The most powerful job search activity you can perform is doing a campaign based job search. More people land through this type of process but most never use this methodology. Use it and see different results today! By Greg David of Laka and Company.

1. PERFORMING A ‘CAMPAIGN
BASED’ EMPLOYMENT
SEARCH
GREG DAVID, PRESIDENT
LAKA & COMPANY
greg.david@laka.com
www.laka.com
312-528-9107/708-620-8277
How to get results instead of relying on the job
boards, recruitment firms, and employment
agencies.

2. “Campaign based” or traditional
search?
 Little response to applying
on line.
 Little activity from working
with search firms.
 Long periods of time with
little meaningful progress.
 Little control over results.
 Highly competitive.
 Feeling of helplessness
and frustration.
 Not able to apply metrics
to results, and improve.
 Strategic and surgical.
 Less competitive.
 More control over results.
 Sense of accomplishment.
 Progress each day.
 Structured, manageable
process.
 Measurable process and
progress; easy to improve
results over time.
 Can be satisfying and fun.
Traditional Search Campaign Based Search

3. ALERT: 3 Types of Job
Searches.

4. Has about the same effect as hitting yourself in the
head with a hammer. Try it if you do not believe
me. You have been warned.
1) APPLYING TO JOB POSTINGS

5. THIS GETS YOU INTO THE “PULL MARKET”.
THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE ‘FOUND’ AND ‘PULLED’
INTO A SEARCH. CAN YOU SAY
2) 80% of Jobs are NOT ADVERTISED.

6. This is the BEST section of the job market to have
activity in, the LEAST competitive, with the fastest
timeline once it begins. It also has the best
3) This is the market BEFORE the market.
The BEST!

7. What is a “campaign” based
search?
Most people
prefer the “pain”
of
unemployment
to the pain of
doing a
campaign
based search.
It is hard
because it
requires daily
discipline,
consistency,
follow through,
and getting out
of your comfort
zone.
GET OVER IT!
 You are doing a ‘targeted’
structured search with a specific
campaign that YOU design, YOU
structure, YOU perform, YOU
measure, YOU oversee, and YOU
control.
 This is a multi-step process that will
require much structure, and diligent
“positive” persistence.

8. “It is not what you know but who
you know.”
Most of us have
heard this
statement and
most people
believe it to be
true.
Sad thing is they
are dead wrong.
 What you know and your value to a
firm is irrelevant. Yes, you read that
right.
 Who you know is also irrelevant.
People who know you generally will
not help you. They are too busy
with their own lives.
 Remember----what you know and
who you know is worthless in a job
search.

9. It is all about who knows YOU!
It is not about
who is in your
physical,
electronic, or
cellular address
book.
What matters is
who has you in
their address
book. It is about
who thinks of
YOU when there
is a need.
 The key is to penetrate all the
proprietary databases and “address
books” so that people think of you
when they have a need.
 Most of the time, if you have to tell
them who you are, you have
already lost.
 You have a MUCH stronger chance
of getting hired if they know you
AND contact you before there is
the need.

10. Your knowledge and
accomplishment is irrelevant!
The single
largest
challenge in
getting an offer
is the initial
phase of getting
noticed, getting
attention, and
quickly getting
an initial
interview.
 The best person in the world at a
skill and the worst person in the
world at the same skill are equal in
a job search.
 BOTTOM LINE: It is all about
getting attention, getting noticed,
and getting interviews. Up until that
point, your knowledge, experience,
value does not matter.

11. Campaign based searches are
only PART of a full job search.
Most people
do random
work daily
when in
search
mode.
Random
work is
applying
online,
randomly
calling
recruiters,
etc.
 The fact is, most people have no idea
where their next job will come from.
 They stop doing things that seem not
to work (bad idea).
 They usually do the easy to do things
(call or email recruiters and apply
online).
 All parts of a job search should be
done consistently, regularly, and it
should be planned and part of a
structured strategy.

12. Examples of “campaign” based
searches:
According to
Wikipedia,
the Standard
Industrial
Classificatio
n
(abbreviated
SIC) is a
United
States
government
system for
classifying
industries by
a four-digit
code.
 Vertical markets using SIC/NAICS
codes.
 Portable skills search (i.e. compliance
skills in certain industries are portable
to others).
 Process skills search (i.e. these are
also portable to other industries).
 Certain industries like to hire and
target people from other specific
industries.
 Certain certifications or subject matter
expertise is in demand in specific
industries.

13. You are looking for 3 types of
events:
If a firm has
filled a role in
the last year,
there is a high
percentage
chance that they
are not as happy
with the person
as they were
originally. Or
the person hired
may not be as
happy.
Or both!
 1) Firms that are actively
interviewing now.
 2) Firms that have filled a role in the
last 1-18 months.
 3) Firms that are about to begin
looking for your skill in the next 90-
180 days.

14. Step one: Research
Get to the library
and make
research of all
kinds part of
your daily and
weekly diet.
It is YOUR job to
know what the
experts in job
search know. If
you do not know
it, it is your fault.
Take
responsibility.
 What is a quick way to get oars in
the water? How can you jump right
in, instead of easing into a search?
 Avoid easing into anything---if you
do, you’ll add months and months
to the length of your search.

15. Step one: Research a vertical
market campaign.
Most firms
have a
primary and
a secondary
SIC code.
Make sure
you target
both.
Some large
firms have
multiple
primary and
secondary
SIC codes.
 Take your resume to the library, and
ask the librarian for a reference
book that shows SIC codes for all
industries.
 Write down all the primary and
secondary SIC codes on your
resume next to each company you
have ever done work for as an
employee, consultant, or in a
partnership.

16. Make them feel you are like
them!
If you find
yourself
interviewing
with a firm,
and you
have
industry
experience
and other
candidates
do not, you
will have an
“edge” in the
selection
process.
 In doing a vertical market search
using SIC codes targeting industries
you have done work in, you are
playing to a strength.
 Companies and hiring managers
like people with industry
experience. If this is played up, you
are more likely to get your “touch” to
them, returned.

17. Next: Find the computer lab in the
library.
Make the
librarian your
new best
friend and
treat them
like gold.
Do it right,
be there
often, and
they will
prove to be
an immense
help and
resource.
Don’t take
up too much
of their time.
 Use the “Hoovers” (or similar) software
that is available to search on firms that
exist in the SIC codes that you have
identified.
 The software will return the
organizations that fall into that SIC
code often with the address, website,
and the names of the principle
executives within the firm. Some
software services also provide
additional contact information.

18. Parameters: To place or not
place?
Only place
parameters on a
search to make
it bite sized.
Don’t say ‘no’ to
anything until an
offer is on the
table.
Work 110% at all
activities until an
offer is in
writing,
accepted, and
you start
working.
 I recommend against placing
parameters on a search.
 It lengthens the time people are out
of work.
 It will cause search firms to not view
you as an “A” candidate, and it will
cause corporations and
organizations you may work for, to
not trust you, and SMART people
will see you as a risk.

19. Most people do it wrong. Do
you?
Accepting
RFP’s is an
example of a
normal part
of the
evaluation
cycle most
successful
people
would
perform.
They don’t
form
opinions
until they
really have
all the facts.
 If working on a new important
project at work, most people begin
with a wide “funnel” of information,
apply criteria as the evaluation
process continues, compare
benchmarks and strengths and
shortcomings, and develop a
shortlist of several options.
 They begin with a wide funnel and
then reduce it to a few well
researched choices.

20. Boy do they do it wrong!
People who do
this miss on
incredible
opportunities.
They miss on
making
connections that
lead elsewhere.
They in effect
prove to others
that they are
poor decision
makers which
influences
whether they
come to mind of
others.
 These same successful and
intelligent people then wind up in a
job search, and they do it
backwards. Ouch!
 They wind up putting limitations and
parameters on their search. Money.
Location. Title. Scope. Perks.
Etc.
 Then as they become more
desperate, they become more
flexible.

21. Place parameters to make your
work bite sized.
If you do put a
parameter on
the search, DO
NOT wait until
you complete
that campaign
before you
begin the next.
They MUST be
staggered (i.e.
begin the next
wider campaign
as soon as you
are about to
begin the 2nd
touch of the first
campaign).
 Perhaps you use distance from your
home (zip code) in conjunction with
the SIC code using the research
software at the library, to develop a
short list of firms to contact.
 The key is to do a 5 “touch”
campaign.

22. What is a 5 touch campaign?
Moving from one
touch to the next
MUST occur
within 48-72
hours of the
earlier touch.
THIS IS
CRITICAL!
Make sure you
use technology
to create alerts
to organize this.
 It is when you “touch” that identified
contact 5 times.
 Touch 1: Email resume with
personalized overview in body of
email.
 Touch 2: Phone call.
 Touch 3: Phone call or email (phone is
more effective).
 Touch 4: Snail mail a letter and include
resume.
 Touch 5: Phone call to follow up.

23. Uh-oh: The email address is not
known.
Not always,
but most
firms have
the same
email
domain as
their web
site domain
address. So
it you know
their website
address, it is
likely their
email
address will
be the same.
 Go to search engine of your choice
and put in the field the
organizations email domain in
quotes. Example:
“@theiremaildomain.com”
 What will be returned (you may
have to search multiple pages) is
employee email addresses from
Internet activity.
 Figure out their email formula (i.e.
jdoe@company.com )and apply it to
your intended contact.

24. Enhancement to first touch
What issues
might be
keeping that
contact you
are reaching
out to up at
night?
Tweak your
resume and
email to
speak to their
pain, and you
will radically
increase the
attention you
get.
 If you can learn of pressing issues
in the organization or in their
industry, then incorporate it into the
original email to the person you are
writing to.
 Search the Internet and read trade
journals or magazines (the library
can be VERY useful here---resist
the urge to just do it from home).

25. Enhancement to other touches
They key is
to really be
actively
doing
research
when in job
search
mode.
They key is
to be a
Subject
Matter
Expert more
than you
were when
you were
working and
couldn’t read
as much!
 If you can find a “white paper” or
article that speaks to a pain point,
send it with a follow up email to the
contact.
 Use information you learn and did
not include in the original resume
email touch, in a voice mail
message, or in a message you
leave with their assistant.
 You might also snail mail them an
article or document with your

26. Don’t give up and stay with it.
The most
important
thing to do is
keep doing
them,
changing
them, focus
on getting
better at
them, and
then
perfecting
your
approach.
 If you track your success and your
return is less than other search
activities, don’t stop. It could be
your approach, topic of your
campaign, quality of what you are
sending, quality control of errors in
what you send, or you are hitting on
a dead nail.
 DON’T MAKE THE ASSUMPTION
CAMPAIGN BASED SEARCHES
DON’T WORK.

27. A critical fact to remember:
 Even if you are not as good as many others at
doing campaign based searches, most will try
them and give up. In fact, most will never do
them.
 Let them take the easy way out. Let them stay
in their comfort zone. Let them be lazy.
 In doing a campaign based search, you will
find that you are often competing with a
handful of people versus hundreds or
thousands.

28. Do the opposite of others and WIN!
 Even the newest addition to the job search
scene will find that the key is getting noticed
and getting attention.
 Campaign based searches will get you
attention in a more controlled, more organized,
more structured, more positive fashion that is
all about surgical strategy.
 The name of the game to an offer and
shortening the time of your search is simple:
GET NOTICED!

29. greg.david@laka.com
www.laka.com
www.linkedin.com/in/gregdavid
www.twitter.com/@greg.davidlaka
https://plus.google.com/+GregDavidLaka
www.pinterest.com/gregdavidlaka
www.facebook.com/gregdavidlaka
My best to you in your search! Copyright 2014
Greg David, President
Laka & Company
312-528-9107/708-620-8277
Take action
NOW!!!