Job search encompasses a lot of dedicated time and effort to obtain that ideal job. The saying goes that looking for a job is a full-time job, and it is exhausting. That’s when cutting corners comes in, when being burned out may cause an excellent candidate to miss an opportunity. You may overlook deciding to research about the companies you are applying for, and figure if they call you back you can research later.
The Most Important Steps In The Job Search Process Are...
...researching your target company in a few different ways. Researching an employer before, during and after applying is crucial to the job application process because of the impression it gives the employer about you and your work. The information you receive will not only give you guidance but could also land you the job for showing how much you care about the job opening and (more importantly) the business. Here are some places and people to gather information from during your research:
Company Website
Most companies create a corporate website in today’s technological age. The first instinct that a job seeker may have is to skip right to the “Careers” section and start applying. Instead, try starting in the “About Us” section. Any company personnel reviewing resumes, or interviewing candidates, holds the expectation that you have read the information in this section.
“Company, Inc. is one of the leading fashion design and marketing studios in the world. It designs and markets women’s and men’s designer collection apparel and a range of other products that are manufactured and marketed through an extensive network of licensing agreements and other arrangements worldwide.”
A cover letter statement that would complement the above company information would be:
“My resume will demonstrate my extensive experience as a worldwide fashion designer. I believe I can be an asset to Company, Inc., one of the leading fashion design and marketing studios in the world.”
Companies often have mottos, or slogans, that are usually involved in some sort of sales pitch to obtain clients and demonstrate a company goal. These phrases are found on their website or even commercials. When you explain how you can contribute to their company goal using their self-created image, you’ve demonstrated that you’ve done your research.
Company Insiders
Networking is crucial to finding employment as a contact can provide you with a job lead before posted publicly. A contact can also give you information about the company culture so you are better prepared during an interview. Knowing someone who works (or worked) for a company you are interested in is not always easy. However, today’s digital age provides us with social networking tools (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) to connect with individuals. More and more employers are creating accounts on these social media sites that can provide more information about the company.
Search Engines
Typing an employer’s name into a search engine can provide you with an idea about the company’s detailed history, new articles or reviews about performance which can help complete a picture for your job search. You may find negative information that may discourage you to apply as well. Just remember to take everything you’ve learned about the business as a whole and try not to focus on individual sites or content.
ALSO: Don't forget to check the company's financial status.
Is the business making money or on the economic decline? Obtaining a company’s recent financial history is important to know if you’ll be there for a long term career, or just a job. A constant economic decline may signal a worse fate for the company and may not be the type of investment to which you are willing to commit. You can possibly obtain financial information about the employer through newspapers, business websites or even the stock market.
Completing the research aspect of job search involves a lot of reading and analyzing data. When a job seeker sacrifices information gathering to apply for more jobs, it will signal to the employer that you’re not really interested in the opportunity. The interviewer will ask why you are applying for this company, and when you provide a detailed response about corporate mentality and business goals, you stand out as a viable candidate.
Combining thorough research with all of the other job search steps, you can make yourself a front-runner for whatever positions you apply for.
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.