How to Create a Job Search Plan

Research

Companies

Brainstorm a List

Who are the big companies around you?

Which companies have values that resonate with you?

Who are the companies you have always wanted to work for?

What companies are in a similar industry in common with your background?

Let's ask AI

Create a list with short descriptions of the top [industry] companies in [geographic area]. (Bing or ChatGPT)

Create a list with short descriptions of remote-first or distributed companies in [industry]. (Bing or ChatGPT, may want to ask for citations)

What are the latest job openings for [position and industry] in [geographic area]? (Bing)

Create a numbered list with short descriptions of the top 5 [industry type] companies in [geographic location] using [year] data.

How does [company] compare to their top competitors [company names] on key metrics like growth, profitability, innovation, culture. (ChatGPT - best if you have prioritized what matters to you)

When you are brainstorming these company names target at least twenty five different companies. Some recommend up to fifty. Use Google or other search tools as needed to find more options. If you are comfortable with start ups and emerging companies add these types of companies to your list.

Next to each company name, identify what about the company in your target list is important.Now rank the companies in the list, or at minimum identify which are your top ten where your extra focus will be. When you have identified at least twenty five company names, proceed to the next Research step.

What to Include in Your Plan

This section will provide instruction on items to be considered for your Job Search Plan. It is the who, what, where, and when of your plan and helps identify focus, method, and goals.

Career Path research involves:

What kind of Companies

What Kind of Jobs

Where to Job Search

By researching and journaling these components, you can create a detailed and effective Job Search Plan tailored to your career goals in Information Technology. This focused approach will help you identify the right opportunities and navigate your job search with confidence.

1. Write down a list of job titles you have heard of, been considering, or are your ultimate target.

2. Log into Indeed, Zip Recruiter, LinkedIn Jobs, or the site of your choice and start a search using a job on your brainstorm list. Take a look at the different actual job titles that show up and add them to the list.

3. Ask Perplexity.ai. Be as specific as possible and list the job you are interested in, and some of the alternative titles you have on your list, and ask Perplexity for additional suggestions.

4. Go to https://linkedin.github.io/career-explorer/. and page down to the middle where you see the words Job Transitions.

Start by putting in your nearest metro location. On the left side where it says Enter a Job, put in one of the job titles that you are interested in and enter. The tool will return a list of different job titles to consider that you can add to the list of potential job titles. You will see that there is also a 'find jobs' on LinkedIn for each, we will be using this tool again when we start our search.

Let's AI

Here are some suggestions on what to ask your preferred AI program:

List 10 jobs that are similar to [current job or future job idea]. Include brief descriptions. (ChatGPT)

What are nontraditional jobs for (insert field: teacher/attorney/doctor)? (ChatGPT or Bing)

What job titles or roles are there in [target industry]?

Make sure to record your answers. Let's move on to the next section.

Job Titles

Why take the time initially to identify job titles you would like to target? There are multiple reasons for this. One of them is the fact that the more focused your job search, the better the results. This does not preclude you from expanding the search at any point, rather it provides structure for the process.

Firstly, when you have a clear job title in mind, you can tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight the skills and experiences that are most relevant to that specific role. This can greatly increase your chances of standing out to potential employers and securing interviews.

Secondly, by targeting specific job titles, you can also narrow down your search

to industries or companies that align with your career goals and interests. This not only helps you focus your efforts but can also lead to a more fulfilling and satisfying job in the long run.

Lastly, identifying specific job titles can also help you set realistic expectations and goals for your job search. By understanding the qualifications and requirements for your desired roles, you can better assess your own skills and experiences, and determine any gaps that may need to be filled.

Later in the lesson I will be covering how to create specific search strings and having these titles identified ahead of time will make that step easier. For now, let's look at some methods that will help create your job title list.

When you are thinking about job titles, keep in mind that most jobs have different levels. Depending on the level you target, think about also identifying your title by level. Most different levels are identified in the following ways:

Levels 1, 2, 4
Junior, (title), Senior
Entry, Mid, Senior

Brainstorm Again

Where to Search

Job Boards

Let's start with the obvious - job boards.

GitHub Career Explorer Tool

Other than job boards, there is also the GitHub Career Explorer Tool we used in the prior lesson which can be found at https://linkedin.github.io/career-explorer/. For each of the job title lists you receive after you enter your area and potential job there is a check LinkedIn for jobs button that will produce a list of the latest postings for jobs matching that job title.

Directly on Company Websites

Recent data gathered from HR and Hiring Representatives of companies by the US Dept of Labor indicate that the favorite place to post jobs is their own website. It saves them time and money. Applying directly to a company's website is advantageous for you, as well, since most job seekers tend to stay on the job boards, and you have the added advantage of sending the resume more directly to the Hiring Manager. Earlier we made a list of potential companies to work for. Plan to visit each of these sites frequently, for your top five companies set up a Google alert to save time.

Step one: Go to the career section of one of the companies on your list
Step two: Copy the URL address

Step Three: Head to Google Alerts

https://www.google.com/alerts

Step Four: Paste in the company URL

Step Five: Replace the internet address portion of https:// with the word site and
a colon: Site://careers.codesta.io/jobs/careers

Step Six: Select the Options dropdown appearing below the address

Step Seven: Set Frequency to "As it Happens"

This will send you an alert every time a job is added to the page. As a bonus step, you can get specific and add in a target job title in quotes. "network_anaylst".

Make a practice of double-checking job listings on the company website. If the jobs are posted on the company website, apply directly. This helps substantiate the job and avoid any scam listings.

Google Doping

Google doping is a fancy name for a method to get very specific with Google as to what you want to find. It's more complicated than entering a phrase on the Google search page. In this instance, we are going to tell Google we want to look at a specific site for a specific thing.

1. Open Google and in the search string start with site:

2. Add in the site name that you want to look at - example: linkedin (site:linkedin.com/jobs)

3. Add in the site name that you want to look at - example: linkedin (site:linkedin.com/jobs)

4. Now you can add a list of the job names you created in the brainstorming session

Example: site:linkedin.com/jobs ("Server" OR "Network" OR "SOC")

Now on the far-right side of the Google Page, you will see the words All Filters and Tools. Select Tools.

And you can set the frequency that you want Google to search for these roles.

Experiment with it and build Your own -

• Use quotes to search for an exact phrase

• Use asterisk within quotes for variable words

• Use a minus sign to eliminate results

• Site: to only search particular website

• Use Search Tools to filter your search

• Tilt your screen by searching “tilt". (that's to see if you are paying attention though it really works)

AI Searches

AI searches can save tons of time. There are many different systems available. The one important thing you need to know about AI - well two things:

1. Your results are always only going to be as good as how you ask it for information, making how you word the prompts important.

2. Protect your privacy, please. Be careful not to include too much personal information. AI searches are learning tools and information that you put in propagates across the internet.

Here are some suggested inputs:

Create a list with short descriptions of the top [industry] companies in [geographic area]. (Bing or ChatGPT)

Create a list with short descriptions of remote-first or distributed companies in

[industry]. (Bing or ChatGPT, may want to ask for citations)

What are the latest job openings for [position and industry] in [geographic area]? (Bing)

What networking events in the [geographic location] would be good for a [target role or industry] to attend? (Bing)

What professional organizations or associations are there for [target industry or role]? (ChatGPT or Bing)

What are some ways I can network and connect with professionals in my industry using AI tools? (ChatGPT gives very generic answers)

Pretend you are a job seeker. Write an outreach email to a hiring manager explaining that you are a [insert your field] excited about the [insert job] position and ask [insert relevant question like if they are the right person to contact]. (ChatGPT)

Create a numbered list with short descriptions of the top 5 [industry type] companies in [geographic location] using [year] data.

How does [company] compare to their top competitors [company names] on key metrics like growth, profitability, innovation, culture. (ChatGPT - best if you have prioritized what matters to you)

Networking

Attend Networking events and put the word out that you are looking for a job. There are some names of professional associations in the next section. Check for any events that they have scheduled on their website.

Attend Linkedin Events and make notes of names and connect with other attendees.

Network with others on LinkedIn or in other Social Media groups. The more networking you do the larger the area your request is sent.

Check Eventbrite, Meetup, and other similar sites for events near you that you can attend.

Professional Associations

Professional Associations Web sites and Local Chapter of Professional Associations websites also have job boards. Keep your eye on these sites as well.

ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)

AIIP (Association of Independent Information ProfessionalsHDC (Help Desk Chapters)

IEEE Computer Society

ISSA (Information Systems Security Association)

NPA (Network Professional Association)

Identify your method, or use all methods. Make sure to record in your journal.

Let's take a moment to check in

Self-Marketing

There are multiple ways to self-market. The most popular are the Elevator Pitch, Personal Brand, Project Portfolios and Social Media Marketing. We will go over what each of these elements are and how to create them. As we progress, add your information to your journal.