Developing an Effective Job Search Strategy
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Developing a Job Search Strategy
A job search strategy is really nothing more than a detailed plan to guide your actions when executing your job search campaign. This plan should clearly articulate the vision of exactly what type of job you are planning to get and the specific actions and tactics you plan to utilize in the process. You need to choose the specific tactics that align well with your personality, career goals, target job markets and time frame.
A solid job search strategy is a step-by-step action plan that you can use to effectively accomplish your job search goals. If well designed and executed, it will lead you from where you are now (unemployed or unhappy in your current job) to your dream job. A scatter-gun or haphazard approach to job search is not appropriate for today’s job market. 2 https://www.dream-jobs.org
Developing a Job Search Strategy
Without a clear vision, well-mapped plan and strategic approach, it’s more likely that you’ll end up feeling frustrated, disappointed or disillusioned. Ensuring that your efforts are guided by a clearly defined and well-rounded strategy will bring a degree of direction, focus and discipline to your overall job search campaign. Providing clear answers to the following questions will help you determine the strategies you will use to achieve your ultimate goal. Developing Your Strategy: It is important to clearly define the tactics and strategies you’ll be using to search for your dream job. What will be your primary methods of searching for your dream job? What platforms will you use? What parties will be involved in the process? What are the top 5-10 organizations with whom you’re most interested in working? What are top 5 organizations you have some interest in working How can you look more like a great potential colleague rather than a desperate job seeker? How will you measure success?
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Developing a Job Search Strategy
Defining What You’re Looking For: It’s important to define your search criteria so that you are completely clear about what it is you’re looking for. Common search criteria include: Geographic location. Aligned with workplace strengths. Connection to interest/passion. Fit with work values. Compatible with personality. Job Search Tools These include the tools you’ll be using to demonstrate your unique value to potential employers. All-star LinkedIn profile targeted to the specific industry. Value-based resume aimed at a specific industry and employer. Strong personal brand. User-friendly portfolio. Compelling cover letter aimed at a specific employer. Attractive social media profiles. Relevant qualifications including degrees and certifications. Honors and awards. Transcripts Volunteer work. LinkedIn recommendations. https://www.dream-jobs.org
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Developing a Job Search Strategy
Defining What You’re Looking For: It’s important to define your search criteria so that you are completely clear about what it is you’re looking for. Common search criteria include: Geographic location. Aligned with workplace strengths. Connection to interest/passion. Fit with work values. Compatible with personality. Job Search Tactics and Strategies Your personal branding and job search efforts must be focused on building trust with your target audience. Your target market include the recruitment consultants and hiring decision makers that are in a position to help you land your dream job. These are the people to whom you will be directing your job search initiatives. You want to be known by your target audience. More importantly, you want them to like and trust you. You do that by building a strong and impressive personal brand, and interacting and building relationships with them. Aim to apply for a fixed number of desirable jobs on a daily basis. According to the law of averages, the more targeted jobs you choose to apply for, the higher the rate of positive returns you will receive. 2 https://www.dream-jobs.org
Developing a Job Search Strategy
For example, if you submit a quality application for 30 targeted jobs within a period of two weeks, you can expect to get at least 10 interviews and at least two job offers. Keep your expectations realistic by only applying for jobs that you’re trained or qualified to do. Applying for jobs for which you’re not qualified will confuse your target audience. Decide what is realistic for someone with your credentials, qualifications, skillset and experience, and stay within those parameters. Create a list of the job titles and 5–10 organizations with whom you are most interested in working. These organizations should get the vast majority of your attention. Aim to apply for at least one job that is perfect for you, every day. If your resume is tightly targeted to a specific job role such as search engine optimization, you will only need to customize your cover letter for each job you apply to. Every time you customize your cover letter or resume, it is important to save each revised version of the document with the name of the company in the title of the document so you don't get things mixed up. So, if you've applied for a customer service manager position with Virgin Media, you'd save that version of your cover letter and resume as customer-service-manager-Virgin in a specific folder.
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Job Search Platforms Online Job Boards Online job boards are websites where job seekers and prospective employers can connect. They include sites such as Monster, JobServe, Dice, Indeed, HotJobs.com, etc. They make it easy to find jobs in any niche, and are used heavily by job seekers as well as recruiters looking for suitable candidates. However, anxiously waiting for recruiters to call you is not the way to go. The main problem with online job boards is they are used by millions of job seekers, and it can be very difficult to direct your resume to a named individual or to follow up after responding to a job posting because of the huge response that employers receive. This is why job seekers who use online job boards generally have a 4-10% success rate. Professionals who tend to be successful with online job boards tend to be engineers and healthcare professionals. If you will be using online job boards as part of your job search strategy, avoid wasting time by focusing on just a few carefully chosen employment sites. Here are the largest, well-established job boards: Monster Indeed LinkUp Career Builder Dice Usajobs.gov Vault JobsAhead https://www.dream-jobs.org
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Job Search Platforms Here are important steps to take when using an online job board as part of your job search strategy: Register with all the major online job boards that match your job-search requirements and industry. Create a presence on the smaller, industry-specific job boards that cater to your field. Create a strong personal keyword-optimized profile for each site you’ll be using. Your profile should include all of your relevant information including your personal branding statement, employer-focused resume that highlights your accomplishments and the value you bring. Use job alerts to get notifications when job vacancies that meet your criteria become available. Use JibberJobber to track exactly where you’ve sent your resume, and what jobs you’ve applied for. Keep a log of your research and activities so you know whom you’ve called, when and next steps. Make sure your online profiles are up-to-date and easy to find. Avoid registering on shady career job boards that entice you to submit credit card information.
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