33_DAY5_2005-02-25

Day 5 - Find the demand for jobs where you live

NOTE: Once you clearly define the job you seek, wonderful things start to happen.

By Kevin Donlin, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: February 28, 2006 - 9:40 AM

Yesterday, you generated a broad list of job titles based on your three most marketable skills.

If you want to be a sales rep and can relocate anywhere in America, great. Demand is high and your geographic range is wide - you could be working within 48 hours!

But to be a buggy whip maker in Nome, Alaska or third base coach for the New York Yankees ... there's going to be too little demand or too much competition. You need to broaden your range of job titles or consider relocating to another city.

This is easier than you think and need only take 5-10 minutes.

Simply add a location to the list of three job skills. Here's an example, using a job search page.

I typed, "Minnesota" in the city box and "Minnesota" for the state on the Jobs search page for the skills writing trainer manager (no commas between words!). I got back a listing of five job postings - not a lot.

So I experimented. I tried writer training managing for Minnesota-Minneapolis and got 172 job listings. Bingo! A superabundance of job leads. This tells me there IS a demand for trainers and managers in the Minnesota-Minneapolis area who use writing as one of their skills.

But, a search for basket weaver in Minnesota-Minneapolis returns a big fat zero. Zip. Nada. I need to experiment with a different list of job search skills ... or perhaps be willing to relocate to a mud hut somewhere.

Keep experimenting until you find enough job postings in your area with those skills.

Keep in mind this is only the tip of the iceberg. Companies usually post job openings when they exhaust two other avenues for finding candidates: internal promotions and recommendations by employees. So, the jobs listed on the Web or in the Sunday paper represent a minority of available positions. Networking (which starts on Day 10) will uncover such positions in the "hidden job market."

Remember buying your first car and it seemed like every third person on the road was driving the same vehicle as you? It was always on the road. But now you noticed it more, because you were more receptive to that particular style and color of car.

It's the same with your job search.

Once you know exactly what kind of job you seek, more job openings appear where you never saw them before. Ideas and employment leads come to you, almost as if by magic. Try it and prove it for yourself.

Okay! That's it for today!

Day 6: Create your "radio commercial."

Kevin Donlin owns Minnesota based Guaranteed Resumes and writes a biweekly column providing job search and resume writing advice. He is also the author of the books "51 Ways to Find a Job Fast -- Guaranteed" and "Resume and Cover Letter Secrets Revealed." Reach him at the Guaranteed Resumes website: http://www.gresumes.com.