Stop Looking for Jobs, Instead Look for Employer

Hi Friends,
Due to the Chinese New Year and holiday season I was not writing for a while and here I am back and indeed please sit back as I got lots of good stuff to share.

Now, stop looking for jobs, but, Choose Your Ideal Employer.
This could be the most important thing that you must know : how to find your dream job.
Why? Because here you are going to turn the traditional job search completely on its head. Instead of looking for jobs the way 99% of other job seekers do, you are going to look for employers.
While other job seekers are competing against each other, sending out cover letters and résumés for a limited number of advertised job openings … you are going to create your own private job market among employers you choose -- a job market in which you have NO competition.
In this blog, you will learn how to create a list of 20 employers you want to work for, attract them like bees to honey, and make those employers call YOU for interviews -- even if they aren’t hiring right now.
The four-step method that follows is not only based on my experience, it also draws on years of advice from recruiters, employers and experts on human potential. This method has worked during The Great Depression, during every recession since then … and it will help you get hired today, too!
Here’s a quick outline of the four steps we’ll cover...
You are going to do the following:
Step 1) Create a list of the Top 20 employers you want to work for, with the names of decision makers who can hire you.
Step 2) Write a one-page sales letter (NOT a cover letter!) that offers value and solutions to employers, in a way that practically forces them to meet with you. No résumé needed!
Step 3) Mail your sales letters.
Step 4) Double the number of job interviews you get by making a simple phone call to make sure your letters were received and read.
Ready? Let’s start with …

Step 1) Create a list of the Top 20 employers you want to work for, with the names of decision makers who can hire you.

You know, most people put more time into writing down a shopping list for the grocery store than a list of employers they want to work for. Totally illogical, isn’t it? I mean, why be happy working just anywhere? Why not work for a company that excites you?
Instead of blindly sending out résumés to companies you’ve never heard of before, it’s far better to first select potential employers that meet YOUR criteria and then contact them with an offer to help. Which is what you’re going to do here.
To be specific, you’re going to build a list of 30 companies to contact. You ought to be able to identify 20 potential employers in one week. If not, you should modify the type of job you’re looking for. (You could go as high as 50 or even 100 employers but, 30 is a manageable number that won’t overwhelm you.)
Now, how do you select your 30 ideal employers? There are many ways, each of them is valid. I would suggest using a combination of the following, listed in order of effectiveness.
Let’s look at the best I know …
#1 Ask yourself.
First, simply ask yourself, this question: Which company would I love to work for?
Write down every name that comes to mind. Trust your initial answers and allow nothing to stop you. Just keep writing. You may get one name, 10 names … or no names. But you have to ask yourself the question first.
So, which company would you LOVE to work for? Start writing!
#2 Ask your friends, family and neighbors.
Whom do you know is happily employed? Think of the 10 people you know who have the best jobs, working at the best companies. If possible, keep going and list 20, 30 or more names.
What companies do these people work for? Write the names down, even if you’re not sure whether those companies hire people like you. That doesn’t matter right now -- we’re simply gathering information.
Then, call each of these “happily employed” people and tell them that you are researching the job market, that you admire the company they work for, and that you’d like to buy them a cup of coffee in the next 14 days to learn about their employer. You should have no trouble setting up 10-20 informal interviews this way!
#3 Ask the Internet.
You knew that Google would come into play eventually, right? OK -- now’s the time ☺
Go to Google and search for phrases like “best employers to work for”

The underlying theme here is this: to find the best companies to work for, all you have to do is, ask. You can do all these research at home starting today. Don’t stop until you have a list of 30 possible employers.
Once you have this Top 30 list, you’ll need three bits of data for each company:
1. Company name, with full mailing address
2. Phone number
3. Name of a hiring authority/decision maker
You can get the first two bits from the company’s own Website or from your local Yellow Pages.
The third item you need is the name of a hiring authority -- a decision maker who can offer you a job. Because you are going to write a sales letter to that person in the next step.
To get this name, check the company Website. There are two kinds of decision makers, depending on the size of the company you want to work for.
If you’re writing to a small company, one with less than 50 employees, you can write directly to the president. The biggest problem in running any business is getting the right people, so the president of any good company will always be looking for new star employees.
The good company presidents I have met with, researched and spoken to will always try to meet qualified candidates who write and ask. And they have created jobs on the spot for people who made a strong case for hiring them. Again, these are presidents of good companies -- employers you want to work for. Any president who doesn’t want to find out about potential star employees is, by definition, not someone you want to work for.
Because star employees are usually proactive by writing a letter to ask for a meeting, you demonstrate that YOU are proactive. And this will mark you as the kind of go-getters that employers want on their team. See how this eliminates your competition?

If you’re writing to a larger company, one with more than 50 employees, you want to find out who your boss there would likely be, then write to THAT person’s boss. Avoid contacting your potential boss directly in a larger company?
Why? Because that person may feel threatened by the initiative you show in finding, contacting and asking him/her to meet. They may think, “This person has got a lot on the ball. If I hire this guy, he’s going to take my job in two years. Better not call him.”
So, you want to go over their heads and write directly to the boss of your future boss. This is likely going to be a vice-president or general manager of some sort.
To find the name of the right person to contact, the best method is to ask your network of contacts the following question: “I want to work as a Customer Service rep at the Ace Novelty Company. Who would my manager be and who that manager reports to?” That second name is the one you will want to contact.
If you still can’t find that information after asking the people you know and visiting the company Website, no problem. All you have to do is call each company and ask for the right name. Relax! This is NOT a cold call! It takes just 30 seconds and there is zero chance anyone will yell or hang up on you.
What you do is call the main number and say the following to whoever answers the phone:
“Hello! I’m writing a letter to the head of your BLANK Department. Could I have the correct spelling of that person’s name please?”
For BLANK, insert the type of job you’re looking for: Customer Service, Marketing, IT, Accounting -- whatever. All you need is the name of the person in charge of that business unit, because this is the person you’re going to write a short letter to later.
Now, that you have a list of 30 potential employers, with their mailing addresses and the name of a hiring decision maker, you’re ready to “bait the hook” and make them eager to interview you.

In summary:
___ Create a list of the Top 30 employers you want to work for.
___ Collect the following data for each of your Top 30 employers:
___ Company name, with full mailing address
___ Phone number
___ Name of a hiring authority/decision maker
NOTE: There is work involved here but it is worth it.

You can either take it easy, do what you’ve always done and hope the results improve by themselves, or you can try something new, set yourself apart from 99% of other candidates and get hired faster for the job you really want.
Which is the better option for you? You decide.

Work very hard for that dream job. It is worth it.

Career Expert, Greater Asia