Are you floundering or unable to get started on your job search? Have you gotten off track, or lost your motivation? Whether you’re looking for a new job, transitioning into a new field or looking for your first job… you need to stay clear and have a well thought-out strategy. Here are 5 Practical Tips for Conducting an Effective Job Search:
You can’t conduct a job search until you’ve searched yourself. How do you envision your worklife? What are the environments in which you shine, the interests that excite you, your innate skills and talents? If you don’t have a clear sense of who you are then your prospective employer won’t either. Try to identify what you truly need and want. Once you can define yourself then your strategies will become clear and actionable.
We’re in a very niche marketplace today. You can’t be all things to all people. Positioning is crucial. If your target is wrong, everything everything else will be wrong. Knowing your target means knowing what industry, what function, and what job title you’re searching for within that industry. For example, “marketing” is not focused enough. Is it marketing manager, marketing communicaton, product marketing, integrated marketing? The more specific you are the more effective your search will be.
Your summary statement is the most important part of your resume. It presents the key points about you and creates focus for your resume. What are the most important points you want to get across? The summary statement sets the theme for your target and objectives. If you’re having difficulty writing one then it might mean you’re having difficulty focusing.
While the Internet provides a world of information and multitude of job sites, we often underestimate the traditional sources of search venues: trade publications, industry associations, job boards, job fairs, alumni associations and, still the most important of all: networking. Additionally, commercial job sites like monster and hotjobs have become over-crowded and over-used. You can’t rely on them alone.
What is stopping you from getting started? Is it lack of confidence about your skills; gaps in your background? Lacking focus? Afraid of rejection? You need to go directly to the problem that you’re having, so you can deal with it. By identifying your barriers, you’re in a better position to work through them. A job search is a very difficult and demanding process. It’s important to stay motivated and the best way to stay motivated is to know that your job target truly fits your personality and your abilities. Having a clear vision and the right strategy will keep you on track and ultimately result in a more successful job search. If you need guidance in any phase of your job search please feel free to call me. I will be happy to help with any aspect of your search from positioning, to strategizing, to networking to resumes.