website/web portfolio

How I use this tool with clients

With almost all of my clients, we spend one of their coaching sessions determining the “what” of their job search.

I have a document with all of the options I’ve just listed, and I walk through each so we can decide together which strategies make the most sense for them.

Then for each selected strategy, we come up with 3-5 action steps they will take. The final step is to determine how much of their total job search time will be spent on each strategy.

The client is then instructed to take their job search strategy to their calendar and block off time for each of the individual strategies – with specific action steps included on their calendar.

I encourage them to use the last 5 minutes of each block to set up the next block – what will they continue to do next time? What will they start next time? What will they not need to do next time?

If a client is fully employed, I ask for a minimum of 5 hours of consistent job search effort each week. If the client is unemployed, this is their full-time job, so 30 hours per week. 

25%/75%

50%/50%

75%/25%

100%/0%

A final word here: I don’t expect my clients to know HOW to do each of the strategies we select for them; we cover that in additional coaching sessions.

To bottom-line it for those of you who are doing a job search on your own right now, here are 5 steps:

1.     Assess what you are currently doing, and what % of your time is spent for each

2.     Considering the % of active vs. passive strategies and the amount of time I recommend for your job search, determine where you’re currently at – and what needs to change.

3.     Identify strategies from my list you are willing to add.

4.     Create specific action steps for each of your strategies and CALENDAR THEM IN.

5.     Periodically assess what’s working and what isn’t. If a strategy isn’t working, tell yourself the truth about WHY. Make changes as needed.

6.     BONUS STRATEGY: Be willing to seek help with areas you don’t feel competent in, such as networking or fully utilizing LinkedIn.

The Document & Coaching Package is designed for current job seekers who want world-class marketing documents, a targeted, proactive job search strategy that gets results, and skill-building around how to network, interview, and negotiate compensation. To learn more or to schedule a consult, visit my website at https://theexclusivecareer.com/doccoach or email me at lesa@theexclusivecareer.com.