Whether you are a graduate looking for your first ‘real” job or an older person looking for a new challenge in a role that is more suited to your skills, chances are you want to secure the new job quickly while also ensuring it is the right role for you.
If that is the case, you need to be smarter when looking for your next job, and below are some tips that will help you with that:
Network your way to a job
If you want to find a role that is well-paid and suited to your skills, and you want to do that fast, then you need to think about networking. Meeting more people, on and offline, who are in the same industry as you/ the industry you want to get into, will make it much easier for you to get a good rile in that sector.
Often, in the world of work, who you know is just as important as what you know, so if you haven’t already, get on LinkedIn and connect with people in your industry, visit forums and join the conversation about your niche, attend work events and conferences and spit your best foot forward to make as good an impression on as many people as possible.
Ask your loved ones too
Of course, letting your friends and family members know that you are looking for a new job can often pay off too. Referrals from existing staff is one of the most common ways people are able to secure new jobs because employers trust their employees, so if they are recommending someone, they will tend to pay attention.
Even if you don’t think friends and family can help you, it is always worth mentioning that you are looking for a job and what kind of role you are looking for because even if they don’t work in your chosen industry themselves, they might know someone who does. Keeping all of your options open is smart.
Get more specific
If you are searching for a particular job in a particular industry, then using generalized job boards is a bad idea because there might not be much if anything that is tailored to your needs, and even if there is, it might not be so easy to find it amongst all of the other stuff.
Using a specialized job portal like QA staffing services for software testing jobs or Art Frankly for creative art-based job roles will vastly increase your chances of stumbling upon the right job roles for you quickly, so you can save time and focus on making applications to companies who know what they want and where to find it.
Send that one company your resume
If there is one, or several, companies that you would love to work for, but you never see any vacancies on any of the job boards you check each day, it is always worth writing a tailored resume and cover letter explaining that you would love to work for the company and outlining your skills and experience, and sending it out to them.
Often, big companies will hire in-house or through different channels than the norm, and by simply showing your enthusiasm for them, it could cut through the normal procedures and help you to get an interview. If nothing comes of it, all you have lost is a small amount of time and the cost of posting your resume.
Research what is out there
Many of us have a good idea of what we would like to do each day in our jobs, but many of us do not have a good idea of all the job roles that are out there which would enable us to use those very skills. So, it is always worth researching every inch of the sector you are interested in to find new opportunities and lesser-known job roles that could be crying out for the right person. If you don’t know about a role, chances are many other people won’t and just by taking the tie to find and apply for it, you could make things easier for yourself.
Fake it ‘til you make it
Going for a job you think you are underqualified or under-experienced for? Practice faking it until you make it and you will find bagging that all-important position so much easier.
By being a little more thoughtful about the way you search for your next job, you can increase your chances of finding a job that is the perfect fit for you as soon as possible. I wish you the best of luck.