I lost my job right before a vacation. I took some time to send out resumes before heading out to my suddenly-even-more deserved rest, then I hit the job search like the palm of a short but charismatic Lannister.
I hit all the job boards I could. I burned hours upon hours telling everyone in my LinkedIn directory (who would want to know) about my job search. I told my friends. I rechecked my recruiter list. I probably easily put 50 hours into the search or more in the first week alone. Maybe more – I can’t honestly remember.
It worked. I got an insane amount of resumes out as noted, and obviously got results.
A good blitz works for several reasons:
- It gets you out there pure and simple. You might not sustain it, but it does saturate the market.
- It lets you evaluate your opportunities. This is kind of like career echolocation, where you send out signals and see what happens.
- It gets some one-time or limited tasks just the heck out of the way so you can focus – like blitzing your contact network.
- It gets your name out there, so the chance for “pass alongs” increases with every contact you make.
#2 is one that’s not something I’ve heard people talk about much, so I want to emphasize it. If you do a big, insane job search blitz, then at least you get a lot of signals back to evaluate your progress.
A blitz is also good as if you get good results then you get reinforced as well. It’s a good way to keep yourself in good spirits. If nothing else at least you can drown your panic in activity.
If you’re blitzing the job boards, do not just do the day you start or the last few days. Go back as far as they can go so you catch up on any posts you can find. It’s worth it – those positions are up there for a reason, and even if the job is filled, someone may still look at your resume!
Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at http://www.stevensavage.com/