Why You Need a Job Search Strategy (And How To Create Yours)

Are you approaching your job search strategically? If you’re not sure how to answer that question or you’re shaking your head with an emphatic “no”, this post is for you.

Having a job search strategy sounds like a good thing, but what does that really mean? We tend to throw around the word “strategy” a lot, and I think it helps to come back to the definition: “a method or plan to bring about a desired future” and “the art and science of planning and marshalling resources for their most efficient and effective use.”

So, having a strategy means you have a plan to bring about your desired future (a new job), while efficiently and effectively using resources (your time and energy).

It sounds straightforward, but it takes discipline to actually do this, rather than jumping right into a search and applying to as many jobs as possible.

Job searching can be a challenging and high-stakes project.

Given this, it’s no wonder many people avoid searching for a new job completely, preferring to stay in a role that’s just ok or even pretty miserable rather than taking on the extra work of finding something new.

It’s also a reason many job seekers use the “apply and hope” strategy of solely applying to jobs online and hoping to hear back.

It can feel like you’re making progress with this approach, but when the odds are approximately 5% that you’ll land a job this way, it becomes clear that it’s not an effective strategy, especially if you’re seeking purpose-driven work that will fit both your skills and your values.

So, how can you be more strategic in your social impact job search?

Here are four steps you can take to ensure that you’re making the most of your limited time and energy:

1. Know your story, strengths, and priorities

The foundation of a successful job search is being able to tell a compelling story about what you’re looking for next, and how your previous experience has prepared you to excel in the roles you’re targeting. If you haven’t done the work to get clear on these things, invest time in this first.

Start by reflecting on your strengths and past accomplishments and remembering the impact you’ve had in your previous roles. Assessments like Clifton Strengths can help you get more clarity on what you do best, and the STAR format is a great way to capture your accomplishments so you can practice sharing them with others. 

In addition to your strengths and accomplishments, it’s also important to reflect on your priorities for your next role. Is there a certain title or set of responsibilities you want? What aspects of organizational culture and mission are most important to you? Are you open to relocating, and are you interested in remote or in-person roles?  What salary and benefits are you targeting?

Map out what’s most important to you and aim to identify no more than five or so “must-haves” for your next role, to help you focus and prioritize.

Once you’re feeling clearer on your strengths, accomplishments, and priorities, draft and practice your career story, otherwise known as your “elevator pitch”.

Aim to incorporate three topics: (1) who you are (2) the skills, experiences, and value you bring and (3) what you’re looking for next, and how the person you’re talking with can help you.

Share your initial version with a few people you trust to get their feedback. You’ll modify your story depending on who you’re talking with, but it’s really helpful to have a base version you feel good about as you get started. 

Once you’ve done this prep, it’s time to get out there and make new connections.

2. Target organizations, not job openings

One of the biggest shifts we work on with our clients is to help them focus less on which jobs are posted right now and more on finding organizations they’d like to work for.

Here’s why: there’s a statistic you may have heard that 80% of jobs are never posted. I think that’s a little misleading and that most jobs are eventually posted.

But by the time a job is officially posted, there is often already a short list of people who are known to the organization and will be considered first, making it very hard to break through via an online application if no one there knows who you are yet.

The key to beating this (broken) system is to reach out proactively to the organizations you’re interested in before the job you want is publicly posted.

While this doesn’t mean you should never apply online, in general it’s much more strategic to create a short list of places you’d want to work and then connect with those organizations to understand what their needs are and will be in the near future, and where your skills could be a fit.

To get started, create a list of 10 or so target organizations that you’re most interested in working for. They do not need to have openings that are a fit for you right now, but they should have the potential of having those types of jobs.

Once you have your list, identify key contacts in those organizations (ideally people doing the work you’d be interested in), and try to find people in your existing network who could introduce you to them for an informational interview.

If you can’t identify a mutual connection to introduce you, reach out to the person you want to speak with directly with a polite and specific request for 15-20 minutes of their time to ask a few questions about their work and organization.

By following this approach and proactively developing relationships with people in the places where you most want to work, you’ll gain valuable intelligence that will help you understand if they’ll be hiring soon for roles that you’d be interested in.

And perhaps more importantly, you can learn more about the culture to gauge if it’s a place you want to work before applying.

If the organization seems like a fit, you’ll already have an in, and if not, you’ll save yourself from submitting yet another application into the black hole.

Using this approach can also help you identify ways to get your foot in the door with an organization – through project work, short term contracts, volunteering, etc. – that can ultimately lead to a full-time gig.

3. Be a strategic and persistent networker

Getting more comfortable with networking as a cornerstone of the job search is important, especially as you enter the mid-career years. Be strategic by using your target organization list to focus your networking and always asking the people you meet with for additional ideas about who else to connect with.

While this approach doesn’t have the same tangible feeling as submitting applications online (which is why many job seekers avoid it!), if you continue to fill your pipeline with new meetings each week, you’ll start to see results and identify opportunities that you never would have known about otherwise.

We have seen so many clients find wonderful and unexpected opportunities through networking; it absolutely works, and doing it well can also be a lot of work.

If you’re using a networking-forward approach, you’ll be having a lot of meetings. Aim for at least three per week if you’re in an active job search. And remember that some conversations will be great, and others will lead nowhere. That’s all part of the process. 

Yes, some people just won’t get back to you or will disappear after a few promising email exchanges. Try not to take it personally or let it get you down, and remember that while it won’t always be comfortable, if you push yourself to take the risk and follow this approach in a consistent, systematic way, it will yield results.

4. Have a plan and find accountability

You would never jump in to a huge new project at work without a project plan, and your job search is just that: a major project. Even the best intentions can get derailed by a busy life, whether you’re working full-time, have a family, are in school, or have other commitments that demand your time and attention.

If you want to make the most of your time and energy, it’s important to create a plan for when you’ll work on your search, and what you’ll do with that time. 

To do this, block out times when you know you will have energy and can consistently commit to working on your job search. If you’re working now, this may be some combination of early mornings, evenings, and weekends.

Pro tip: don’t plan to do all your job search activity in the evenings after work when you’re exhausted, unless you are a true night owl – this does not work well for most people!

A good ballpark is to spend around 8-10 hours per week working on your search if you’re employed, and 20-30 if you’re not.

You want to be strategic with how you spend that precious time, so follow the 80/20 rule: spend 80% of your time on proactive strategies like identifying target organizations, getting in touch with new contacts, and attending networking events, and 20% on passive activities like searching online and applying to job postings.

Set weekly goals for what you want to achieve, and monthly milestones for the next three months so that you’ll have a clearer sense of what you’re aiming for and a way to know if you’re on track or need to adjust course.

Accountability and support are also factors in your job search success. Consider finding an accountability partner who’s also job searching, or join a job search group you can check in with regularly to get support and feedback during the inevitable ups and downs of this process.

Of course, there’s more to the job search puzzle than I’ve covered here – resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn, and interviewing are all important too. But if you don’t have a solid strategy in place to begin with, those things won’t matter much.

If you take the time to build your strategy with these four components, you’ll be on the road to a much more strategic, and ultimately effective, job search.

Want support in developing your job search strategy? Check out our individual and group job search coaching programs and contact us if you’d like to explore working together.