Finding a job can be a difficult task. There are so many different strategies that you could use, and the process is often very time-consuming. You need to do your research before applying for any positions because it will help narrow down the ones that might be perfect for you.
The good news is that we’ve put together 10 strategies to help make finding a job easier than ever!
Before starting your job search, you need to have a plan in place.
- Make sure that you are realistic with your expectations of the type(s) of position you would like to apply for.
- Think about what kind of location will be best suited for you and your lifestyle.
- Ensure that you can afford to live in that location.
- You should also make a note of which places don’t interest you at all so that they can be eliminated from consideration early on in the process.
- Write down your key skills, strengths, and the type of company culture where you would like to work.
- Think about what kind of experiences will make an impressive resume for a potential employer.
- Come up with a list of companies where you would like to work.
- Make sure that the type of position aligns with your career goals and interests and the kind of company culture you are looking for.
An organized plan is vital when finding a job, especially if we want to stand out amongst other applicants who may not have such plans or strategies! If we do our research before applying, it will help narrow our search so that we can focus on the best companies.
Build your personal brand.
To stand out amongst other applicants, we need to develop our personal brand.
Building up our skills and experience will help us highlight what kind of people we are and what we can bring to the table.
We need to start thinking about this long before applying for positions so that when it is time to write resumes and cover letters, our personal brand is ready to go!
Check out How to Create Your Personal Brand in 10 Steps for more info.
Prepare a great resume that will help you stand out from the competition.
To stand out from other applicants, we must prepare professional-looking resumes because mistakes can be costly.
It is best to have one professionally written by an expert who knows how to showcase our strengths while still being concise enough not to bore potential employers with unnecessary information.
Keep these tips in mind when creating your resume:
- Make sure you are concise yet still able to convey who you are as an individual and what kind of skillset you bring to the table.
- You should note any achievements, mainly if they help showcase how excellent an employee you will be! Some exemplary accomplishments could include publishing some work online, attending events where you were given awards/honors, etc. Figure out ways that will allow potential employers to know why they should hire you.
- Your resume should be free from any spelling or grammar mistakes. This will make a good impression and help you stand out amongst other applicants. You don’t want to seem unprofessional! You can use an app like Grammarly to check your work or hire a professional resume writer to take care of it for you.
- Put in all the effort you can to create a powerful cover letter so that you have another chance to stand out amongst other applicants. If your resume are well done, then potential employers will want to learn more about why they should hire us by reading our cover letters too!
- Make sure that you have different resumes for different types of positions, as well as a cover letter tailored to each company and position! For example, if the job description emphasizes soft skills such as communication or teamwork, mention those in your resume to show them why they should hire you.
- Keep in mind that you want the design of your resume to be clean and easy on the eyes! Try not to make it too distracting because this will cause employers’ attention spans to dwindle. Make sure they can see what kind of skillset you bring without getting lost in fancy designs. You can create templates online for free or use programs like Microsoft Office Word. If using a template, remember that simple is always better than complex!
- Make sure your contact information is up to date, and easy for a potential employer to find you on LinkedIn or other networks.
- If you have gaps in employment, positively make a note of them.
- You should also list any volunteer experience, as this will show prospective employers that you have the initiative and work ethic needed for a position.
- Ensure that there is a clear career path listed on your resume to help show potential employers how they can grow with your company!
Your resume will be one of your best tools for finding a job because it will allow potential employers to get a glimpse into who you are. If something about us would make our application stand out from others, we should include it in this document!
Check out The Ultimate Guide to Building the Perfect Resume for some additional tips.
Utilize your network.
When it comes to finding a job, many people don’t think about utilizing their networks until after exhausting all other options.
Even though we might not find a job through our network, it’s still important to try! Try reaching out to friends and family members as well as colleagues from your past jobs.
If you have been searching for jobs online or going on interviews, then there is a good chance that someone in your personal life knows of something that might fit us perfectly! This could be anything, including leads opening new positions at their company, advice about the interview process/questions they may ask you during an interview, etc.
If you can get even one contact that will refer you to an open position, then that could potentially lead to multiple opportunities down the road!
When reaching out, make sure that your connections know precisely what kind of positions you’re looking for so that way it’s easier to find you a good fit!
If they see that you’re searching for something in your field, there is a much better chance of them providing leads on jobs suited to our skill set.
If you have a LinkedIn profile, make sure that it’s up to date and shines a positive light on who you are as an individual!
Many companies look at this account when deciding whether or not they want to interview us because it provides them with information about our work experience, education, skillset, etc.
Make sure all of the sections of this page are filled out entirely so employers can better understand what makes us unique from other candidates!
In addition to updating your LinkedIn profile regularly, you should also try making connections with people in similar fields there! This way, we will expand our network and create new opportunities for ourselves down the road. It might take some time, but it is 100% worth it in the end!
If you do not have a LinkedIn profile, then try setting one up right now!! It’s free and should take no longer than fifteen minutes to complete.
Take advantage of your free time.
This can include reading articles, keeping up to date with current events, and networking online.
We can use many resources to expand our knowledge base and help us better prepare for future interviews! This simple task will allow us to stand out from other candidates because employers tend not to expect it!
In addition, we can take courses online to expand our skillset and potentially learn new things that we may not have been familiar with before.
Even if this doesn’t help us find a job, it’s bound to impress potential employers down the road because they will see that we are always looking for ways to improve ourselves as individuals!
By taking advantage of our free time, we’re already providing ourselves with opportunities to lead to future jobs! So, take full advantage of every second you have on any given day!!
Stay positive.
Even though it can be difficult sometimes, staying positive while looking for a new job is extremely important!!
It’s easy to get discouraged when we aren’t getting any bites on our resumes or finding an interview with companies interested in us.
It might seem pointless to continue searching, but you never know how many opportunities could arise if you give yourself enough time! Just keep plugging away, and eventually, something will come up!
Practice for interviews.
If we have a scheduled interview coming up, then it’s imperative to start preparing ourselves as soon as possible!
Even if it is for an entry-level position that doesn’t require much experience/education under our belts, employers still expect us to know basic information about common questions they may ask during an interview!
Since this can be a time-consuming task (especially when dealing with multiple companies), try finding ways around practicing, which will help cut back on some time spent studying, such as: asking family members or friends for tips and tricks, searching online resources like Glassdoor; The list goes on and on.
By practicing for an interview, we are giving ourselves the best chance of acing it because we will be well-prepared to answer common questions that can come up!
Make a list of possible questions.
When preparing for an interview, it’s essential to have a list of possible questions (and answers) that employers might ask so we can respond!
Doing this simple task will help us answer any question thrown at us, but it will also show the employer our ability to think fast on our feet. This is extremely impressive because they know other candidates won’t be able to do the same thing!
It should take no more than a couple of hours and can set you apart from everyone else!
Here is what your list could look like: What makes you unique/stand out above other applicants? Why does someone with little experience want this job? What type of education/training did you receive in school?
If done correctly, this can be a great time saver, allowing us to focus more on getting the job instead of studying for it!!
By creating a list of possible questions, we are giving ourselves the best chance to answer them and prepare for any curveballs that might be thrown our way!
Search job postings online.
Even though it’s obvious, searching for jobs online is a must-have for any job seeker! The trick is knowing where to look because there are so many websites that claim they have the best job postings. They might be good resources for some people, but others may not find anything at all! So it’s important to try different avenues, play around with keywords and see what is most effective when searching!!
For example, using “entry-level marketing jobs” can yield excellent results depending on your location! It just takes a little experimenting to figure out how you should refine your search terms to get even more specific about what type of role or company you’re looking for.
Using vague phrases like “marketing roles” won’t help us narrow down our search enough, making finding opportunities very time-consuming! Searching for specific terms that are relevant to the role we want allows us to find more opportunities in less time!
Just remember, if a website seems sketchy or unreliable, then stay away from it because there is no point wasting our time on websites that will not help with our job search. We have enough going against us already, so why add something else?
Some of the best job search websites include:
- LinkedIn (for those who want to work in the corporate world)
- Indeed (lots of job postings and very reliable!)
- Career Builder
- Zip Recruiter
By searching online, we will be able to find a plethora of jobs that match our skillset, which can help us stay on top of what’s available and remain competitive with other applicants.
Conclusion.
The strategies in this guide are designed to help you find your dream job.
Let us know if any of these tips have helped you land the perfect position! We would love to hear from our readers and learn about how they found their success with these ten tactics for landing a job. What strategy has worked best for you?
Gabrielle J. Smith is a Human Resources professional, writer, blogger, and mother of three. One of her hobbies is educating herself (and others) about job hunting and resume writing. She has helped many people through her career and continues to share knowledge with the masses in order to help them gain meaningful employment. One of Gabrielle’s favorite subjects is what she has coined “resume tricks,” and she says there are many of them. She has been blogging for the last four years, and her advice has been featured on many important sites in order to help job seekers in their searches. Gabrielle’s advice is always sound and to the point, and she shows no sign of slowing down.