Our Top 5 Jobsearch Tips!
5 jobsearch tips to take you to the front of the pack!
As a professional resume writer and career consultant, I quite often hear clients tell me “I have been looking for a job for over 2 months and there is just nothing out there”……. Whilst I understand in some niche industries there are limited job vacancies, there are a lot of jobs “out there” that are just waiting to be found by the right person. Adopting a reactive approach to your job search is still important (i.e. responding to job advertisements), however it is vital that you are proactive as well, to increase your chances of finding a suitable job. Here are some simple job search tips to assist you in finding your ideal role:
- Use more than one online job boards / websites – not all jobs are posted on every online site so you want to ensure you have casted a wide net so to speak. You do not have to look on every job site out there, just the main ones.
- If you can avoid it, when submitting your resume, ensure it is in Word format, not PDF. Some systems used by recruiters are not able to retrieve information contained within PDF documents, or those with lots of tables for that matter.
- Always attach a cover letter (no longer than 3⁄4 of a page).
- Network, network, network!! Ever heard of the saying “it’s who you know, not what you know”? It sometimes has a lot of truth to it! Look up networking groups that may exist in your industry and related industries and consider joining. Getting to know people in your line of work or industry is a great way to hear about opportunities that are not advertised. Another great way of networking is via LinkedIn.
- Be proactive and approach companies you are interested in with your resume. Create an email or cover letter that explains why you are contacting them and attach a copy of your resume for their records. You never know what opportunities may be available at the time.
Although these are just basic tips, it is amazing how big a difference they can make to someone’s job search. Remember, looking for a new job at times is not an easy task, and require persistence and patience. In addition to the above, I would also strongly recommend getting in touch with 1 – 3 recruiters and being in regular contact with them so that you are at the forefront of their mind regarding particular job opportunities.
Kylie
PS: Remember if you’re not sure your resume is everything it should be, we offer a FREE resume health check service to ensure you’re on the right track.
Kylie Micallef
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