How to Target the Job You Want

by Kate Wendleton

I always wanted to be somebody,
but I should have been more specific.
Lily Tomlin

Now we will work on firming up your job targets. You will do some preliminary research on each target through the library and by talking to people to see if these areas still interest you and are practical. Then you will focus by selecting two, three, or four areas on which to concentrate, based on what appeals to you and what you think you have that is marketable. Then you will conduct a thorough campaign aimed at each area. Because each campaign takes a lot of work, it is best if we spend some time refining your targets.

Selecting Job Targets -- Your Key to Job-Hunting Success
A job target means selecting a specific geographic area, a specific industry or organization size, and a specific position within that industry. A job target must have all three.

Select your targets. Using our books, conduct a campaign aimed at each. Concentrate your energies, and you increase your chances for success.

Approach each target with an open mind. Commit to a target, but only as long as it makes sense. You can change your mind after you find out more about it. It makes no sense to strive to be a ballerina after you find you have absolutely no ability as a dancer. Commitment to a target lets you discover your real possibilities and increases your chances of landing a job of your choice. The unsuccessful ballet student may have something else of great value to offer the world of dance--such as the ability to raise funds or run a ballet company.

The Results of Commitment
Commitment increases the chance that you will come across clearly and enthusiastically about the industry and the position you seek; it will help you do a thorough job of networking the chosen area, of investigating and being knowledgeable about the area, of conducting a thorough search, and of being successful in that search.

If the result of your initial commitment is that you realize a job target is not what you thought it would be, you have resolved the issue and can move on.

Jim, a marketing manager, had targeted four industries: environmental, noise abatement, shipping, and corporate America, a backup target in case the other three did not work. He conducted an excellent search aimed at the environmental target, an area he had always wanted to explore. It was only after a brief but committed job search that he found the environmental area was not for him: the people in it were different from what he had expected. He would not be able to do the things he had imagined he would do there. That target no longer interested him. The noise abatement and shipping industries, however, were very exciting to him, and he found a good match for himself. Later, his exploration of the environmental area paid off. He was employed by a shipping company in the containment of oil spills.

Commitment to a target means you'll give that target your best shot--and results in a better job hunt than if you had no target at all.

Target a Geographic Area
Targeting a geographic area is usually the easiest part of the targeting process. Some people decide that they want to work near their present homes, while others decide that they would be willing to move where the jobs are. Are you willing to move anywhere? Are a small town and a big city the same to you? Would you move to the coast? To Arizona? Would you rather be near your family? If you want to stay where you are now, target that area as your first selection--and you'll have a better chance of getting offers there. If you really care about where you live, target it.

Think about where you stand on this. You will be assigning yourself an impossible task if, for example, you want to be an export manager but want to work only in a geographic area where there are no export-management positions. If you must live in a particular area, be realistic about the kinds of jobs open to you there.

Resolve this issue. Then you will know if you'd be willing to change your target industry so you can live where you want, or change your geographic area so you can work in the industry or function that interests you.

Target an Industry and a Function in That Industry
Many people say they don't care what industry they work in. When pressed, they usually have stronger opinions than they thought.

If you think any industry would be okay for you, let's find out. Would you work in the not-for-profit sector? If so, where? In education? A hospital? How about government? A community organization? Does it matter to you?

Would you work for a magazine? A chemical company? The garment industry? How about a company that makes cardboard boxes? Or cheese? Does it matter to you?

Does it matter if the organization has forty employees? What about forty thousand? Four hundred thousand? Does it matter to you?

You've Selected a Target If . . .
. . . you can clearly state the industry or organization size in which you'd be interested, your position within each industry, and some guidelines regarding geographic location.

For example, if you're a junior accountant, you may already know that you want to advance in the accounting field. You may know that you want to work for a small service organization as an assistant controller in the geographic area where you are now living.

If you have clearly selected your targets, then you can get on with finding interviews in your target area. To do that, you would conduct a campaign in your target area. (Job-hunting campaigns are covered in our books.)

Here is one person's target list: By geographic area:

  • Washington, D.C.
  • New York City

By industry:

  • Book publishing
  • Magazine publishing
  • Advertising
  • College administration (weak interest)
  • Administration of professional firms (weak interest)
  • Nonprofit associations
  • Direct-marketing organizations

By function:

  • Business manager/General manager-publishing
  • International controller
  • Corporate-level financial planning analysis
  • General V.P. finance/General manager--nonprofit organizations.

Other Issues You May Want to Consider
Even If You Have a Target
Does the style of the company matter to you? Would you rather be in a fast-paced, dynamic organization with lots of headaches or one that's more stable, slow paced, with routine work as the norm? Which would you prefer?

What kind of people do you want to work with? Friendly people? Sharp, challenging people? People interested in making a fast buck? People who want to make the world a better place? Think about it. You may have said before that you just want a job--any job--but is anything still okay with you?

If you want to be in sales, for example, would it matter if you were selling lingerie or used cars or computers or large office building space? What if you were selling cats? Rugs? Butter? Saying you want to be in "sales" is not enough.

Let's take it a step further. If what appeals to you about being a salesman is that you like to convince people, why not be a politician? Or a clergyman? Or a doctor? Or if what appeals to you is money, why not become a trader? Or a partner in a law firm? Remind yourself where your heart lies.

CASE STUDY: WILLIAM
Finally--An Organized Search
William wanted a job--just about any job he saw in the want ads. He spent months answering those ads. He thought he was job hunting, but he wasn't. He was simply answering ads for positions for which he was unqualified. William didn't stand a chance.

After a long time, William gave up and agreed to follow The Five O'Clock Club system. At first he resisted because, like so many job hunters, he did not want to "restrict" himself. William thought that focusing on only two or three job targets would limit his opportunities and lengthen his search. He wanted to be open to whatever job came his way.

Many job hunters, like William, simply want a job. But William needed to put himself in the position of the hiring manager: Why would he want to hire William? In his cover letters, William took the "trust me" approach. He did nothing to prove his interest in the industry, the organization, or even the position for which he was applying. His credentials matched the ad requirements only by the greatest stretch of the imagination.

A shotgun approach like William's may lead to a job offer, but it may also lead your career in a direction that is not what you would have preferred. Later, you may find yourself back in the same boat again--wondering what to do with your life, wanting to do almost anything but what you are doing, hoping your next job will miraculously be in a field that will satisfy you.

William's basic problem was not that he wanted to change careers, but that he didn't know what he wanted to do. He was willing to do anything--anything except focus on a specific area and go after it.

William eventually narrowed himself to two targets in which he was truly interested. Then he worked to find out his chances for getting jobs in those fields. William did the exercises in the books, and came up with this list to focus his search:

What I want in a job:

  • A challenge in meeting new situations/variety.
  • A complex situation I can structure.
  • Something I believe in.
  • A chance to express my creativity through my communication skills.
  • A highly visible position.
  • An opportunity to develop my leadership and motivational skills.
  • Sole responsibility for something.

What I have to offer (that I also want to offer):

  • Enthusiasm for the organization's basic mission/purpose.
  • Penetrating analysis that finds the "answer."
  • The ability to synthesize diverse parts into a unified whole.
  • An ability and desire to be in new/untested situations.
  • Effective in dealing with many kinds of people.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.

Goal: A small- or medium-sized organization where I can feel my impact:

  • Service
  • Health care
  • Human care
  • Science
  • Academia and learning
  • Human understanding

Description of targeted areas:

Targeted geographic areas:

  • Major East Coast cities or locales:
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Boston
  • Baltimore
  • Washington
Targeted industries:
  • First priority is health care:
  • Pharmaceuticals companies
  • Biotechnology companies
  • Hospitals
  • Maybe research labs
Second priority is not-for-profit community organizations.

Targeted positions:

  • marketing/competitive analysis
  • organizational positioning
  • operations planning

William's first campaign was aimed at pharmaceuticals companies. He discovered what they looked for in new hires, and how he could get a position. In addition, he pursued his second objective: not-for-profit community organizations.

The result: As usual, a career transition takes time. William discovered he could make a transition into the pharmaceuticals industry, but decided not to take the backward step that would require. He learned of a job being created in a not-for-profit organization. Although he was not qualified for this position, he knew he could handle it, and it matched the list of what he wanted.

William went through the steps described in a chapter in our books, "How to Change Careers," to convince his prospective employer he could indeed handle the job and was eager to have the chance to do it. This was difficult because the other candidates were better qualified than William--they had been in this kind of job before. For William, it was a career change.

William decided to write a number of proposals. To write them, he first needed to do research, which would not be easy. After some library research, he called the heads of development at six major not-for-profits. He told them he was hoping to get a position at a certain organization, and wanted some ideas of how he could write a proposal of what he would do if he were hired.

Amazingly, his sincerity won the day. All six gave him information over the phone. Because he had done library research, William was able to ask intelligent questions. He wrote a proposal, stating in his cover letter that he had spoken with the heads of development at major not-for-profits, and asked for another interview. It would be nice if that were all it took: William got another interview, but was rejected a number of times. Yet he continued to do research, and eventually showed enough fortitude and learned enough that he was hired.

The position was just what he wanted: a brand-new marketing research position at a major not-for-profit organization. He would head his career in a different direction and satisfy his motivated skills. His career was back on track, under his own control. And he's still with the organization today.

The only difference between caprice and a lifelong passion
is that the caprice lasts a little longer.
Oscar Wilde

Select Your Targets
List your targets in the order in which you will conduct your search. List first the one you will focus on in your first campaign. If you are currently employed and have time to explore, you may want to select as your first target the most unlikely one. (Job hunters sometimes want to target areas they had only dreamed about before.) Concentrate on it and find out for sure whether you are truly interested and what your prospects are. If it doesn't work, you can become more realistic.

On the other hand, if you must find a job quickly, concentrate first on the area where you stand the best chance of getting a job--perhaps the field you are now in. After you are settled in your new job, you can develop yourself in the area that interests you in the long run. Remember, it's okay to take something less than your ideal job; just keep working toward your dreams.

Someone who made this work is Nat, who wanted to work for a Japanese company. He thought the Japanese culture suited his temperament. Yet Nat was forced to take a job at another organization because the Japanese process was slow (approval had to come from Tokyo). Still, Nat kept pursuing the position with the Japanese firm.

Eventually, his dream job came through--at much more money than he had been making. The Japanese company realized that Nat's personal style, uncommon in America, meshed with Japanese management methods. His maturity--he was fifty-five years old--was also a plus. Nat, his new job, and his new employer were a good fit. Despite many obstacles, Nat pursued his dream and got it. And it was worth it in job satisfaction and in having some say over what happened in his own life.

If you are targeting a geographic area different from where you are now, be sure to conduct a serious, complete campaign aimed at that target. For example, you will want to contact search firms in that area, do library research, perhaps conduct a direct-mail campaign, and network. For in-depth information on all of these topics, please consult our books. Use our work sheets to plan your targets.

Measuring Your Targets
You've selected one to five targets on which to focus. Will they be enough to get you an appropriate job?

Let's say, for example, that your first target aims at a small industry (ten organizations) having only a few positions that would be appropriate for you. Chances are, those jobs are filled right now. In fact, chances are there may be no opening for a year or two. The numbers are working against you. But if you have targeted twenty small industries, each of which has ten organizations with a few positions appropriate for you, the numbers are more in your favor. On the other hand, if one of your targets is large and has a lot of positions that may be right for you, the numbers are again on your side.

A Rule of Thumb
A target list of two hundred positions results in seven interviews which result in one job offer. Therefore, if there are less than two hundred potential positions in your targets, develop additional targets or expand the ones you already have. Remember that when aiming at a target of less than two hundred, concentrated effort will be required.

Sometimes, however, one organization by itself may be enough. What if a very qualified secretary wanted to work for a regional telephone company? What are the chances she would find a job there? A regional telephone company may have thousands of secretaries, and a qualified person would certainly be able to find a job there within a reasonable time frame.

In a tight job market, however, you will probably need to expand your job-hunting targets. If you are searching only in Chicago, or only in the immediate area where you live, think of other geographic areas. If you are looking only in large public corporations, consider small or private companies, or the not-for-profit area. If you are looking for a certain kind of position, what other kinds of work can you do? Think of additional targets for your search, and focus on each target in depth.

In our books, you will learn how to position yourself for each of these targets. That way, when you go after a target, you will have a better chance of looking appropriate to the people in each target area.

Live all you can; it's a mistake not to.
It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular,
so long as you have had your life.
If you haven't had that, what have you had?
What one loses one loses; make no mistake about that.
Henry James, The Ambassadors

The preceding is an excerpt from The Five O'Clock Club Book Series by Kate Wendleton. The Five O'Clock Club, Forty-Year Vision and Seven Stories Exercise are registered trademarks of The Five O'Clock Club, Inc. All rights reserved.