Searching for a new job can be overwhelming, especially when the search for a job stretches on for a long time. Between preparing your resume, crafting cover letters, and jumping through interview hoops, embarking on a job search can be one of the most frazzling and anxiety-ridden parts of modern adult life.
If you’re on the hunt for a new job, or facing the prospect of embarking on a job hunt, use these tips to streamline the search. This will not only make your job search more manageable, but could hopefully shorten the duration as well.
1) Treat a Job Search as Your New Full Time Job
You must treat finding a job as if it were your full time job. So you need a place to work where you can concentrate without distractions. Along the same lines you need to work full time hours. When you get laid off it is too easy to get into the habit of staying up late and then “sleeping in”. If you are going to be successful you need to be organized and spend your “work hours” creating a resume ( and then constantly tweaking it), seeking out potential employers, submitting resumes, interviewing and following up.
2) Be Selective
You should definitely apply to any job you feel you’re qualified for, but you only have so much time and energy to devote to job searching, so don’t waste any of it by applying for jobs you know you have no chance of even being interviewed for. Be realistic, but don’t sell yourself short, either. If you’re missing one or two of the qualifications asked for in the job posting, you might still have a chance of getting an interview, because companies know they may not find a candidate with all of the experience and skills they’re looking for. But if you’re missing several of the company’s desired qualifications, move on to the next job.
Apply this strategy to interviewing, too, so you don’t waste your time interviewing for a job that pays significantly less than your desired salary, offers fewer opportunities for advancement, or is otherwise not advanced enough for your skill set. Be honest when interviewers ask about your desired salary range, and if they don’t ask, don’t be afraid to ask the salary range during an initial phone screening. This might put off some employers, but most will understand that you need a certain salary or certain benefits and don’t want to waste theirs or your time by interviewing for a position that can’t compensate you as you require.
3) Use Your Network
Many people get jobs through personal or professional connections, whether it’s finding out about an opportunity from a friend or professional contact, or getting someone you know at a company to put in a good word for you to the hiring manager. Find out who you know at the companies you’d like to work for, and have them refer you to the hiring manager in charge of filling your desired position. Have your contact introduce you to others at the company, and then have those people introduce you to more coworkers, until you’ve befriended the people you need to befriend.
4) Consider Outplacement Counseling
If you’ve been laid off and your company offers outplacement counseling, you should make the most of it. Outplacement companies offer job search counseling for laid-off workers that includes resume and cover letter help, practice interviewing, and access to recruiters and job postings. Some outplacement services providers even give you an office to go to in the morning, a desk to sit at, and a phone to use, although at the other end of the spectrum, many outplacement services providers these days are providing much of their career counseling virtually, through online seminars and web portal resources. Outplacement counseling can be very helpful, especially if you’ve been off the job market for a long time; it can help you update your job search techniques and knock the rust off your interviewing skills.
5) Cultivate a Zen Frame of Mind
One of the most difficult parts of the job search is wondering what’s going on with your application for that great-sounding job you really want, or fretting about how well your interview really went. This kind of worry can drive you nuts, and leave you checking your phone every 10 minutes for a call that might never come. It can even drive many job seekers to follow up too eagerly and too often, which can annoy hiring managers.
Instead of letting the state of your application eat away at you, wash your hands of it mentally as soon as you send it in. Relinquish control of the outcome of your application or interview; try telling yourself that you probably won’t get a call anyway. That way, if you do get one, you’re pleasantly surprised, but either way, your peace of mind remains intact.
6) Milk Your Online Presence
Cultivating a strong online presence can be a great way to network with others in your industry, and perhaps make the connection that will lead to your next job. It also gives you an opportunity to tell potential employers much more about yourself than you can put on a resume or squeeze into a cover letter. Employers today look all of their potential job candidates up online, so you can use a LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, personal website, blog, and other online resources to build credibility as an expert in your industry, give a more complete picture of your skills and experience, and give potential employers a more well-rounded picture of who you are as a professional and a job candidate.
If you’re searching for a new job, or about to start, try not to let the prospect overwhelm you. Job hunts are stressful for everyone, but with these tips, you’ll soon be settling into your newest position.
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