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Don't just send out resumes; use a systematic job search method: learn the techniques, set a target and get people to help

  • Moderate value
  • Evidence A
  • Saves money
  • Free
  • Takes some hours
  • Long-term effort

In plain words

People who took part in job-search coaching had 2.67 times the odds of finding a job compared with those who did not. What works is this: learn specific job-search techniques, explain yourself clearly, set a clear target, take the initiative, and ask people for help. In practice, asking for help means asking people you know to refer you.

Cost

Free. It takes 1 to 2 hours a day for several weeks in a row. You can skip paid courses and use the free career guidance from public employment service agencies instead. The hard part is keeping at it every day when nobody is checking on you, and asking people for help.

What you get

Researchers pooled 47 studies of job-search coaching that made comparisons. These were experimental or quasi-experimental designs, and all of them split people into groups. The result: the group that took part in coaching had 2.67 times the odds of finding a job compared with the group that did not (OR 2.67, an odds ratio). The ingredients of coaching that worked were these. First, teaching job-search skills. Second, improving self-presentation (explaining yourself clearly). Third, raising self-efficacy (believing you can do it). Fourth, encouraging taking the initiative. Fifth, setting goals. Sixth, gaining social support (asking people for help). Coaching that both taught skills and lifted motivation had the biggest effect

Notes

Most of these studies were done in Europe and North America, and the format was a structured group course. Applying them in China means carrying over results from elsewhere; they were not measured in China. In practice, gaining social support means getting people you know to introduce you and refer you, so don't be shy about asking.

Evidence grade
A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources
  1. Liu S, Huang JL, Wang M (2014). Effectiveness of job search interventions: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin 140(4): 1009–1041. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035923

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 7, tip 14. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer