Do you want to continue your costly, time consuming and exhausting struggle in a frustrating job search using weak and ineffective tools that get you nowhere? Today’s job market is wildly competitive and there are few high-paying or desirable jobs available. With repeated downsizing, companies have learned to survive on less.
Mediocrity has no place in your job search process. To be a gamer among the large pool of job seekers, you need an edge, a unique compelling edge.
To be successful, you must stand out from the crowd. You must use search strategies that put you well above the competition. You must possess knowledge and skills in your area of expertise and know how to demonstrate it to the world. You may be the best candidate for a position, but someone better qualified to interview gets the offer.
Here are the strategies you should use to conduct a successful job search:
1. Determine your most suitable career
You need to sit down and assess your talents, strengths, and core competencies, as well as what it is that you really want to do. It may not be enough for you to have a skill set in a particular area if you don’t have the desire to move in that direction. To be a successful career builder and have a fulfilling career, find your passion and do what you love. If you don’t, no amount of money will satisfy you.
2. Take advantage of your skills to the highest possible level
You may be a design engineering guru, a top marketer, or a graphic design genius, but unless you know how to present your talents, on your resume and during your interviews, your experience will go unnoticed. You should also present your skills to the right person. A candidate weaker than you will pull you out of an opportunity just because you spoke directly to the hiring manager while discussing your candidacy with someone in human resources. It is not always the best candidate who receives the offer.
3. Set yourself apart from your competition
With up to nine hundred candidates responding to a posted job offer, it’s easy to get lost in the vast sea of job seekers. You must learn to stand out from the crowd. Creating an attention-grabbing resume is a good start. You must also learn to prepare and be successful in interviews. Taking advantage of the hidden job market and networking are by far the most effective strategies for finding the right opportunities and getting ahead of the competition.
4. Create an attention-grabbing resume
One of the best ways to achieve this is to clearly lay out your value proposition, your strengths, and several uniquely defined differentiators that set you apart from your competition. Add to that a well-crafted set of accomplishments that incorporate three critical factors – the extraordinary task you accomplished, how you accomplished it, and the results – and you have the foundation for a winning resume.
5. Write a captivating cover letter
Your cover letter is critical to your success. Sets the tone. It is read before your resume and includes vital information about you that every potential employer needs. If you don’t have a cover letter, or if you have one that is poorly written, you are setting yourself up for failure. Knowing the crucial elements of a cover letter is imperative to moving your candidacy forward.
6. Take advantage of the hidden job market
Job postings represent only a small percentage of all available openings. Seventy-five percent of the positions are in the hidden or unannounced job market. Unless you are tapping into this hidden sector of the market, you will not be truly successful. Networking is an activity that will lead you to unknown opportunities. Posting your resume on top job sites is another. It will expose you to employers and recruiters looking for candidates on these sites to fill their unannounced positions.
7. Network to get to your next job
Networking takes communication to a whole new level. It’s more about who knows you than who you know. Rather than specifically asking someone you know for a job, you should communicate your unique qualities. Networking produces results that are quite amazing. Approximately 80% of jobs are filled through networks. There are countless opportunities; it is through a concerted and committed networking effort that jobs are found.
8. Establish proper relationships with recruiters.
Recruiters don’t work for you; their loyalty is to their client, the employer who has hired them to find the best candidate for an unannounced position. Recruiters are in business to help companies find people, not the other way around. However, you can formulate an approach to working with them. A good strategy is to gain visibility by posting your resume on top career sites where recruiters are looking for candidates for unannounced positions. You can also use referrals as a way to meet with a recruiter and receive preferential treatment.
9. Prepare and have successful interviews
Be prepared to talk about your worth and accomplishments. You must understand the core responsibilities of the position. Research the company thoroughly. Find out as much as you can so that you can ask the right questions and have a successful interview. Take the time to answer the interviewer’s questions and be concise. Personality is ninety percent of the battle, so be sure to establish rapport with your interviewer. Request the offer before the end of the interview. After the interview, send a thank you letter.
10. Learn the art of negotiating offers.
Offer negotiations are an integral part of your job search process. Negotiating is an opportunity to get what you really want and deserve. It’s a way to significantly raise your standard of living and sense of self, simply by taking stock of what you have to offer and then capitalizing on it to negotiate a higher starting point. Thousands of dollars can be added to your compensation along with signing bonuses, additional vacations, profit sharing, and more. What you receive now becomes your point of reference for future positions. Go for what you are worth, your life will never be the same again!
You can put time back on your side by following my tips for your success, which encompass all the tools and resources you will need for an enriching journey and a successful career. Enjoy your dream job and write your unique ticket to the next phase of your professional life!
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