Part 1: Developing a Clear Job Hunting Strategy

How to Avoid Creating a Resume Flood

Floods are never good.

And while, at Goliath, we don’t typically deal with natural disasters, we do deal with floods of our own – floods of RESUMES.

We unfortunately see job seekers flood the market with their resume far too often.

Experience shows us over and over again that submitting a generic resume for any job, in any location, with any run-of-the-mill contractor is, at best, a losing strategy or, at worst, no strategy at all.

As an article by The Job Network points out, it’s also a giant waste of your time, energy and, potentially, your credibility in the market.

The Goliath approach to pairing candidates and position is much different and best explained by looking at the role of a Traditional Recruiter and a Sports Agent.

Traditional Recruiters are sales people – looking to close the deal.  The more lines the water, the better chance of landing a big fish.

Sports Agents are selective – understanding the long term commitment they have to their client and, by extension their families, when advising them on potential opportunities.

Agents look for fit, recruiters aim for a signed offer.

We think of ourselves as Sports Agents – only serving clients that wear a different “helmet” to work than an NFL player.

That’s our value proposition – how we think we differentiate ourselves.

But, more importantly, how do you stand out to potential employers?

One thing is for sure – flooding your credentials out to the market generically will not stand out.

Before you even think about hitting send on any resume, devise a job-hunting strategy.

The first step should be easy – to clearly answer the following:

• Where is my ideal next opportunity located?
• How quickly do I want to start?
• Who will be involved in the decision to accept (or reject) an offer?
• What skills should my resume highlight the most?
• Should I work with someone to find my next job?

These simple questions are the building blocks for a successful job search – putting your resume in the right hands, with companies that are looking for your skills, at exactly the right time.

A clean job search strategy does not go unnoticed by hiring managers.

We hear from companies constantly that get a good laugh out of a single candidate submitting the same, plain resume for every open job posting they have.

Don’t be that guy!

Even if a candidate had every qualification for an opening, the flood your deluge of resumes created by applying for all jobs will send the HR department running for higher ground.

Every aspect of your job search should align with the strategy you’ve creating in looking for a new opportunity.

When you follow a strategy, resumes are written to fit the specific job posting.  This immediately sends a sign to hiring manager that you’ve submitted your resume for serious consideration – not to test the waters.

Your job strategy will have you applying for positions that fit your life – jobs will be in the location you’ve aimed for, hiring under the timeline that makes you more comfortable and coveting skills that you have.

Our industry is close-knit and tightly connected, making the need for a job search strategy that avoids burning bridges even more important.

At Goliath, we’ve seen winning strategies work firsthand after years of placing great candidates with defined, long term goals in mind.

Rest assured that we can help – even if you’ve previously started a flood.