The very best way to find the job you want. Part Two

Know Your industry.

Even if you aren’t actively seeking another job, it’s wise to be informed about the industries that employ your profession. If you want to keep on top of latest in those industries, you need to connect to resources that provide relevant topical news. Joining industry associations is a good place to start. Another is subscribing to aggregate news services that collect and distribute news like Google Alerts, which scour traditional headlines, internet news, website content, blogs and videos that match your professional and industry interests.  Services like these allow you to specify topics to create a standing request. Relevant news is customized by delivery method and frequency right to your RSS feed or email inbox. This type of industry knowledge will help you to keep up with mainstream news in your industry.

Another, and perhaps more important type of industry news isn’t found in the day’s posts and headlines, and is often not common knowledge. It’s the kind of insider information that your Actuarial recruiter has access to. Reputable recruiters are talking with companies in your target industry all day, every day. They hear about the birth of the trends and burgeoning needs. Because they are always being asked to help staff the next big project, or fill positions for new talent needed in a company or departmental re-organization, they naturally are industry insiders. Reputable recruiters don’t actually divulge confidential information on either side of their relationships, but they know how to help you target your job search and examine options you would never recognize on your own. It’s not just about an active job search, a relationship with an Actuarial recruiter is a career focused relationship that will help you stay informed, be aligned with trends, and poised to meet the future needs in your marketplace.

The very best way to find the job you want. Part One.

Make Connections

The very best way to find the job you want is to start by making the right connections. Despite all the technological conveniences and tools that make resume distribution an art form, it still holds true that people hire people. No matter how good your resume or credentials are, you still need to strike a human connection to land that great job.

Think about it, you wouldn’t stuff your resume into a bottle and throw it into the sea in the hopes it might be fished out by the right person, would you? Sending out resumes to blind job board postings, or worse yet, working with a recruiter who spams your resume along with hundreds of others hoping to hit a jackpot placement is essentially the same thing. 

It is smart to work with a reputable recruiter because they have the connections. You benefit from the relationships they have painstakingly made with hiring managers, company executives and human resources professionals. Those relationships don’t happen overnight, they take time to develop a trust. Good recruiters are invested in their relationships and they are careful not to jeopardize them by bombarding their contacts with resumes of unqualified candidates. What that means to you is that when it’s your turn and it’s your dream job, your résumé goes directly to the right person, and it gets their attention. It’s not lost at sea in a "job response inbox" with the hundreds of other resumes that stream in daily.

There’s no substitute for the right introduction in the right place at the right time and for the right reason. When you come down to it, having a great recruiter is like having a friend in the business. What could be better than that?