Terry Boyd ⋅ Springfield, VA Deloitte ⋅ 9 years experience

Casey

I am not sure where you are in your transition timeline, but my recommendation would be to work to get ahead of potential job postings or put yourself in the position to speak to company recruiting professionals. I don't think you want to continue to chase job postings because that is likely not a winning strategy.

First - evaluate your network. Who do you know and where are the working? Find time to connect with them. Ask them about their company and the needs they have. Maybe that creates an opportunity

Second - go to job fairs, especially in Washington DC. There are plenty of military friendly job events. They will be attended by recruiters and members of the company, potentially. If a company is at a job fair - they have open positions. They also are looking for talent generally and not to a specific position. Use these forums to get past the responding to job postings. Of if one of those job postings that you saw has disappeared - bring that with you and ask them about it. It might create an opportunity.

Third. Get plugged into a network where companies are also plugged in. Corporate Gray in Washington DC is a good organization for bringing job seekers and companies together. Go to one of their events. Ask questions. Build relationships. That will create leads. If someone is associated with a company on one of the job postings you are interested in - tell them you are interested.

Finally, it strikes me that if you are trying to find your way through job postings you may not have a full vision of what exactly you are looking to do. I don't know how refined your vision is for the work you would like to do, but the more you narrow that the better off you will be. You can still have primary, alternate choices but try to narrow down the options that are most interesting to you. Once you have that develop a strategy to find companies and postings that are interesting you and go through the first three steps. A final strategy to get through would be to try and match the job posting that disappeared to a similar posting on LinkedIn. Or search through contacts at the company, find a recruiter, and send them a note on LinkedIn asking about the position. Don't limit your interaction with the company to the job posting site if you are interested in the job.

Hope that helps and good luck! Terry

Tim Felice ⋅ Arlington, VA Deloitte ⋅ 12 years experience

Hi Casey -

While it's true that referrals from existing professionals is a big source of new talent, there are several other things that I would recommend doing:

1) Ensure your LinkedIn is up to date and contains "buzz words" that speak to your experience, opportunities you are seeking, etc. For example, if you are passionate about Supply Chain, ensure that your summary includes words that recruiters would pick up in searches. We identify candidates via LinkedIn through searches frequently.

2) Attend networking events where you are able to meet with employers/professionals within the Industry/Job Field you are interested in so you can make connections, build your network, and pass along your resume.

Hope this helps!

Tim

Jo Prabhu ⋅ San Rafael, CA International Services Group ⋅ 20 years experience

Job Postings disappear quickly due to a number of reasons-the position may have been filled by an internal employee, the position may be closed due to budget or other constraints, there is an overabundance of applicants, the job posting itself may have expired. The more complex the job the lesser # of applicants =the more likely your resume will be viewed. Look for or attend local Company Open Houses to meet actual internal decision makers and also check out your City or State Website-many have programs and partnerships with local businesses who train and employ ex service men or women. You don't mention your target job search but Technology at all levels is always hiring and many of these jobs can be done remotely.