It can be daunting to enter the job market and sell yourself to hiring managers and potential employers. On top of that, now, you have to beat a tricky applicant tracking process. So, if you are starting your job search, here are some steps to help you get your affairs in order and portray yourself as an attractive candidate in your job application.
Step 1. Review Your Accomplishments or Unique Proposition
The first thing you should do to get ready for your job search is to be clear about what you are offering. Those with some experience will want to look at your accomplishments and the ability to showcase your skills to recruiters. On the other hand, if you are a student or a fresh graduate, you will want to highlight your internships or the specializations that you majored in. If you are unsure how to do it, you can search for professional resume writing services near me and consult a career advice expert who can help you craft a winning resume. This can help you present yourself as an attractive applicant, sometimes even better than you could have imagined.
Step 2: Brainstorm What Type of Job You Want
Many job seekers enter the market looking for positions without a clear idea of what they want to do. This is especially crucial for students or fresh graduates, as the first job you take on can define the rest of your career. Moreover, according to recruiting firms, skipping this step is one reason why many people fail their interviews because they cannot explain why they want the job or how it interests them. Even if you are simply looking for the top highest paying jobs, you should have a reason behind it. Employers are not looking to hire someone who is desperate and will accept any role they are offered. Instead, each hiring manager wants to find a productive employee who has a clear direction about their career and is targeting a specific role. This will also help narrow your job search to the roles that appeal to you rather than wasting your energy on positions that you don’t want.
Step 3: Customize Your Resume
There is no need to mention that the second step is to create your resume because it is already obvious. However, one thing that many job applicants overlook is the importance of tailoring your resume for the specific roles you are applying for. This is important because many companies use resume-scanning software to filter out irrelevant applications and save the recruiter’s time. While you do not necessarily have to redo your resume from scratch every time, you will want to include some keywords that you find in the job posting. Moreover, you can change the job descriptions of your internships or previous positions to make them more in line with the next position you are seeking. Such an approach will allow you to beat bots and get more interviews.
Step 4: Include a Cover Letter
Although not every job post requires you to include a cover letter, it can be a crucial element in helping you land an interview or even land a job. A tailored cover letter helps explain your situation better to the recruiter. For instance, you might have learned something during your college project that is more valuable to the position. Or you might have a gap in your resume because you traveled abroad. Despite what you might think, cover letters still carry a lot of weight.
Step 5: Update Your LinkedIn
LinkedIn plays a vital role in today’s job market. In fact, 98% of recruiters these days scan LinkedIn to find their ideal candidate. The applicant tracking system scours through profiles and suggests which LinkedIn profile is more matching to the specific requirements of a job. This means that your LinkedIn profile should be like your resume. Use bullet points and include accomplishments here too. You might also want to use keywords related to the future roles you’d like to occupy. Lastly, do not forget to upload a decent profile photo that aligns with your professional goals.
Step 6: Mind Your Online Presence
These days, most hiring managers look through your social media profiles before they offer you a job. This includes everything from LinkedIn to platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and even TikTok. If there is anything on these pages that you think will affect your chances of getting a job, you will want to remove them. And if you have doubts, just go ahead and set your profile to private. That said, if you are in a creative field or writing business, you can also use social media networks as your portfolio.
Step 7: Network, Network, Network
Yes, you can limit your job search to online career portals, apply for jobs, and wait around. Or you can take a more active approach and start spreading the word that you are looking for a job. Of course, this would depend on your strategy. Nevertheless, as it goes, the more people you know, the more opportunities will come in your way. We recommend that you do not wait around until you start a job search to begin networking. Instead, you should be taking advantage of all available career resources to contribute to your future success. These days, you can even find email templates that will let you reach out to someone or set up casual meet-ups. These professional relationships might come in handy later. Also, check out webinars and virtual events related to your field, which are designed specifically to encourage networking. This way, you don’t even have to feel awkward to initiate a conversation with someone.
Conclusion
The career market has become more flexible these days. While relevant work experience is certainly great, recruiters and employers are also willing to consider job seekers with skills that transfer well to different jobs. In other words, you should think of how you can draw upon your past experiences to demonstrate how they are suitable for the desired role if you need to choose the right resume service visit https://top-resume-reviews.com/. Lastly, remember that job hunting is a long process, so do not let the stress get to you!
