Job Search Tips
1. Treat your job search as a full-time job.
Set aside a minimum of six hours a day to participate actively in your own job search. Make sure that family and friends realize that your job search is a job and that you have set hours to perform it each day. Often others will try to impose on that time that needs to be dedicated to finding viable employment.
2. Be positive and proactive in your job search.
Employers value job seekers who take initiative and follow through on whatever they say they are going to do. For example, if in your cover letter you say you will call the employer to answer any questions they may have about your qualifications, do so at the appropriate time. Additionally, when talking about yourself with employers be positive about your prior experiences and upbeat about yourself and your qualifications. Finally, create a support group that is positive and caring about your future and who is there to encourage you when things become challenging.
3. Project a very professional image in your job search.
Everything you do in your job search should be reflective of your best effort, be it in completing an application, resume, cover letter, or interview. Even when leaving off an application or resume, dress in an appropriate manner and realize that you are being evaluated on how you look and act when dropping off that document. Employers often ask the receptionist their “take” on a candidate when interacting with that employee. If you are rude or unfriendly to the receptionist, your chances of being called in for an interview are greatly reduced if not eliminated.
4. Show great determination in your job search.
The name of the game in job is persistence, the willingness
not to give up but to persist when you feel like quitting, when you feel
discouraged, or when you feel less positive about yourself as the duration
of your job search grows. It’s all a question of numbers. The more
time and effort you put into your job search, the quicker you will find
work. Those who succeed best are the individuals who are least afraid
of initial failure.
The job search can be one of the most challenging times in our lives,
so be prepared to feel inadequate and unappreciated at times during that
search, and also be prepared to have a support group to help encourage
and motivate you at when that need arises.
5. Create a network of people you contact regarding your employment goals.
Start with family and close friends then expand to former
co-workers, acquaintances, church or sports team members, and so on. Let
them know what kind of work you are looking for and ask if they know of
anyone who might be helpful to you in creating a job lead or in doing
more research in that field. A
personal reference from a trusted friend or acquaintance can lead you
to a door that would never have been opened otherwise.
6. Realize that you need to take charge of what you can control in your
job search.
You cannot control whether or not an employer hires you,
but you can control how many calls you make to potential employers or
how many resumes you submit either on line or by the post. You can also
control how many people that you network with and how much research you
do in regard to a particular company. You can also control how much you
prepare for an interview. Keep focusing on what is within your power of
influence, not what you can’t control.
7. You need to reward yourself weekly for a job well done in your job
search.
Your reward does not need to be expensive but it does need
to be awarded regularly. That Friday reward could be a walk on the beach,
coffee with a friend, a walk in the woods, a movie night out, etc. Recognize
and congratulate yourself for your hard and persistent work each week.
8. An effective job search is a matter of planning, personal involvement,
willingness to accept help from many resources, and the ability to take
risks.
The job seeker needs to structure each day with a game plan
on how to use that day to best advantage. Have a schedule or routine of
job search activities and follow through on each one. For example, you
might spend two hours a day researching openings on the internet and elsewhere
and then one hour or so sending resumes electronically and by post. You
might spend another hour making cold calls to potential employers and
later take time to perfect a targeted resume and cover letter. In addition,
accept help from others including friends, family, acquaintances, career
counselors—anyone who can point you in the right direction. And,
finally, be willing to take risks in your job search. Job seekers and
life seekers have to expand their comfort zones by risking potentially
fearful
situations. It’s the only way to grow, the only way to become more
than we were before. And we may fail in some of our attempts. But as John
Maxwell relates,
“Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;
It does mean I have learned something.
Failure does not mean I’ve been disgraced;
It does mean I’ve dared to try.
Failure does not mean I don’t have it;
It does mean I have to do something in a different way…”
9. While in your job search expose yourself to successful experiences.
“ It takes five positive experiences to overcome one negative one. When faced with the possibility of failure, our tendency is to sit back and be anxious. Fear is nature’s warning signal to act. We overcome fear by successful action. Nothing motivates us more than constant exposure to success. Start exposing yourself to successful people and experiences. Write down your successes and review them often. Take time daily to congratulate yourself and be thankful for the blessings in your life.” (From “Becoming A More Positive Person” by John Maxwell)