How to Conduct a Successful Job Search
After you have carefully planned your career path and prepared an effective resume, it’s time to begin your job search. Your online job search is most effective when you are focused on a specific industry or job title. Job boards use algorithms to filter resumes based on how your resume matches the requirements of the jobs that are posted on their websites. Even though your resume is most likely already written to target specific types of jobs, your job search strategy is still a key factor in how many responses you will receive.
Make sure you carefully study each job description and ensure that you are applying for something that fits your background information and skills on the resume. If this is not done properly, you will waste a lot of time applying for a lot of jobs and not getting many responses. You may also find yourself receiving job leads for positions that you are not really interested in if you don’t take the time on the front end to screen the job descriptions.
Update Your LinkedIn Profile
One of the most overlooked aspects of an online job search by job seekers is failing to update their LinkedIn profiles. Over 89% of recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary search platform to seek out new candidates. Executives and professionals should always have a refreshed LinkedIn profile to take full advantage of their job search. When a recruiter logs in to their own profile, they search for candidates based on geographic location, skills, and referrals from other colleagues. For these reasons, it is important to make sure your LinkedIn page has the latest work experiences, skills, and contact information.
Networking with others on LinkedIn also increases your social reach online among recruiters who may be friends of friends of yours. Building your network of referrals has a dramatic effect on how many contacts you obtain and how you are perceived as a professional among your peers.
Follow Up & Say Thank You
Often forgotten but never underappreciated is a sincere “thank you note” prepared and sent to a potential employer as a follow up to the interview or after you have been selected for the job. This gives a lasting impression of common courtesy and professionalism, thanking the interviewer for their time and attention to yourself as a candidate. Even if you are not selected for the job, sending a thank you letter will still plant a seed of remembrance just in case something comes up or falls through on the employer’s end with a job opportunity.
A thank you note should be succinct and straight to the point. Try to avoid a long, drawn out letter, but concisely remind the reader why you feel like you are the right candidate for the job and thank them for interviewing with you. Be sincere and try not to sound robotic. Personalization is key when it comes to your career documents and making an impression that lasts.
