Landing a new job can be stressful, frustrating, and time-consuming. It can seem as challenging as work itself. That said, there are ways to improve your chances of being hired and even quickly!
Search for Relevant Job Openings
Presently, most jobs are listed online on job boards such as Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn, Problogger, Reddit, SimplyHired, USjobs, CareerBuilder, GlassDoor, Idealist, and Dice, to name some. Many of these sites contain an “Advanced Search“ option where you can search by type of job, date posted, company, job title, keyword, location, and other variables. Many companies and public institutions advertise job openings on their own websites. There is also a Veteran’s Job Bank as well as niche job sites.
Take advantage of in-person career events such as:
· Career fairs
· Chamber of Commerce events
· Church groups
· College alumni programs
· College career networking events
· Community service groups
· Diversity groups
· Job club meetings
· Professional conferences
Look closely at detailed instructions on how to apply and application deadlines. You are wasting your time applying for jobs if the deadline has passed. Keep in mind your career goals and identify your skill set. Seek job openings that complement your experience and skills. The match does not have to be perfect, but you should fit with a majority of the job specifications.
Apply more broadly if you need a job quickly. Consider job openings that are slightly different or outside of your preferred shift hours or geographical location. Give priority to employers who have a large number of job openings.
Identify companies you would like to work for and try to get noticed by them. This can include attending seminars and updating your LinkedIn profile. Talk to prospective employers including a likely supervisor and have questions prepared.
Do not stop applying for other jobs while waiting for a response from a potential employer. Most job seekers get rejected many times before securing a job. Sharpen up your application process and correct any mistakes. Juggling multiple job offers is not a bad thing!
Maintain neat and clean professional dress when meeting with employers. This includes appropriate attire, eliminating messy hair and body odor, and shining your shoes.
Use your personal relationships in your job search. Tell people you are looking for work. One of them may know of a great job for you. Also, a contact already working for a company may be persuading somebody there to hire you—your odds improve if that is the case. There are different websites that can assist you in forming your professional networks.
Public services, such as your state’s employment department, are another resource for you. Some of these services have job counseling programs that can be very helpful.
Review your job history and recognize any experiences and relationships that can help you secure employment. Obtain recommendation letters from supervisors or executives going back seven years. Those letters may contain things about you that your previous supervisor liked—and you can use those in subsequent job interviews.
A good place to start is with the online job networking tool LinkedIn. By now, all of you have probably heard of LinkedIn and chances are you may already have a LinkedIn profile. But does it really match your dream job? According to Kevin Daum in an article entitled “Put LinkedIn to Work For You: 7 Ways,” many people struggle with putting this tool to optimum use. People collect connections and but have no significant interactions. They join groups and never read the feeds.
He recommends treating LinkedIn with a sharper focus. Remember that your profile is public and should transmit a message that matches your description. It needs to showcase your background, experience, and education in a way that conveys confidence. It should not be overly long, but it does need to be engaging and accurate.
Love it or hate it, many of your dream companies use LinkedIn as social proof that your resume isn’t lying.
Anybody can fluff on their resume, but your LinkedIn profile is public so everything you write is treated like gold.
Even better, you can use your former colleagues to solidify your claims by writing recommendations for you under each of your roles.
Requesting Recommendations for Your LinkedIn Profile
I get it. Nobody wants to bother a former coworker. Luckily, after testing dozens of different messages with past clients, I have found the exact message template that results in 83% response rates.
“Good Afternoon X,
I trust all is going well with you.
The reason I am writing you, is I was wondering if I could ask you for a LinkedIn Recommendation? I am currently doing a project where we are required to acquire a certain amount of LinkedIn Recommendations.
As one of my most valued [mentors at company], it would be very meaningful to me if you could write a simple, few-sentence recommendation of any aspect of my work that you noticed as it would help me immensely with my project.
My LinkedIn URL can be found in my signature or directly here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/aalab003
If you don’t feel comfortable recommending me, that is fine with me too.
Regardless, I hope to see you at the [company function] next month.
Regards,
[Name]”
Forbes contributor Lisa Quast emphasizes these important aspects for obtaining high-quality LinkedIn recommendations:
• For each person you contact, request that they provide you with three skills you would like them to discuss.
• Have them include:
1) How long they have worked with you.
2) Their background on how they know you.
3) A description of the three skills you asked them to discuss.
4) At least one specific success example.
Consider the difference between a weak LinkedIn job recommendation and a strong recommendation from former managers.
[Weak] Sheila would be an asset to any company because she works hard and was a good employee at our company.
As you can see, there is nothing specific here to show future employers.
[Strong] I hired Robert into the role of Communications Coordinator when I was the Director of Marketing for the Dunlap Company. During the 18 months Robert worked for me, he always listened very carefully to our internal client’s needs and actions that would add value yet cost very little, such as holding Facebook contests and providing product content to popular bloggers to include in their articles. Robert was a positive asset to the department, and I highly recommend him for higher-level marketing and communication roles.
It is not difficult to determine which recommendation would carry more weight in the hiring process. Job recruiters also seek recommendations that offer a variety of perspectives on the job applicant. They often like to see recommendations from a former manager, one from a coworker, and one from a direct report (if you are a supervisor or a manager). It is a good idea to obtain three to five LinkedIn recommendations. Some of these job hunters print out their LinkedIn recommendations and offer them to the hiring manager during the job interview.
Develop Your Resume
Generate your resume using a professional style and font. There are now excellent pre-formatted resume templates that allow you to input the information without concerning yourself with detailed formatting. You still need to customize the resume to match the job you are applying for. This is important because companies use applicant tracking systems to screen resumes.
Your resume must accentuate the primary skills and responsibilities for a specific job position with an authoritative summary of your achievements. It can be very beneficial to have a consultant develop your resume as they know what recruiters desire in a job candidate.
The resume should list all relevant experience and avoid irrelevant information. Don’t go back more than 15 years for job experience information (this will tag you as an older employee). You also don’t need to give months and dates for starting and stopping jobs—years will suffice. Take the time to do a Google search for your name to be sure there is no negative information about you online.
You can also enter more than full-time work on your resume. You may have been laid off or had some periods when you were not working. You don’t want your resume to reflect that you were doing nothing during these interim periods. Instead, include any volunteer work, freelance, part-time, or temporary work, and/or continuing education.
You need a good, specific, professional cover letter. Begin your letter with a formal greeting. Start the body of the letter by identifying yourself, what you are applying for, and why you should obtain the job. Review your letter for mistakes and use an application like Grammarly to assist you. Some tips on writing a good cover letter.
Preparing for the Interview
Re-examine your application and the original job listing and remember them for the interview. Research the company before you interview and look for their business model, unique attributes, and mission statement. If you bring these items up in an interview, that can be a plus!
List anything about you that may not be on your resume but are important to convey to a company such as your work ethic, etc.
Come up with potential interview questions such as: Where do you see yourself in five years? [A good answer to this one is to state a position slightly above your job title.] How did you handle this difficult problem? What are your greatest strengths, greatest weaknesses? Interview questions can be both job-specific and HR-related, such as how well do you work on a team.
If asked about money, don’t specify an amount—this could convey that you are mainly interested in the money. Instead, say you are open or ask what the pay range of the job is. Don’t say anything negative about a previous employer!
Send a thank-you note after a job interview and follow up afterward.
Hopefully, these tips on searching for job openings, developing your resume and cover letter, and preparing for the interview will land you a great job!
—
Originally published on https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/get-hired-fast-effective-tips-steve-king/
—
◊♦◊
The Good Men Project is different from most media companies. We are a “participatory media company”—which means we don’t just have content you read and share and comment on but it means we have multiple ways you can actively be a part of the conversation. As you become a deeper part of the conversation—The Conversation No One Else is Having—you will learn all of the ways we support our Writers’ Community—community FB groups, weekly conference calls, classes in writing, editing platform building and How to Create Social Change.
◊♦◊
Here are more ways to become a part of The Good Men Project community:
Request to join our private Facebook Group for Writers—it’s like our virtual newsroom where you connect with editors and other writers about issues and ideas.
Click here to become a Premium Member of The Good Men Project Community. Have access to these benefits:
- Get access to an exclusive “Members Only” Group on Facebook
- Join our Social Interest Groups—weekly calls about topics of interest in today’s world
- View the website with no ads
- Get free access to classes, workshops, and exclusive events
- Be invited to an exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” with other Premium Members
- Commenting badge.
Are you stuck on what to write? Sign up for our Writing Prompts emails, you’ll get ideas directly from our editors every Monday and Thursday. If you already have a final draft, then click below to send your post through our submission system.
If you are already working with an editor at GMP, please be sure to name that person. If you are not currently working with a GMP editor, one will be assigned to you.
◊♦◊
Are you a first-time contributor to The Good Men Project? Submit here:
◊♦◊
Have you contributed before and have a Submittable account? Use our Quick Submit link here:
◊♦◊
Do you have previously published work that you would like to syndicate on The Good Men Project? Click here:
Join our exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” — where community members are encouraged to discuss the issues of the week, get story ideas, meet other members and get known for their ideas? To get the call-in information, either join as a member or wait until you get a post published with us. Here are some examples of what we talk about on the calls.
Want to learn practical skills about how to be a better Writer, Editor or Platform Builder? Want to be a Rising Star in Media? Want to learn how to Create Social Change? We have classes in all of those areas.
While you’re at it, get connected with our social media:
- To join our Facebook Page, go here.
- To sign up for our email newsletter, go here.
- To follow The Good Men Project on Twitter, go here.
◊♦◊
However, you engage with The Good Men Project—you can help lead this conversation about the changing roles of men in the 21st century. Join us!
◊♦◊
We have pioneered the largest worldwide conversation about what it means to be a good man in the 21st century. Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable.
—
iStock ID: 1012049012