Manufacturing Jobs Are Available! - Part I Of V

In this tough economy, the manufacturing industry appears to be failing, and jobs in the manufacturing industry may be hard for most to find. Many machinists, welders, electricians, engineers, maintenance mechanics, production supervisors, quality engineers, etc. have found themselves looking for jobs in all industries. The truth is, Manufacturing is NOT dead; however, the old way of searching for manufacturing jobs certainly is DEAD.

From my personal experience as the Vice President of a manufacturing recruitment/job board firm, career book author, and manufacturing job developer for almost 20 years, I know the manufacturing industry is hurting, but NOT dead. I also know there are many steps manufacturing job seekers can take to help themselves find work.

Nowadays, when a job is posted online, approximately 300 people apply for the same position. These numbers make it very hard to people in manufacturing to find jobs. Most job seekers are unaware that less than 20% of all jobs are advertised or publicly announced. In a depressed economy, even fewer jobs are displayed or advertised. So what does this mean for the average manufacturing job seeker? It means they have to get a lot smarter about how to find manufacturing jobs as quickly as possible.

Job seekers in the industrial or manufacturing industry must be assertive in their job search and resist depending on advertised jobs and media headlines exclaiming when and where not to look for jobs. For example, just because newspapers and television media proclaim manufacturing jobs are gone and the economy is not growing, does not mean that some manufacturing jobs are not available in your local area.

I oftentimes use a familiar quote when conducting hidden job market workshops to inform job seekers how to locate jobs in a bad economy. The quote is quite simple: Everyone knows someone who knows someone you ought to know. This statement is true, and for those of you who take heed, you will benefit greatly by retaining this knowledge throughout your job hunting procedure.

Here are some tips every manufacturing job seeker must put into practice:

1. Start reaching the hidden job markets by intensifying your networking techniques. Don't simply network with those you know. Network with everyone you come into contact with. I always encourage manufacturing job seekers to network with anyone and everyone about their job search because you just never know who is a plant manager, human resource representatives, shipping manager, etc.

2. Follow up on your leads. Most job seekers believe they know how to network and get a business card from someone; however, very few follow up and actually contact that person. What's the point of networking if you will never contact them again?

3. Visit industrial areas and go door-to-door to hand deliver your resume and attempt to get on the spot interviews. I know this is a bit scary for some; however, it has shown to be a highly effective way for people in the manufacturing industry to get jobs.

4. Find unadvertised and hidden jobs. This can be achieved by signing up with a job board that gives unadvertised or hidden jobs in your industry to give you a competitive edge. This will be a great way to get job interviews.

5. Contact your former managers and co-workers. Ask them where they are working, and inform them that you are job searching. Ask them if you may talk with them in person and leave a resume. Don't be ashamed to call former co-workers and ask for help with getting an interview.

For those of you in senior level positions such as a Vice President of Operations, Director of Manufacturing, Warehousing/Distribution Manager, etc., you can apply some of the same job hunting techniques described above to find manufacturing employment. Most small to mid-sized manufacturing employers welcome walk-ins.

Take my word for it, even in this tough economy, I know firsthand that many manufacturing jobs are available. The problem is, these jobs are not always posted online for the world to view. Remember, less than 20% of available jobs are advertised. This means that there are approximately 80% of hidden jobs out there.

Finding hidden manufacturing jobs does not always have to be left up to an experienced manufacturing job developer such as myself. You can take the first step by introducing yourself to the next person you see when you walk outside of your home.