Spring has come and gone, however, it is never too late to do a little spring cleaning to spruce up your job search. I hope this post will give your job search a shiny new feel.
As an aside, I don’t vacuum our house… ever. Yes, I’ll do dishes and sweep up crumbs, but other than that, you really won’t see me doing any other significant cleaning. Thank goodness I have a husband who loves to clean. Well, maybe he doesn’t love it all that much, but he realizes if he doesn’t do it, the house would be over-run with dinosaur-sized dust balls. It just isn’t a priority of mine. Nor am I very good at it because I don’t do it often enough to develop these skills.
I confess this because looking for a job is something most of us don’t like and/or don’t want to do. Additionally, you probably don’t do it often enough to get good at it!
If you aren’t skilled at it and you don’t have a passion for doing it, well, you’ve seen what. Read on and find tips that will help you to develop useful skills that will increase your knowledge and ability to job search better!
1) Use the right tool for the job.
You’ve heard the saying before…use the right tool for the job. LinkedIn could be one of the best tools for you to use to grow and nurture your network! Build your profile and figure out how to use this tool. It allows you to stay connected with your past coworkers, supervisors, clients and vendors (no matter where they go), it allows you to develop an online presence which you control, it allows you to connect with others in your field, AND you might just get found if you are using the right keywords.
Get more tips on updating your LinkedIn profile by reading Is Your LinkedIn Profile Awesome?
2) Polish your resume for every job you apply to.
A resume that doesn’t explain why you are qualified for a specific job won’t capture the reader’s attention. Customize your cover letter AND create a shiny resume for each job. Think about it, no two job postings are exactly the same, so why would you use the exact same resume?
3) Scour the news, not the job boards.
Instead of focusing (obsessing) on the job boards, spend more time collecting leads from the news. Look for announcements of new contracts, changes in leadership, new job announcements and listen to what people you know are saying. You want to develop a proactive job search strategy, not a reactive one (where all you do is apply to jobs posted on job boards).
Learn some tips to easily get industry news: A Super Simple Way To Get Your News
4) Disinfect your interview answers
Practice, practice, practice your answers out loud. Ask for honest feedback from people you respect. Use a webcam or video camera to record yourself. You can use these common interview questions to start off.
5) Whistle while you work.
Keep a healthy and positive outlook (easier said than done, I know) but, frustration, anger, and depression all have a way of seeping into conversations. Whistle a song or two and see what happens.
Read about how to have a healthy mindset: Take This Job And Love It
What are you going to do to clean up your job search?
Sometimes, it takes more than a little spring cleaning to make things sparkle!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
