Have you just started job searching and feel overwhelmed? Not sure where exactly to start? Or, maybe you’ve been job hunting for a while, and now your search has gone from stellar to stagnant?
You’re not alone. Developing and maintaining forward momentum in your job hunt is difficult!
Yes, we all know you should shoot for the moon, and if you miss you’ll still land in the stars. But it’s hard to do this if you don’t have the rocket fuel to propel you upward. So here are a few specific steps guaranteed to fuel your job search and take your hunt to new heights.
1. Network Now
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know — and all too often that makes the difference between getting a job or not. The misconception here is that you need to be part of a well-connected family or part of an exclusive industry group to get the inside scoop on jobs. It’s true that it helps to know someone to get your foot in the door at a particular company, but that doesn’t require a prestigious legacy or lineage.
Networking can be as simple as having coffee with an old colleague. Here are five actionable networking tasks that will boost your job search immediately:
- Every day comment or post on LinkedIn.
- Every week reach out to two professional contacts.
- Every week schedule coffee or lunch with a mentor or industry connection.
- Every month attend one industry social or trade event.
- Every month attend one informational interview at a company of interest.
2. Tailor Your Resume
Modern job hunting faces new hurdles, and the applicant tracking system (ATS) is the bane of many people’s existence. Recruiters and HR hiring managers use this software to filter resumes by keywords and phrases. That means it’s absolutely essential for you to tailor your resume for each job you apply for.
To succeed at this, you must do a deep dive into the job description and company website. This will offer you plenty of insight into what phrases to include on your resume. However, this can be incredibly time consuming, so savvy job seekers are using Jobscan to do the work for them.
Jobscan lets you run your resume against the job description and gives you a percentage match along with actionable tips for refining your resume before you submit it to the employer. Here are the simple steps:
- Past resume and job description into Jobscan.
- Note the match rate (should be 80 percent or higher).
- Review the report to see where your resume shined and where it needs help. Note additional insight on hard skills, soft skills and keywords before revising.
3. Build a Support Network
Surrounding yourself with the right people can really give you the mindset to succeed. This includes in your professional and personal life. Communicate needs with family and make sure they offer you the time, love and support you need. If you have a mentor, this person can be one of your biggest cheerleaders during your job search efforts.
To create an unbreakable support system, consider hiring a career coach to work with you through all the ups and downs of job searching. What’s more, consider joining a network of other professionals currently job searching to get valuable support and insight. All this (and more!) is available through GetFive’s Career Insider program. As a member, you’ll supercharge your job search momentum through:
- Interactive workshops.
- Small group coaching with a GetFive Certified Career Coach.
- Access to the G5 Hub, which includes live and on-demand webinars, LinkedIn training, and custom search databases.
- Interaction on the private GetFive Members Group on LinkedIn.
By staying positive and following these steps, you’ll experience job search momentum like you’ve never seen before. Start now and you’ll be one step closer to your dream job.
