The single biggest reason many job
searches become extended is failure to get good professional help early in the
search. Financial, emotional and personal relationships often suffer as a
result.
Maintaining sanity comes from
balancing work and free time. And free time won't occur unless the elements of
work are planned, organized, prioritized and conducted well.
Here are some thought starters. An
effective job search requires learning how to to market and sell yourself.
Selling the benefits of hiring you is quite different from selling the product
or service of a company.
There are five components to marketing
and selling yourself: Strategy, Tactics, Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn
Profile. Any of these that are not properly prepared for may cause an extended
search.
What strategy is
appropriate for you?
- You could broadcast your resume widely to as many companies you can think of.
- Or you could target specific companies. This is most appropriate for professionals and those who have a specific industry or discipline they wish to pursue.
- You could also do a combination of the two approaches, in which case you need to understand the potential impact on the search tactics you may want to use.
What tactics will
you use? The tactics to consider are:
- Using Job boards: How should you use job boards for the strategy you choose?
- Using Recruiters: Should you use a recruiting firm? Do you understand how recruiters work, how they can help, how they can hurt you? There is an important relationship between using a recruiter and a broadcasting that could hurt you.
- Networking: How and where should you network? What approaches work, don't work?
- Hiring Managers: Do you understand what motivates them to want to interview you? Do you know how to find out who the hiring manager is and how to reach out directly to him or her ? Do you understand how to get past the gatekeepers? This is the most effective search tactic regardless of which search strategy you use
- Interviewing: Are you prepared for different types of interviews? Do you understand the different categories of questions that may be asked? Are you prepared to answer the tough questions?
- Salary Negotiating: When salary comes up, how will you answer? Do you know how to negotiate compensation?
Resume and Cover Letter: Writing proficiency is crucial in creating
professional collateral marketing documents. So is understanding how managers are
motivated by resumes and what they look for.
- Do you understand how to write a resume or cover letter that will generate interviews?
- Do you know how to write documents that will differentiate you from your competition?
- Are you a proficient writer with a strong command of grammar, spelling, punctuation and resume organization?
- Are you current on what is considered 'best practices' in contemporary resumes?
- Can you craft a cover letter that is not boring and mundane like everyone else's?
- Do you understand how to write a resume that is compatible with ATS parsing software?
LinkedIn Profile: LinkedIn is the most powerful inbound marketing tool for
you, and it is FREE! What could be better?
- Do you understand how to write it in a way that it works for you while you conduct your search?
- Do you know how to use the many tools available to you on LinkedIn?
To be sure, job hunting is never simple. Today
competition is extreme and there are more pitfalls than in the past. One
thing that hasn't changed though is stress level. It's important
to maintain a balance between your "job search" job and your
life. Therefore it is important to plan and execute your search
efficiently and effectively. If you can achieve daily goals you will feel that
you have free time to recreate.
Professional help in planning and executing
your job search is a remedy that can help you achieve a balanced life while searching
for that next opportunity.
Get more info at bit.ly/1TEqj93. Get a FREE resume assessment today! Send your resume to kl@hoochresumes.com. Then let's talk, no obligations!