Amy Lindgren

Is your job search dragging on too long? Since this isn’t a favorite activity for most people, it seems likely the answer would be yes, regardless of how long you’ve been at it.

You probably won’t find agreement on how long a job search “should” be — or even a consistent answer for how long searches usually go. There’s just too much variation in how people conduct their searches, as well as differences in the markets they target.

Even so, I can provide an answer for how short a search could be, given the right approach. That would be 12 weeks. Or three months. Or of course, 90 days. I’m not teasing; just restating the timeframe from different perspectives. These all being the same amount of time, I’ll use the 12-week model to describe an efficient and productive short-term search.

Beginning with the elephant in the room: Is it really possible to choose an end date for finding a job? Yes, in fact, that’s the whole point of this approach. The end date lets you maintain a pace while also pausing at strategic points to troubleshoot.

If you think there’s a catch, you’re right. In a short search with a determined timeframe, you must take control of all aspects. This means limiting or eliminating online applications and the use of job boards.

Why? Because online processes remove rather than enhance your control: When or whether appropriate postings appear; whether the postings are real; how quickly someone responds to you — if at all; how long the applications themselves will take … it’s almost as if the system were designed to remove your personal agency and make you feel helpless.

Luckily, you won’t be giving up much of consequence when you let go of this process. People are frequently surprised — but not shocked — to learn that online job applications produce far fewer offers than direct contact with employers. I say not shocked for two reasons. First, most job seekers have already experienced the frustrations of an online search. And second, when pressed, nearly everyone can recall having received an offer from a contact.

What’s wonderful about the direct contact approach is that you can control nearly every step, from whom you contact and when to how frequently you follow up and what information you share at each stage. Most importantly? You control the pace, which means you can pour on the steam and achieve results more quickly.

This is another key difference from an online search, where more applications do not correspond to improved results. Explaining why would take too long, so I’ll leave that to another day. For the moment, you’ll just have to believe there’s a reason someone who has sent 2,200 applications online hasn’t had 22 times more interviews and offers than someone who sent 100.

If you’re ready to trade online applications for a process that actually works, read on.

In the direct-contact method (most frequently called a targeted job search), success depends on preparation. Since you’ll be reaching out to actual people rather than responding to ads, you need a list of people to contact. But in order to make that list, you must first identify your job goal, or target — hence the “targeted” job search name.

Here are the preparation steps in sequence: First, choose a job target. Next, identify organizations that likely use people in that capacity. Finally, find and contact individuals who work in your chosen area in each organization, ideally at the management level. Somewhere in the middle, you’ll need to create a résumé focused on your overall job target.

I’ll pause while you figure out which cuss words to use for what I just said. I’m making it sound so simple! It’s not as if you just need to introduce yourself to somebody in your field and ask if they need help, is it?

Well, actually, that is the crux of job search: Making a match between someone who needs help and the worker who can supply it. Going directly to managers simply reduces to its essence what has become a needlessly complex process.

In last week’s column, I explained the importance of approaching the job search like a project. Since a project by nature has an end date, it’s the perfect concept to use. Next week I’ll wrap up this three-part series by filling in the steps for a 12-week search. In the meantime, give some thought to your job target and the places you can imagine doing that work.

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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.