Really, you have the best chance of getting the job you want if you start looking when the company you want to work for has just decided to hire.
And just to be sure, this "ideal" time is not the period during which the company is advertising or using a head hunting firm or recruitment agency to look for candidates for the position. On the contrary, this ideal time is when the decision maker(s) - perhaps your future manager(s)! - have simply DECIDED they need to hire someone to do the job.
So... if YOU can be top of mind when the company has realized it needs someone (just like you) to fill the position... you'll have the best chance of getting the job! Now, depending on the circumstances, the company or organization you have targeted may be required to advertise the position before deciding who they want to hire. Even so, by being there when the company decided it needed to hire, and by positioning yourself as the ideal person for the job, you'll still have the best chance of getting it. And if the company or organization does have the power to hire straight away - you may well get the job! The main thing is that you demonstrate to the relevant decision makers that you have the talents, skills and knowledge required. And in that case, the only reason you wouldn't be hired is if your asking salary is too high or if they didn't want you due to "corporate politics".
And if the salary isn't right... or you underestimated the corporate politics... well, that kind of thing happens after going through the rigmarole of applying for a job and sitting through a series of interviews the normal way, doesn't it? At least in this case, you'll know where you stand much more quickly!
Having said all this, you still need to be "in the right place at the right time", don't you? So how do you accomplish that... when the organization isn't advertising the job? (And how do you know whether or not you want to work for that organization anyway?
This is where a little research is required. Firstly, you'll need to determine what company or companies you'd like to work for.
Let's say, for example, you wanted to develop project management skills and were particularly interested in the software industry. Therefore, you would identify medium to large sized software vendors where there were likely to be project management roles on offer.
Once you have a list of companies that interest you, your next step is to find out as much as you can about those companies and keep tabs on both them and the industry, market and environment in which they operate. Ideally, you will also place yourself in a situation where you can get to know the key people who work in these companies. The key people being those who are most likely to hire you or influence the decision to hire you. This may be a matter of attending industry events or even "cold calling" such individuals to ask if they would give you some advice on the industry in return for a coffee or lunch. The main thing is to keep in touch. And remember, this is not a one-way relationship where they give and you take: you need to offer something of value to them to keep them interested in you.
Once you know what a given company is all about, and you know the key people who work there, all you need to do now is keep tabs on what happens with the company. You're interested in events and circumstances that may give rise to a job opportunity. For example, the resignation of a project manager... the launch of a new product... the company entering a new market... And once you learn of such an opportunity, don't hesitate to get in touch with the key decision maker(s) and confirm that there is, or is likely to be, a job opportunity. If so, you can then present yourself as the ideal person for the job.
Of course, you'll know the best approach to take given the type of development that occurs.
Okay, so this approach may not be the best way to go if you need a job and you need it NOW (who knows when the companies you're targeting will need to hire?). However, it really is the approach to take in order to land your dream job... and only requires a little research, patience and the confidence to talk to people to do it. Try it!
Get the job you want! Watch Anna's funny and inspiring movie, Career Choices, then download a free chapter of her shocking and controversial ebook, Insider Job Secrets Revealed: http://www.insiderjobsecrets.com/career-choices.htm
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