Job search is tiring I know, if you are part of the people who have tried different job search strategies but none has worked, don\’t give up too early. No job search strategy is one and done. You may have to keep trying other means or keep targeting different people, companies, and locations until you yield results.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There are tons of job search tips available, try a few at a time to see how well each works for you and if you don\’t even know where to begin, I will share a few tips to begin your job search in this post.
- Self-exploration: Start with some self-exploration, figure out what you enjoy and what will be a good fit with your interests, experiences, and personality. Sometimes it’s a struggle especially if you are a recent graduate and you are unsure what you want to do with your life, but knowing what you want (even if it changes later) helps you begin your job search. An effective way to start is by outlining your interests and skills. A self-assessment test like Myer Briggs may also give you a rough idea of what you might be interested in.
- Use your network or circle: Job boards can be great but let that not be your only strategy. How about you start with your network. Charity begins from home, isn’t that the popular adage? So yes, begin from home. Tell your family and friends about your job search. I have come across many pieces of research, one says 85% of all jobs are filled via networking, another shows that 70% of people found a job through connections in a company. That shows that relationships can help you land your dream job and that knowing someone at a company can be a great way to get your leg in the door.
- Get your career documents in order: All job applications start with a CV, at the very least, therefore prepare a CV if you are a recent graduate or brush up your current CV if you are an experienced hire. If you want more help with writing a functional CV that gets interviews, I’d recommend reading this post, the post also provides you with a simple ATS friendly template.
- Utilise your LinkedIn account: Once you finish updating your CV, create a LinkedIn account and update it. Once that is done, follow, connect or engage Recruiters. Recruiters are not your personal talent agents but they have clients (corporates, MSMEs, etc.) who pay them to fill open roles. One of the best ways to work with Recruiters is to find ones whose clients hire for the positions you are interested in. You can also connect with a Recruiter that shares an opening by sending a brilliant branding statement. Please note, this is not the time to waste the Recruiter’s time, ensure you really meet the job requirements before you connect with them or send them a message.
In conclusion, there is no one best way to go about a job search so keep working from various angles. If you are currently employed one way to improve your job search is to keep an exhaustive list of your professional accomplishments, the training you’ve completed, the results you’ve achieved on projects, the positive impacts of your actions at work, etc. These things will help shape your outlook on the future, restore confidence during trying times, and build your CV because you won\’t have to punch your head to remember how awesome you really are.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Follow the 4 steps above, and you’ll find that your job search will be easier and get a more positive result and no matter what happens, do not stop searching.