Searching for a new job can often feel like a full-time job in itself. Job seekers are recommended to spend at least 4 hours on their job search every day if they want to find a new role relatively quickly. Becoming a job search expert will help you to effectively find and apply for new opportunities. With these 7 steps, you will have a new job in no time!
Here’s how you can make your job search run smoothly and effectively:
1. Identify what you want
There is just no point in browsing through opportunities online if you are unsure about what it is that you are looking for. This can lead to you wasting your time reading job descriptions for roles that ultimately are not really for you. Pinpoint and narrow down your key areas of interest to give your job search a clear focus.
If this initial focus is not working out for you then you should reassess your position a little bit further into your job search, but try not to veer off course while you are trying to concentrate on one area.
2. Have your CV at the ready
You should always revisit and update your CV before commencing any new job search. Check that the formatting is clear and that there are no spelling or grammatical errors. There is tons of advice online to help you perfect your CV.
Once you’ve perfected your CV, be sure to upload it to CV-Library so that employers can get in touch with you about relevant jobs!
3. Give yourself a schedule
It can be easy to lose motivation during your job search or simply to get bored and put it off. However, to make your job search effective you do need to treat it like a full-time job. Set yourself a schedule, tell yourself that you are going to start at 9 am, give yourself breaks and decide a finishing time. You could even set yourself some targets for how many jobs you want to apply for that day (remember, quality is better than quantity).
4. Keep yourself motivated
Finding the right opportunity and going through recruitment processes does take time. Rejection is also an inevitable part of looking for new jobs. To keep yourself motivated, try not to take rejection too personally and request feedback from unsuccessful interviews. You need to try your best to maintain a positive attitude because it is only by being persistent that you will land your dream role in the end. A job offer will come!
5. Reply to employers/recruiters promptly
If you receive an email or a voicemail from an employer or a recruiter then it is important to get back in touch with them as soon as possible. Things can move very quickly and you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because you were too slow in getting back to people.
6. Keep a list
Have you ever taken a call from an employer of recruiter and thought to yourself “I have no idea what job this is for…”? It is an awkward situation but an understandable one if you have been applying for a number of roles.
To help you keep track of what roles you have applied for, keep a list. This way you can refer to your list when you are contacted about an opportunity and you will be able to remind yourself of what the job was and what they are looking for.
7. Be interview ready
Your persistence and hard work should be rewarded with invitations to interviews! When conducting your job search you should help yourself be interview ready. Revisiting your applications list and being able to find the job description will help you to prepare for your interview.
It is also important to ensure that you have your interview outfit ready to go, as you never know when you may be invited to an interview with short notice and you may not have time to go out and buy one!
Following these 7 steps should qualify you to be a job search expert! So take note and make your job search as effective and successful as it can be. Good luck!
