If You Want to Go Fishing, the Lake is a Better Bet

By: Gloria L. Hess

A job seeker recently shared with me his three résumés—one was targeted for tech jobs, one was targeted for sales jobs and one wasn’t targeted at all.  He went on to explain that since he could do many different things, he believed his chances of more quickly landing a job would increase if he’d “cast out a wide net to see what bites.”

What I told him, and what I’m sharing with you here, is that I firmly believe this “fishing expedition” strategy is more likely to hamper your job search progress, and here are some reasons why:

First, it’s Marketing 101: You can’t effectively market yourself as everything to everybody. While there are certainly opportunities that may appreciate a talent so well rounded, the majority of recruiters are seeking to fill specific positions with talent possessing specific experience and specific skill sets. That being said, candidates who are focused and clearly illustrate how their branding and background match the job specs are much more attractive to recruiters, whereas un-focused candidates are often initially perceived as unqualified.

In addition, prospective employers may not take you seriously. It’s a small world—especially in cyberspace—so it’s likely your multiple-target strategy will be discovered, which may not only paint you as desperate, but it could also negatively impact your credibility: “He’s looking for anything he can get, then once the market opens up, he’ll be gone.”  It’s expensive to hire new talent, and with so many candidates in the job market from which to select, hiring managers will pick those who are more likely expected to stay for awhile.

Finally, when your contacts are unclear about which of your identities to promote to their connections, your network will “short out” as it won’t know where to go. Increased competition for opportunities makes your networking efforts even more critical to your job search success, which means you can’t afford a dropped connection. Build a stronger network by being clear with your contacts about your brand—about who you are as a professional—so that they know how to introduce and promote you to others.

So, bottom line, I recommend putting aside the metaphorical fishing gear and try a more focused and strategic approach to your job search:

• Select a macro target (sector, industry, discipline and/or function) in which you are most interested and for which you are qualified;

• Establish a branding that speaks to that target;

• Develop and implement a career action plan to fully pursue that target.

Then, save your fishing for Sundays on the lake!