5 ways to find unexpected job opportunities - Civilian Jobs, Military to Civilian transitions, Jobs for Veterans - Navy Times

5 ways to find unexpected job opportunities

When they asked the prolific American bank robber Willie Sutton why he robbed banks, he reportedly answered, “Because that’s where the money is.”

Ask job seekers why they go to CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com and the other big job boards and they’ll likely give a similar response: “Because that’s where the jobs are.” It’s not a bad answer. Monster boasts more than a million job postings a month, drawing 23 million candidates. CareerBuilder — partially owned by Gannett, parent company of Military Times — tops that with claims of 1.6 million jobs and more than 24 million candidates. Both have military-specific initiatives.

Other sites are equally military-friendly. The job search portal Indeed.com, which claims 7.6 million visitors a month, in 2011 launched military.indeed.com, a site designed specifically for veterans.

Certainly there are positions aplenty listed on these sites, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get a job — after all, there’s a lot of competition. Fortunately, veterans entering the workforce have a range of other avenues to follow.

Alternate routes

Former Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Sean Orquiola learned the shortcomings of the big boards when he went job-seeking in 2003. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a B.A., he took the traditional search route, feeding résumés into the Monster maw and that of other boards. Nothing stuck.

Eventually he sought another avenue. He did some research online, found a company he liked — IT solutions provider CDW — and applied directly through the company website. Today he’s a sales executive with the firm and says taking the direct route helped open the door.

“I felt like I just needed to look for different angles. I wanted to cast a wider net,” Orquiola said.

For those stalled out on the big boards, his experience proves what many career-search professionals say. Big job boards may be helpful, but they aren’t the only way in. Some alternate routes:

Volunteer. Time and finances permitting, volunteering can be a great way to learn about an industry and make professional contacts. “There are organizations that are always looking for help, and that can be a great avenue,” said Paul J. Rega of the Panama City, Fla., search firm Paul J. Rega & Associates. Lending a hand for free can help not only identify those industries that hold promise but also give insight into those you’d rather skip. Rega’s volunteer stint in an animal hospital showed him that while he did care for the small, furry ones, he didn’t want to make a career of it.

Browse. One way to open the door is to mingle with those of similar professional interests. There are obvious ways to do this, through professional conferences, meetings and networking events. But there are other ways, too, such as hanging out in the library. For example, it’s not a bad idea for IT professionals to peruse the technology stacks once in a while, striking up conversations with others in search of relevant reading. It’s not a full-time search strategy, but you never know who you’ll meet.

Franchise. The big job boards will put you to work for someone else. Franchising will put you to work for yourself, and it’s a popular option among veterans tired of sending résumés blindly into the ether. The International Franchise Association’s 2012 Veterans in Franchising Study found that the franchise industry has supported more than 64,000 veterans, military spouses and wounded warriors with employment opportunities since 2011. Franchisors have pushed to recruit veterans as franchisees, bringing 4,314 new veteran franchise owners to the industry since 2011.

IFA’s program VetFran encourages franchise ownership by offering financial incentives to honorably discharged veterans. The program has drawn participation from more than 400 franchise companies.

Friends and family. This is probably the most widely touted alternative to the résumés-en-masse approach. People find jobs through personal connections, “and this is a way to make those connections,” Rega said.

“Friends and family may know other people that you don’t know, and this can be a way to build your network. If they don’t know somebody, they may know somebody who knows somebody. The advantage to this is that friends-and-family suggests a direct personal tie. The person you end up talking to feels that they already know you to some extent. That can be powerful.”

Go niche. In the shadow of the big boards, many smaller job sites cater to particular industry niches. AccountingBoard.com serves the accounting profession, while Dice.com is for tech pros. Other sites, such as Idealist.org and OpportunityKnocks.org, serve as gateways to the nonprofit professions. You may not have thought of this route, but consider: A program coordinator in a nonprofit hospital can draw $59,000 a year, according to Payscale.com, while a nonprofit education coordinator in Illinois can earn $42,500.

What does this prove? Not only are there alternate avenues to finding work, but these unexplored routes can lead to unexpected opportunities.