A strategy is the overall approach to reach an objective. For
example, one job search strategy may be broadcasting your availability to the
world of companies; the shotgun approach. Another may be to target specific
companies; the rifle approach. There are pros and cons to each.
Tactics are the techniques you will use to implement your
strategy, again with pros and cons for each tactic. A tactic could be
networking, using recruiting companies, doing online searches, cold-calling
companies, posting resumes on job boards, utilizing inbound marketing, etc. Be
careful though, there can be some negative interactions between certain
tactics. You’ll be ok as long as you understand them.
Planning execution of the tactics is making decisions on how
you will divide your time between each of the tactics you will use. It is the
easiest task of a job search to develop and a very important one to follow and
periodically reassess and adjust.
Collateral documents are your marketing tools: resume
or CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Some people also have additional
documents like a value proposition or other supporting information. Additional
documentation may be necessary for government resumes as well.
Figuring out how you will design and implement a job search
is a complex subject. Establishing a strategy and supporting tactics to implement
is a critical part of a job search planning; the decisions to be made require a
lot of knowledge about how interactions between the pieces may play out.
Once the strategy and tactics are determined and the basic
resume and cover letter are in place, it’s time to plan a prioritized routine to
follow. It is most probable that the routine will be modified as the search
progresses in reaction to various results coming from the tactics used.
Failure
to establish a plan is probably the biggest reason job seekers feel like they
are not making progress. Getting expert help early in a search is critical and
advisable.
When one is eager to get out and find a job quickly, it may
seem backward to be planning strategy and tactics as the first priority of a
job search instead of immediately creating a resume. Regardless if one does
planning or resume writing first, neither one should be done without doing the
other.
When one is forced to embark on a job search, the normal human reaction is to quickly create a robust resume and cover
letter and jump into the market. The problem is, even armed with the best resume
and cover letter ever created but without making appropriate strategy and tactics
decisions, one can easily make errors that create setbacks in the search campaign
that lead to a very long and frustrating search. It’s always advisable to get
help, early!
Helping people establish their strategy and tactics and
creating a robust resume and cover letter is the main thrust of Hooch Resumes.
To obtain assistance visit the pages of the Hooch Resumes website http://www.hoochresumes.com.
