BEEN job-hunting for what seems like forever? Perhaps you’ve been going about it the wrong way. Begin to think networking.

It’s one of the most essential elements of securing employment in today’s job market, according to Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF).

“Job-seekers should know that the name of the game is to secure an interview,” she told the Sunday Observer via e-mail. “Traditionally, this was largely achieved through résumé and cover letter application. Recently, however, networking is fast becoming the key to securing jobs.

“It is one of the most effective job search and self-marketing tools. Increasingly in today’s fast-paced world, a vast majority of job openings are sometimes never advertised, and many job-seekers depend on a career network to provide support, information, and job leads,” she added.

So how does one go about the crucial task of establishing a network? Coke-Lloyd suggests a range of strategies, including:

. through friends and family;

. at clubs and social events; and

. via the Internet, which has made the world the oyster of many a creative and resilient mind.

The JEF boss noted that it was especially important for young graduates and other job seekers to begin to cast their nets, given the prevailing conditions of the job market – only 40 per cent of which is comprised of employment options in the formal sector.

“Very often there are a limited number of matches between one’s area of pursuit (study) and subsequent employment upon completion of studies. This is largely due to a lack of available vacancies commensurate with the area of study, especially as it relates to the formal sector, which comprises only 40 per cent of Jamaica’s job market,” she said. “Consequently, the majority of young university graduates will continue to be faced with an increasingly saturated job market in certain areas.”

Against this background, she said that it was important for graduates to recognise the value of experience as a necessary marketing tool in the hunt to secure employment.

“The expectations that as a young university graduate, you automatically earn high wages and assume managerial positions is frequently not the reality,” the CEO told the Sunday Observer. “In Jamaica, in most instances, experience is key to securing higher end wages and management positioning, hence the reality is that young university graduates, with limited experience, most often are limited in their employment to lower level or entry level jobs.”

Added Coke-Lloyd: “It is unlikely that young university graduates will secure the job of their dreams in their first employment.”

Barring that, she said there was always the “trainable” card that could be brandished.

“In the event that the graduate is faced with an inundated market, the maxim ‘education makes you trainable’ is most apt, as education will make training in another area easier,” she said, adding that there was also the option of looking outside of Jamaica to the rest of the Caribbean for employment.

“The advent of the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) also impacts on the job market with the free movement of university graduates,” Coke-Lloyd noted. “The fact that employment options are not limited to national markets creates interesting prospects for graduates to seek employment within the region. The local job market, however, is no longer reserved for local labour, creating additional competition for young graduates for available jobs.”

Given the realities of the job market, one must become more resilient, undertake ingenious and some not so ingenious ways to secure a job. Among them, Coke-Lloyd said, are:

. assessing the labour market to determine the marketability of one’s particular area of interest/expertise;

. reviewing literature while liaising with experienced people in the field and looking at global and national trends for the sector within which their skills are applicable; and

. initiating an informational interview as a means to get advice of individuals in their current or desired field as well as to gain further references to people who can lend insight.

“During this informational interview, the job-seeker and employer exchange information and get to know one another better without reference to a specific job opening. The employer tends to reference persons who would have made a positive impact in these interviews for employment,” noted Coke-Lloyd.

She also encouraged job-seekers to:

. conduct a peer review process to determine their strengths and weaknesses as it relates to their job hunt; and

. ensure that résumé and cover letters are concise, giving a truthful reflection of your capabilities and customised in accordance with the position requirement.

Beyond that, she said: “Prepare thoroughly for the interview process, paying special attention to deportment.”