—-FROM ENTRY LEVEL TO C-LEVEL EXECUTIVES

By Beverly Baskin,
Ed. S, LPC, CCMHC, CCC, CPRW
Executive Director
Baskin Career Counseling
Websites:  www.baskincareer.com
www.bbcscounseling.com

The summertime has been traditionally slow for job hunting.  Job hunters have been discouraged from looking for positions or testing the waters relating to a new career path.  In the past, they were told to “wait until September.”

The immediate needs of the global workplace, the Internet, social media, and search engines like Indeed make it easy for summer to become the perfect time to set the stage for your new job.   Filling out applications online, sending email inquiries to executives in the companies you are applying to, and sending out cold canvas mailings to organizations that pique your interest in the workplace, are all great vehicles that yield results.  However, don’t rely on search engines or the Internet alone.  Only about 35% of positions are found that way.

We encourage people to use many different vehicles for job search, including networking with contacts from all aspects of your life, contacting recruiters in your field (a good time to build relationships with them is in the summer), cold canvassing with the highest person in the company or subsidiary location you are trying to penetrate, and going to job fairs to speak to recruiters who would be able to connect you with hiring employees who are looking for people on your level.  Even if the job fairs are for entry level jobs, there are representatives from the company that will give you the names of company recruiters who hire people from your salary range.  There are other creative ways of searching for jobs depending on the industry that you are in, and they all work. Think out of the box!  Career Counselors can help you to stay on track with that and offer their experience.   Remember, all you need is one good lead, one job offer, and one person who is willing to promote your skills to others.

If you keep a good attitude and think of it as “All roads lead to Rome” (Rome being your new job), then different pathways and personal brand marketing will be part of the natural pathway to your target!  Have fun in the summer but remember to take a few hours a week for job search.  It will surely pay off, and you might be on a new path by September, not just starting your job search!