HOW TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH

The success of any job search is determined by whether a job offer is made to an applicant by a hiring company. Nobody is really the business of doing a job hunt just for the fun of it. However, people often time, complain about how they’ve applied for so many positions in various organisation but never got called back. Some people even blame their misfortune on the computerized Automatic Tracking Systems now used for determining the eligibility of candidates by scanning for keywords in their resumes or CVs.

If you are having a hard time getting a job offer from your many applications, then, you’re probably doing one or more things wrongly in each of your applications. It could also be that your job search approach is archaic.

Below are some tips that can help your ace your next job application. NOTE that, although, these tips give you a better knowledge of how you should approach a job search, most of the responsibilities remains on you, the applicant.

Define your job search objective: What exactly are you aiming to achieve in your job search? Are you a newbie looking to jumpstart your career? Are you looking to change companies? Are you looking to change career path? Are you looking for a similar job to your present one but with a better remuneration? Are you in search of a position where you rank higher than your current company ranking? Are you simply looking for a change in work environment?

Once you can outline your objective(s), you can then, tailor your activities towards your job search objectives.

Value proposition: You may assume that writing or updating a resume should be the next, or even the first thing to do. Well, I think not. Your resume or CV shouldn’t be your autobiography. It should contain your skills and abilities and past experiences (if any), among others. A hiring firm is first in the business of what you can do for them. If your skills are good enough for them, they can either probe for more information about you or make you an offer.

Hence, it is important for you to first identify what you can do. List them out on a notepad and build your resume with them. 

Write or update your resume: You want to keep your resume or CV simple and succinct. A hiring manager has about 10 seconds to scan your resume. Use figures to your past success rate, where possible. For instance, saying you increased sales of a product by 83% and profit by 27% will grab your readers attention than simply stating that you increased sales of that product without quantifying the increase.

One mistake many make is using the same resume for different applications – not so good. You may have to emphasize skills in your resume that some employers consider appealing than others.

Have a portfolio: Build your portfolio. Let it consist of briefs of your past projects, top-notch job specific cover letter, resume, and printed recommendations. This gives a lasting first impression about you.

Build your network and online presence: Networking can make a job search easy. Talk to family and friends about your job search – they might know about a job opening that you don’t. Use professional tools like LinkedIn to boost your online presence and improve your connections. Share useful links to articles and let people know what you do and can do. Sell yourself – use LinkedIn, Twitter or a persona website.