Sitting and staring at your computer won’t get you any closer to finding the right position at the right company. If you’ve recently been displaced, meaning you were affected by a company rightsizing/downsizing, or maybe you decided you just can’t take your job anymore and you quit. Guess what? You are now one of over a million+ people who are open to new opportunities and passively looking or recently unemployed – all are looking for that next best opportunity.
It is important at the onset of your job search to determine what is most important to you when seeking a new role with that “Shiny” new company – do your research. Ask yourself, what is your career mission statement, and does it align with your future company’s mission? Without a well thought out plan it can be a scary world out there. I talk to hundreds of job seekers monthly. The number one thing I hear is “Looking for a job is a full-time job”. My comment to our readers is that it does not have to be, but you do need to move forward and take action that others are not willing to take.
Now more than ever, job seekers need to take control of their job search and become their own recruiter. At the onset of your search, develop and focus on a plan of action. Searching for a job doesn’t have to take you all day every day. Create a daily, weekly, monthly action plan. Very quickly you will begin to identify what action is creating the most traction. Here are a few suggestions to consider at the outset of your job-seeking journey to create the best plan for you:
- Decide how many hours in a day is a reasonable amount of time based on your “life schedule”.
- At the beginning of each week, you could focus on interacting with online job boards and employer websites, filling out profiles/applications.
- Tuesday is a great day to engage with agency recruiters or targeting past alumni.
- Wednesdays could be used to expand your company target list and research new industries and emerging markets – you get the idea….
Do your research – if you are in retail, wholesale, SaaS, fintech, healthcare, manufacturing (to name just a few industry verticals), research resent press releases about the company. What are their values? Are they socially responsible, and what about the hierarchy? Use online resources to understand more about the company and what employees have to say about the organization and management team. I am including a great resource that can help you CHOOSE the Right Career, then Landing the Right Position with the Right Company.
There are hundreds of job boards. Be selective on which job boards you choose. Some of my favorites include, Indeed (most popular), Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Google for Jobs, Monster, Zip Recruiter, Simply Hired and Career Builder. Often you will find the same job posting on multiple sites. If your choice is to post on numerous job boards, you may be bombarded with opportunities that are of no interest to you or are outside your skill set. I remember years ago receiving a call from a recruiter who told me they had the perfect opportunity for me. At the time I was so excited – obviously this recruiter had seen my resume, he knew my area of expertise and skillset…or so I thought. Turns out he was contacting me for a long-hall 18-wheeler truck driving position. SAY WHAT?!
Bottom line: take action, have a plan, work the plan, be selective and do your research. Stay tuned for Part II for more about Time Management…
