Top 5 Job Search Tips
When launching a job search, consider these five tips on making the search as smooth as possible. Like dating, a job search is an emotional process with ups and downs. These tips give you a compass by which you can calibrate your search to your needs, manage your emotions and keep going when you lose steam.
Top 5 Job Search Tips:
Create human connections
Your job search is all about securing a job. Preferably not any job but a job that aligns with your financial goals, professional interests and personal values. At the end of the day, human connection is what provides the job offer. What does mean this in the scope of your job search? That means that your role is to reach out to people so you can create a professional connection. Connect with people through a variety of methods and places such as:
Linkedin
Email
Online communities
Networking events
You will secure a job offer through talking with people in companies or people who can connect you with recruiters or hiring managers at companies, so focus on creating human connections through calls with people who can educate, refer, or otherwise support you in getting in front of recruiters and hiring mangers.
Communicate your values and interests
When connecting with humans during your job search, it’s important to be vocal about your professional interests and personal values. The more you discuss what kind of work is interesting for you, the better both you and the person interviewing you, can determine if the role and company is a fit. Working for someone is a two way relationship: the manager wants a motivated team and you want to be involved in work that is interesting for you. So when you communicate your values and interests, the right opportunities emerge.
It would be a waste of time and money for a company to hire someone that will want to leave in a few months, and similarly on your end, working for a company that makes you unsatisfied and doesn’t match your interests, will result in a poor work experience.
Speak up when speaking with people about:
what work you want to do
how you want to do this work
any personal values that are relevant to your job search.
Treat all feedback as a win
Receiving feedback means that a person took the time to review something and reply to you. Even is the reply is negative, it’s still a form of feedback that can be used in evaluating your progress. So anytime you get feedback is a win for you! Feedback can come in many forms:
Interview feedback
Technical interview feedback
Rejection notifications
Requests for interviews
Requests for take-home test
Always ask for feedback after interviews. You can even check-in at the end of answering questions during interviews by asking your interviewer, “Did that answer your question?”. Do your best to get feedback at all points of the interviews and especially when you get rejections. Feedback from rejections can be a useful tool in evaluating the job search process. Use all feedback as a tool for moving onward with your job search.
Treat your job search like a sales process
Just like a sales person can reach out to multiple leads over and over, you can do so as well with the job opportunities. If getting a job offer is the ultimate outcome, then there are various steps leading to this outcome, one of them being calls with recruiters and hiring managers. These people are your ‘leads’.
It’s recommended to reach out people from companies you are interested in via Linkedin, Email or other online communities. But what if they don’t respond the first time? Message them again. A simple message in the format of a ‘check-in’ can be a easy way to start a conversation if they haven’t responded the first time.
Every sales process follows a pipeline. In terms of a job search, create your own pipeline by keeping track of your applications, persons you contacted and stages of your contact (ex. person responded, completed initial interview, etc.) Also, important to note is that warm leads are more valuable than cold leads, so reach out to your network and online communities to seek referrals and connections to people at companies when possible.
Take breaks to recharge
The job search process can be exhausting. One day you feel motivated and excited but the next you feel unable to send a message request. Recognize moments when a break is a better use of your time than scrolling through another job board. Create systems where you feel proud of your job search and still make time to take care of your needs and interests. Making time to take walks, cook food, engage in personal interests, is vital to your wellbeing. The right opportunities don’t show up if you’re exhausted. Take breaks throughout the week to provide space to engage with the world outside your job search.
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