3 Ways to Hack Your Job Search
Whether you’re a recent college grad, or someone looking to transition from one company or industry to another, you know that the job search can be hard. It’s time-consuming to sift through pages and pages of job listings, write multiple cover letters, and fill out those long applications.
After a couple of weeks of this, it can start to feel endless. But the job search doesn’t have to feel like a punishment, in fact it’s exciting to be working towards turning to a new chapter in life! So today we’re sharing three hacks to make your job search more of a breeze and less of a burden.
1. Know Your What
What responsibilities does your desired job include? Oftentimes when people begin job searching, they immediately type in titles. But, if you search for job content instead of job titles, you’ll land on a lot more options actually in line with your interests. For example, instead of looking for “project manager”, pull up a job description that interests you and try using the skills, keywords, and projects that that job includes to search for your own new job. They may have completely different titles, but at the core, you’ll be working in your personal sweet spot when it comes to what you’re getting done. The internet is built to understand and aggregate keywords, so by tapping into the language of its search engines, you’ll be trimming some of the fat in terms of wading through job listings that don’t actually interest you.
2.Know Your Why
Why are you looking for this job? Why are you interested in this industry? What makes you a great fit? You don’t have to have your 10 year plan memorized, but if you’ll find that it’s super helpful to be clear on these specific answers when you’re networking or in an interview. If you’re able to succinctly articulate your why, you’ll find you have much more confidence in the room. You’ll also find that you inspire much more confidence in those who are doing the asking. Beyond the interview, being clear on your why will also help you show up strongly on your resume and in your cover letter. So many people struggle with what to write in a cover letter or turn in the same resume to every single job application. When you’re clear on your why, you’re able to not only tailor your materials to the job you’re applying for, but you’re also able to let your unique personality shine through in order to show what you bring to the table in terms of personal brand.
3. Leverage LinkedIn
LinkedIn is already well known as a social platform for professionals, but you can also take advantage of it by using the site to data mine. What is data mining exactly? Imagine you have a list of jobs or industries that have piqued your interest. You can actually go to LinkedIn and data mine on the site to find out about jobs that you may have never even known about otherwise. You may already know about the job board on LinkedIn which allows you to search for positions just like on Indeed or ZipRecruiter. But, the hidden gem of the site comes from the ability for you to search subjects or companies. For example, type “higher education” into the search bar, and you will be able to see news regarding the subject and companies that are trending on the site. Click on a company’s profile, and you can see not only what others are saying about the company, but if any actual LinkedIn users have posted about positions the company is currently looking to fill.
Now these hacks aren’t easy. They all take time, research, and reflection. But they do streamline the process and they help you stay grounded as you move through your search. Being clear about what you’re looking for, why you’re looking for it, and how to actually search for it, will make the experience much more fulfilling. And hopefully, it will leave you with more energy to go shopping for decor for your future new desk space!
Are you looking for more guidance in your job search? Click here for access to the Land the Job You Want webinar so you can jumpstart your job search today!