More jobs announcements this week. Virgin Media adding 120 jobs in Limerick and Willis Towers Watson announcing 40 more jobs for Cork. All good to know but how can you maximise your chances of getting a job once the announcement is made?
Act Now
Don’t wait until you see the jobs advertised on the company website or some other jobs website – they may never get that far – 70 % jobs never get advertised but are filled through contacts and networking. Be pro-active in your approach to find out more
Who do you know already working there?
Information is everything. Do you know anyone at the company who can give you some information about timescales for hiring? Even if they don’t work in the area you want to get into they will know how the company works re hiring and the best way to approach getting to talk to the people making the decisions.
Networking is key
Call them and see what they can tell you. Sometimes what you read in a newspaper regarding jobs announcements and what is actually happening on the ground can be quite different. Ask someone who knows!
Don’t know anyone already working there?
Do you know anyone in the industry? Call them and ask what they have heard about this announcement. Chances are it will have been the topic of conversation in the industry for the last few days.
Use LinkedIn
If you are on LinkedIn and have a fairly decent number of connection chances are someone you know will know someone who works at that company. Search by company and the nice folks at LinkedIn will tell you how your connections are connected to someone who works at the company you are interested in . Then ask your connection to put you in touch with their connection in the company. Reassure your connection that you won’t be asking THEIR contact for a job, you just want to get some information about this announcement. Once again it’s about getting as much information as you can before you make your move.
Still getting no-where?
Don’t know anyone in the industry, not on LinkedIn or still can’t make a connection (however tenuous) with anyone at the company? Should you just send in a CV anyway and hope for the best?
Call the company. Ask to speak to someone who can give you some information about the recent press reports about the 50 new jobs being created. That’s a pretty reasonable request – they DID make a press announcement after all! Have your questions ready when you get through to them – (i) What is their hiring timescale (ii) How will they be hiring (iii) Do they know yet what types of roles yet and (iv) What advice would they give you as you think you would be a great fit – should you send in your CV now and if so TO WHOM SHOULD YOU ADDRESS IT ?
And if you want to take a totally speculative approach
Be imaginative – they will get lots of Dear Sir/Madam approach letters. Don’t be one of them. Send them a one page letter telling them what you can do for them. Remember all companies have problems. What are those problems? How would you propose solving one of them? Suggest you will call them in a few days to follow up on your letter. What have you got to lose?
Be pro-active, be different and you will create your own job opportunity.
