Effective Job Search

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Jess Dods, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE JOB SEARCH TIPS

The reality is that most of us simply don’t like to look for a job. Job search can mean days and weeks of waiting to hear back from an organization where we have applied. It can also mean the stress of interviewing and presenting yourself in a resume or LinkedIn.

This newsletter will present some tips that career professional have found to be important elements of a successful job search.

In an effective job search, you need to be able to:

1. BE ABLE TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOURSELF

• Your “elevator speech.” This is a one-minute focused introduction that will briefly describe how you can add value to an organization.
• How many years of experience do you have?
• In what areas do you have particular strengths (technical, mechanical, organizational, administrative, management)?
• What are your special skills, languages and technologies?
• If you are not a native, what visa do you hold?

2. CRAFT YOUR PRESENTATION DOCUMENTS

• This can include your exit statement (why did you leave your last job); your resume and cover letters and thank you notes.
• In the current job search world, it is important to have a good LinkedIn profile that goes beyond your resume and provides a more personalized description of you.

3. DEVELOP YOUR MARKETING PLAN

• What are you selling? (skills/accomplishments)
• What industries and companies are in your target market? I suggest creating a list of 25-50 organizations that you are interested in, along with what are your skills and what do you want to do. You can share this with your network.

4. NETWORK

• Talk with people to obtain advice, ideas and referrals.
• Meet with peers and hiring managers inside target organizations.
• Get business cards to leave behind when you network
• Look at meetup.com to find networking events in your area
• Use your LinkedIn connections to make contacts within an organization

5. JOB SEARCH METHODOLOGY

• Use job boards and company websites.
• Use staffing firms, contractors and recruiting agencies.

6. INTERVIEW WITH CONFIDENCE

• Practice does make perfect!
• Link your background to specific tasks and objectives in the job description.
• Develop “accomplishment” stories.
• Practice your answers to traditional and behavioral questions.

ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND: WHAT IS THE THE BEST ANSWER TO: “WHY SHOULD I HIRE YOU?”

Please feel free to contact me with thoughts or questions

Jess Dods
413-977-9273