40 | LOOKING FOR A JOB | CV, COVER LETTER AND UNSOLICITED JOB SEARCH THE ARTICLE CONTINUES FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE Below is some general advice on how to approach unsolicited inquiries: Unsolicited job search is research on job opportunities and an invitation to start a conversation In fact, unsolicited inquiries are not a job application. You are doing structured and qualitative research to find out which companies have tasks and a way of working that could match what you want. This is also a way to find inspiration for all the different opportunities on the labour market, and it is an invitation to discuss future opportunities with the company in question. Find companies and systematise your unsolicited job search First, you must find a good number of potential companies. Use your network and LinkedIn to find inspiration for where »people like you« or »people who do what you want to do« work – and have worked. Enter the companies into an Excel spreadsheet and add names and telephone numbers of managers in departments that could be relevant for you to explore. If you know anyone who has worked in one of the companies, then contact them to find out about the working environment and other more informal parts of a job. Ask the right questions Unsolicited job search is about finding out whether you can and want to handle the responsibilities of working in the relevant company – either now or in the future. Only one person can answer that: the manager with the authority to employ you. So, you need to get hold of that person – perhaps by calling the main number of the company – and tell them that you’re a new graduate and you’re trying to find out which companies could be relevant for you to keep an eye on, and that you have some questions about how you work specifically as x in that department. When you get the manager on the phone, be ready to ask well-prepared questions. Possible questions: Î Do you have profiles working with x? Î What tasks do they typically carry out? Î What competences are particularly important in this job? When the call is a success The conversation is a success when you have received knowledge to clarify whether or not this could be a job for
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