Creating a Job Search Plan
UWM Alumni Career Services
UWM Alumni Association: www.alumni.uwm.edu
Career Development Center: www.uwm.edu/cdc
Agenda
• Reasons for a job search plan
• Job search essentials
• Factors to consider in your job search
• Prioritizing and organizing the search
Reasons for a Job Search Plan
A job search plan can help you . . .
• Set and keep goals
• Feel sense of progress, accomplishment
• Follow up on leads and contacts more easily
• Organize your network for now & later
• Find a job now . . . and maybe later, too
Job Search Essentials
The 3 main activities of a comprehensive search
•
Postings – search for posted jobs
•
Targeting – make a list of companies or
organizations that you might be interested in
working for
•
Networking – connect with people in jobs or
companies you are interested in finding out
more about
Job Search Essentials
Networking
Postings
Postings
Search for posted jobs – but do your ‘due diligence’ before you hit submit!
POSTINGS TOOLS AND STRATEGIES
• Places to Search
--Job boards:
http://www4.uwm.edu/cdc/get_hired/
advertised_jobs.cfm
--PantherJobs:
http://www4.uwm.edu/cdc/get_hired/
panther_jobs.cfm
• Research the company or
organization; identify WHY you
want to work for THIS company
• Talk to people who work there –
glean useful ‘insider advice’
• Tailor your application materials to
the job and company
Targeting
Create a list of companies or organizations that you might be interested in working for –
use the list to take action!
TARGETING TOOLS AND STRATEGIES
• How to Create the List
--Career specific job posting
sites:
http://www4.uwm.edu/cdc/get_
hired/career_specific_jobs.cfm
--Professional organizations
• Keep the list manageable and track
your progress
• Research the company (website,
social media, in the news and
community)
• Look for postings and networking
opportunities at the company
• Identify ways to do active outreach
to the organization
Networking
“A study by career services firm DBM reports that 61% cited networking as the source of
their new jobs, while only 6% found jobs through Internet job sites and print ads.”
Therefore . . . spend time NETWORKING!
*source: PR Newswire, 4/22/09
NETWORKING TOOLS AND STRATEGIES
• UWM Connections: Networking
events, alumni chapters
• Professional associations
• In person networking groups and
events
(Fuel, Network After Work
Milwaukee, etc.; event list at
http://professional-networking.meetup.com/cities/us/wi/milwaukee/
)
• Volunteering
• Religious and spiritual organizations
• Hobbies
• Friends, family, and acquaintances
• Social Media
-UWM Alumni group
-UWM Panther Career Connections
-School-specific UWM alumni
groups
-Other groups (based on industry,
interests, etc.)
--Facebook:
Become a fan of the UWM
Alumni Association
Job Search Essential Additions
• Goals reassessment or
recalibration
• Organization &
maintenance of process
• Celebration of
successes/milestones
• Staying healthy and
having fun
• Career exploration &
job/field-related
research
• Interviewing practice
• Resume/cover letter
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Percentage of Time Spent in Each Activity
Networking (includes apps) 50%
Online Job Search (includes apps) 20% Job-related Research 15%
Fun/Discovery 10% System Maintenance 5%
Factors To Consider
• How much time do you
have on a weekly basis to
work on your search?
• When do you need a job?
• What kind of support do
you have?
– People support
– Financial support
• What makes you feel
successful?
• When do you work most
effectively on what kinds
of tasks?
– People-oriented tasks
– Information processing
– Detail work
• What are your strengths
and weaknesses?
– Job-related
Factors You
May
Have to Consider
• Family obligations
• School
• Part- or full-time job
• Other obligations
• Relocation
• The state of the
economy
• The state of your
industry
Each week, include . . .
• Online job searching and applications –
advertised and not
• Research into target organizations and industries
• Networking
• Something fun, discovery
Each month, include . . .
• Connection time
• Celebration of successes/milestones
• Reassessment of plan/restrategizing if
necessary
• Brainstorming/exploration
• Staying current
Prioritize & Organize
•
Develop an organizational system that you like (paper, computer, other)
•
Record applications (save job descriptions and materials sent);
include follow
up steps and due dates
•
Make a list of your outreach and contacts made;
include follow up steps and
due dates
•
Stay on top of your target list – add new organizations and revisit/take new
action on existing targets
•
Create a job search calendar to track events to attend, goals, deadlines, and
follow up steps
•
Save key documents in an easy to find and safe spot (resume bank, sample
outreach email, thank you letter, etc.)
•
Save self-assessment information and career research in a place where you
can pick up where you left off
•
Stay healthy and include to-do’s that will keep your job search positive
•
Let technology help!
Utilize online job search management tools:
Principles to Remember
• Restrategize if your current strategy isn’t working
• If you’re sending applications in to no one you
can identify, you’re at a disadvantage
• Don’t confuse hopes with demands on yourself
• Finding a job that’s a good fit can take time
• Strive for job search/life balance
• You bring value
Additional Resources
UWM Alumni Association: www.alumni.uwm.edu
UWM Career Development Center:
http://www4.uwm.edu/cdc/
Quintessential Careers:
Additional Resource: Using LinkedIn as a People Finder
(
PDF available at http://bit.ly/1455pnM)
• Create or update your profile using your resume. Don’t sweat the small stuff or worry about getting to “100% profile
completeness” right away; only you can see your level of profile completeness. You can continue to work on your profile as you become more accustomed to using different aspects of the tool.
• Search for people you know already (friends, family, classmates, professors, co-workers, people from a professional
organization you belong to or organization you volunteer with, etc.) and request to connect with them. To do so, use the search box with a drop down button that is located in the top right hand corner of the page. Select "People" and type in the name of the person you are looking for. Click “Connect” and personalize the message in the textbox to explain how you know the person and/or why you’d like to connect. You will build your list of connections (like ‘friends’ on Facebook) slowly, so don’t worry if you only have a handful to start.
• Again, in the search box top at the right hand corner of the page, select "Group" from the dropdown and type in the name of
the group you are interested in, for example UWM Panther Career Connections and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Alumni Association.
• Once you have been approved to join a group in LinkedIn, go to the group page. On the group’s page click on the 2nd tab
running along the top of the page entitled “Members”. On the members page you will see a search box on the top left-hand side of the page, click “Advanced Search” and you will be able to search the members by keyword, company, location, etc.
• From the results page of your search, you can review individual’s profiles that seem interesting to you (possibly
because of their job title, previous experience, where they work, etc.).
• Also from the search results page, you can request to connect with an individual by clicking the square blue
“Connect” button listed to the left of their name. (Sometimes you can request to connect from the person’s profile
page, but on some occasions you have to go back to the search results page in order to make the request). On the connection request page, select that you know the person from your shared group connection and include a personal note in the textbox explaining how you found him or her and why you would like to connect.
• For example: “Hi XX, I found your profile on the UWM Alumni Association LinkedIn group. I’m a UWM
(grad or student) and would love the chance to learn more about your experience working at XYZ Company (or as an ABC). Would you be willing to connect with me? Thank you!”
Additional Resource: Using LinkedIn as a People Finder (cont.)
• When the person connects with you, you will get notification on your LinkedIn account and emailed to you. Follow up with the
person by sending an inbox message (6th Tab from the left on the top toolbar; select ‘compose a new message’). Send a message
to thank the person for connecting with you on LinkedIn and explain why you are reaching out to him or her (ie. To learn about his or her experience working at XYZ; as a follow up from submitting an application; as a way to learn about a specific industry and get advice about working in that field, etc.). Inquire if he or she would be willing to chat with you over the phone or email and/or meet with you in person for an informational interview. Don’t forget to provide your contact information so you can be easily reached. See sample informational interview request below.
• REMEMBER, copy/paste is your friend. Save a template for the messages in a word document and cater as needed. Even if
you don’t hear back from each of your requests, you are certain to find a few good leads from your outreach.
• As you begin to network with people, always remember to ask open-ended questions, such as: What advice would you be willing
to share with me as a --fill in the blank-- (job seeker, applicant, person looking to enter the field/industry, etc.)? Open-ended questions give people the chance to help you in a way they feel most comfortable. Check out more info about informational interviews at http://www.quintcareers.com/information_interview.html or at
http://www4.uwm.edu/cdc/documents/upload/informational_interview.pdf
Example LinkedIn Informational Interview Request
Dear ______,
Thank you so much for accepting my invitation to connect on LinkedIn. My name is ______, and I found your profile through the UWM Alumni Association Group. I also graduated from UWM, with a degree in _______. I’m reaching out to you based on your experience working as a _____ (OR, working at _____ Company). My educational background and experience is in _______, and I would love the opportunity to
chat with you more about your career path. I am specifically interested in learning more about _____________ (optional – if you want to
include a specific topic).
If there is a time that works for you in the upcoming weeks, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to call you or meet you in person to discuss your experiences, career path, and any advice you would be willing to share with me about working as a ___________ (OR working at ____________). I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your time and hope to talk to you soon. Sincerely,
Name Phone Email
