Job Hunting? Why The Timing is Everything!

Most people start searching for a new job when they "need" a job - when they've resigned or been asked to leave their current job, or have simply decided to leave. However, if you want a great job - one that suits you down to the ground - these are unlikely to be the best times to start looking.

In fact, the best time for you to start looking for a job, has nothing to do with YOUR "need" for a job... and everything to do with a given employer's need to fill a position. In other words, the best time to start looking for a job is when the company you want to work for has just decided it needs to hire someone for the job you want.

Let me also that we're not talking about the time period during which the organization you want to work for is actively looking for potential employees. The time we're talking about happens before that - it's at the instant that the relevant decision makers have agreed to hire someone.

You can probably see where this is heading: if you can present yourself as the ideal candidate just when the company realizes it needs to hire someone, you'll have the best possible chance of getting the job. Because, at that moment, you're the only person offering to do the job - you won't have any competition! Except in the case where the company is required - by law or policy - to advertise the position, it may just hire you straight away, assuming you can demonstrate that you have the skills and capabilities the company is looking for. After all, by hiring you the company avoids the trouble and expense of recruiting. The only reasons it wouldn't hire you are if you failed to demonstrate that you had the "right stuff" for the role, or if there were "political" reasons, or you wanted a salary the company didn't want to pay.

Of course, if you've done your homework you'll know what asking salary is likely to fly or not, as well as what the corporate political environment is like...

All this is very well, but you're probably eager to know how exactly to become the person the company turns to when they realize they need to hire. How do you get to be there when the powers that be decide they need to hire?

This is where a little research is required. Firstly, you'll need to determine what company or companies you'd like to work for.

So... if, for instance, project management with a software company piqued your interest, you might do a little research to identify all the software companies that might be suitable employers.

Once you have a list of companies that interest you, your next step is to find out as much as you can about those companies and keep tabs on both them and the industry, market and environment in which they operate. Ideally, you will also place yourself in a situation where you can get to know the key people who work in these companies. The key people being those who are most likely to hire you or influence the decision to hire you. This may be a matter of attending industry events or even "cold calling" such individuals to ask if they would give you some advice on the industry in return for a coffee or lunch. The main thing is to keep in touch. And remember, this is not a one-way relationship where they give and you take: you need to offer something of value to them to keep them interested in you.

Now that you're as "in the know" as you can possibly be, your job is to (1) keep your ears to the ground, (2) think, and (3) act! In other words, if you learn that the company is thinking of bringing out a major new product - think about the implications of that. Does that mean that they'll need more project managers to help with the launch? If so, get on the phone to your contact and ask for the chance to present some ideas about how you could help.

Obviously, when the opportunity arises you'll have a better idea of what approach to take, but the point is, all it really takes to get the job is to be aware of what's going on with the companies you're monitoring, analyzing that information, and acting on it. And, really, that's as hard as it gets.

Now, this job hunting approach does have its drawbacks: it's a long term approach that probably won't suit you if you need a job FAST. But you can be more pro-active too: you can also put together proposals to one or more companies that offer your services on a short, if not long, term basis. And although it may not be the most "efficient" approach, it IS the most EFFECTIVE when it comes to getting the job you want.

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