20 Tips for an effective job search
When it is time to change your job, you will have to rise from your inertia. To land the job you desire, it is necessary to knock at many doors and market yourselves relentlessly.
The following are twenty main considerations while embarking on your job search
1. Be clear on what you want. You might be quitting your existing job because of various factors, and you would not want such factors in your new job. For instance, if you have familial or other considerations that prevent you from working full time, you should concentrate on part time, work from home or freelance jobs. Sometimes, you might want a career change, and unless you are firm on your decision, you might accept an offer in your old profession, only to face the same problems that plagued your old job.
2. Understand the difference between a resume and a CV. A resume is a specific listing of skills relevant for the specific vacancy, and each job you apply requires a separate resume. A CV on the other hand is more general in scope and lists out all your skills and accomplishments. Make sure your resume or CV is employer-centric and lists out your results in quantitative terms rather than your duties and achievements.
3. Never provide false information to your prospective employers to match their requirements. This might help you get an interview call, but most employers verify the facts provided before placing an offer.
4. Clean up your Internet presence, update your personal blogs and write some articles in your area of competence. Most employers look at the candidate's Internet presence before finalizing the hiring process.
5. Keep yourselves updated. Browse through the theory part of your profession, and understand the latest changes and concepts. This will not only help you when it comes to the interview, but you are also likely to meet other people in your profession when you set out to do this.
6. Search the Internet job portals and forums for possible vacancies. There are many sites like monster.com, craiglist.com and others. If you are looking for freelance jobs, sites like elance.com, getafreelancer.com, guru.com, odesk.com and others are the prominent websites. Do not limit your search to job portals. Look in social networking sites like Linekdin.com, orkut.com, facebook.com and others.
7. Although the Internet is a good source of information, most of the latest information is outside the Internet. The most obvious place to search for a job would be the recruitment pages in newspapers. They are other sources like refereals, notice boards, professional associations, placement agencies, managent consultants, the placement cell of your college and the likes. You should ideally the contacting all these sources during the course of your job hunt.
8. Never underestimate the power of networking and referrals. Many vacancies are never advertised, but are rather known only to a select few, who recommend people known to them.
9. Try to increase your network. Join, and take an active part in social and professional clubs and associations.
10. Similarly, cold calling also helps. You could take a list of small companies from the yellow pages or the chamber of commerce and apply to them directly. Such companies are more flexible in their recruitment process, and if by chance a vacancy occurs when you apply, they are mostly likely to consider applications at their disposal rather than spend time, money, and effort on a recruitment campaign.
11. Keep yourself updated with the latest happenings around you, by reading the newspaper and news websites regularly. You could get an inkling of possible vacancies through that. For instance, if a major company plans to establish a new branch near your city, chances are they will be recruiting people.
12. Make sure you sound out your references. If they get an unexpected call from your prospective employer, they might be off guard and say things you do not want them to say.
13. Make sure you are free of major engagements so that you can accept interview calls at short notice. Have sufficient copies of your resume or CV, both soft copy and hard copy ready at your disposal, organize your resumes, and be ready to face an interview.
14. Make sure your mobile always has sufficient charge, make sure your email does not bounce, and check your email at least twice daily.
15. Organize your job search. Keep track of the applications made, and in some cases, it will be worthwhile to follow up if you have not received a response. You might also want to keep track of the job portals and other sources on a systematic basis for updated information.
16. Brush up your interview skills and apply them when called for interviews. Take special care to go properly groomed for the interview. Before you go for the interview, refer to the company's website and talk to people who know about the company.
17. Be flexible and accommodative when it comes to the salary, timings, and time required for joining. However, at the same time also make sure you do not sell out cheap and that you do not give in to the reasons that prompted you to go in for a job change in the first place.
18. In today's economic scenario, most employers look as what benefits you will bring to the company. In other words, if they invest $x on you, what amount will the company get back in return. You should therefore concentrate on driving home the point the value you can add to a business.
19. Finally, the key to a successful job hunt is perseverance. You should never loose hope and should continue to try, try, and try until you succeed.
20. Once you land a job, make sure you call up and thank the people who helped you get the job and others whom you had approached in connection with the job hunt. This could include referrals, the people who informed you of the vacancy, your ex-colleagues and others. This will help you the next time round.