Raleigh / Durham Job Search Resources

• University of North Carolina: Positions in the university system in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill Research Triangle and throughout the state.
• North Carolina Job Bank: Jobs in the Raleigh / Durham / Research Triangle area and throughout the state of North Carolina.
• Raleigh / Durham / Capital Area JobLink Career Center System: Career services for Johnston County and Wake County with offices in Smithfield, Cary, Raleigh, and other locations in the Raleigh / Durham / Research Triangle area.
• Major Employers in Raleigh / Durham / Research Triangle Area: Employers in Chatham, Durham, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person, Vance, and Warren Counties.

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The Essentials of a Successful Job Search Campaign

By Chris Adams

Although some statistics suggest that the current U.S. unemployment rate falls somewhere between 8% and 10%, the "real" jobless rate (the "U-6") as reported by CNBC in November 2009 is actually closer to 17.5%, the highest it has been since been since the U-6 became a national labor statistic in 1994. Even worse, according to The New York Times in March, unemployed professionals are remaining jobless for an average of 31.2 weeks, the longest average jobless period since 1948.
 
Against such daunting odds, what can job searchers do to optimize their campaigns?
 
To answer these questions, Career Services Partnering (CSP) Groups conducted some research and developed its proprietary SCRIPT job-search tool.
 
S: Skills & Strength assessment
C: Cover letter / Contact networking
R: Résumé creation / Record-keeping
I:  Interviewing skills
P: Perseverance & Positive thinking
T: Targeted searching & Tactical positioning
 
S - Skills & Strength Assessment: Honestly consider your strengths and skills, both within your industry job title and those transferable to other positions and industries. Spend some time with pen and paper and think about what you know you're good at doing, what you like to do, and the real value that you can provide to the job market. In the current economic climate, that often means sticking with the position and / or industry within which you've had the most experience or success - or, at least, staying as close to that as you can.

C - Contact Networking / Cover Letters: Engage your personal and professional networks by searching through your email contacts and your Rolodex. Set up in-person or telephone informational appointments with friends, friends of friends, and industry representatives. Sign up with networking sites such as Linked-In, Facebook, and Twitter, and carefully consider the content you supply to each of these. Consult with organizations or individuals that might be able to help you expand or focus your campaign. Note: for networking purposes, a résumé might not always be your best bet as initial contact. Instead, consider providing a cover letter accompanied with a professional biography to introduce yourself. Your cover letter should be highly personalized, illustrating your strengths and the value you could potentially provide to that specific organization, while also indicating the purposes of your contact. Professional biographies are generally one-page documents that deliver a brief synopsis of your background within roughly 500 words. All high-quality résumé services organizations offer these for a fee, either as a bundled package or as separate line items.

R - Résumé Creation: Invest in the best résumé you can afford. Find a reputable organization that provides high-quality résumés, written by a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) at a reasonable price; generally, the cost for a mid-level professional to executive-level résumé starts at around $200. Do not make the mistake of assuming you can write your own résumé. CPRWs are training and highly qualified to write résumés that speak directly to the market and your target position. You need a compelling, attractive piece of marketing collateral to optimize a job search campaign. Up to 90% of the résumés on the market offer little more than poorly written, unfocused, and unstrategized employment histories. Don't let yours be one of them. Gain a significant edge over the majority of your competition by making this investment.
 
Record Keeping: Any dedicated job search may at first seem overwhelming, and it is very easy to become confused and disorganized. Therefore, it's crucial to maintain very clear, accurate, and concise records of your job search. An ideal approach is to dedicate a notebook, word processing document, or spreadsheet that includes such data as who you've contacted, dates, and current status / developments for each contact. Periodically go through the document to ensure that you're being thorough with follow through efforts.
 
I - Interview strengths: Brush up on your interviewing skills. A great résumé, cover letter, and / or biography are of little use if you have weak interviewing skills. Remember that the purpose of this collateral is to get you in the door. Your performance during the interview process will determine if you get hired. Consulting a qualified career coach can ensure that you present yourself in a manner that positions you above your competitors.

P – Proactive Persistence: Once you have all your collateral together, spend some time posting it on as many job boards as you can, including CareerBuilder, Monster.com, and any industry-specific sites for your demographic. Some organizations offer "resumé blast" or "résumé rocket" services that can do all this for you; it's a worthwhile, time-and-cost-effective investment. Also, schedule appointments with all the job search agencies and recruiters within your region. Read help wanted ads and apply for as many positions as possible. In this case, follow the "60 / 40" rule: if you meet 60% of the listed criteria, apply. At the very worst, you simply won't get an interview, but it may lead, directly or indirectly, to an employment opportunity – or, at least, a valuable contact.

 Positive Thinking: Conducting a job search can be a time-consuming, frustrating experience. However, negative thinking won't do anything but hinder your chances at success. If you continually feed your mind with positive thoughts and images of landing your desired job, it is far more likely that you will. Negative thinking will ultimately transfer into the interview, which will almost certainly cost you the opportunity.
 
T – Targeted Searching and Tactical Positioning: It is absolutely crucial that you determine the specific job titles that most closely match your skills. Broad "this, that, or the other" marketing at best does not work and, at worst is counter-productive. Your intent must be as laser focused and specific as possible. Get on the Internet and continually attempt to find companies to whom you'd like to offer your services. Attempt to get in touch with a decision maker, or an HR leader. If you don't feel comfortable or confident in your ability to do this, contact a career services organization that offers specialized searches. The information they provide will allow you to connect directly with hiring managers and give you a boost over your competition.  Be prepared to indicate how you can help them resolve specific problems they may be encountering. If you can provide what sounds like the seeds of a viable solution, it might not be long before you find yourself happily employed.

Article Source: The Essentials of an Effective Job Campaign

About the Author: Chris Adams is the Manager of Résumé Services at CSP Groups, a privately-owned company that partners with corporations, recruiters, and individual professionals to provide a comprehensive suite of customized career services. For more information, visit www.cspgroups.com or call 1-866-235-4887.
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