How to Get a Job
This article was co-authored by Alyson Garrido, PCC. Alyson Garrido is an International Coach Federation accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Facilitator, and Speaker. Using a strengths-based approach, she supports her clients with job search and career advancement. Alyson provides coaching for career direction, interview preparation, salary negotiation, and performance reviews as well as customized communication and leadership strategies. She is a Founding Partner of the Systemic Coach Academy of New Zealand.
Maybe your current job just isn’t working out, or maybe you just graduated and are trying to get employed for the first time. The job market can be hard to crack in either case, no matter your age or experience. Start by networking and searching online for job openings, tailoring your resume and cover letter to match what employers are seeking, and then sending in stand-out applications. The process may seem daunting, but going in with determination and a plan will carry you through until you find the perfect opportunity.
Highlight keywords. Pay attention to what the description emphasizes. For example, if it is a job in marketing, you might see terms such as “digital marketing”, “SEO”, and “Google Analytics”. Make sure that you mention those terms in both your resume and your cover letter. [2] X Research source
Look over your materials. Many job search engines and company websites will ask for you to submit your materials online. Before you hit “submit,” take time to proofread everything you have written. This includes your resume and cover letter. You should also look over the fields that ask for your personal information and make sure all of your information is entered correctly. [3] X Research source
Edit carefully. Look over your resume and cover letter and then look them over again. Make sure to fix any spelling or grammatical errors. Ask a friend or family member to give your materials a read. A fresh set of eyes can catch errors that you may have missed. [10] X Research source
Build your online brand.
Build a professional brand on multiple platforms.
A strong and professional online brand will provide recruiters, employers, and networking contacts with a positive impression of you. While a physical resume is vital during the hiring process, more and more recruiters are looking at your online material. These include blogs, videos, published articles, podcasts, social media accounts, and online resumes.
The modern job search is largely conducted online. Therefore, it’s important that you take the time to create social media profiles on multiple platforms. If you already have profiles, include details about your work experience and qualifications, and always strive to deliver quality content, especially if you’re applying for a job in media.
Make use of LinkedIn.
For job seekers, your LinkedIn should be a top priority. Make a LinkedIn profile and keep it up-to-date and interesting. Your profile should include your job experience, qualifications, and any skills you have. To help your profile stand out, write a headline that accurately describes what you do instead of using a generic title.
Identify the type of business and industry you want to work in.
Consider your work experience and skills.
Before you start actively searching for a job, it’s wise to identify the type of businesses you’d like to work at and the industry you’re interested in entering. This will depend on your previous work experience and skills. By zoning in on what you really want, you can start targeting the right businesses during your job search.
Create a list of businesses you’d like to work at.
Gather information about the business and check their official website for any updates about job opportunities. Some businesses also opt to advertise job opportunities on their company website instead of a professional job board. In these cases, job seekers may even be able to sign up for email alerts or directly contact the business.
Week 1: Update your résumé to highlight transferable job skills.
Transferable skills are all of the things you’re good at that can be applied to various roles in various industries. For example, strong writing, time management, and problem-solving are all examples of what would be considered “transferable skills.” The fancier definition of this term is “an ability that isn’t highly specialized.” Non-transferable skills, often called “hard skills,” are specific to certain industries, like coding, animation, or graphic design.
You might have been told to tailor your résumé for each role you apply for, but from what I’ve seen, that strategy won’t work in 2021. Many companies are nervous about hiring more specialized candidates because they’re unsure what the business landscape will look like after the pandemic. To show you are adaptable, generalize the skills on your résumé into three main areas: systems-oriented, people-oriented, and self-oriented.
Systems-oriented skills are associated with your areas of expertise. Under each role listed on your résumé, try to phrase these skills in a practical way to show how they can apply to a variety of positions and industries, not just your specified field. For example, suppose you worked as a content creator at a software company. In that case, highlight “business writing” on your résumé and specify what you mean by including more distinct tasks — like creating blog posts or writing marketing emails — under your role. Doing so will help prove that you can apply this skill to any job rather than just at a software company.
People-oriented skills highlight your ability to communicate with colleagues. Right now, companies value candidates who can collaborate remotely and have the potential to lead virtual teams. On your résumé, be sure to include keywords like performance management, virtual training, and task delegation, either under a particular role or a separate “skills” section at the bottom of your résumé to demonstrate your ability to collaborate and lead.
Self-oriented skills tell your potential employer that you can work diligently, learn quickly, and apply new solutions to existing problems, like the ones caused by the shift to remote work (decreasing productivity, burnout, etc.). You might think of these as “soft” skills, but they are in demand and will help you stand out as companies continue to decentralize their workforces. Words like “autonomy,” “time management,” and “self-starter” show employers you can stay on task, remotely or otherwise.
If you have been using a chronological résumé but are struggling to get responses from employers, or if you are trying to enter an industry you have no previous experience in, try mixing things up by showcasing your transferable skills first — even before your job titles. Use them as headers under the experience section on your résumé. For instance, sticking with the content creator example, you might put:
According to our data, listing transferable skills before your experiences can lead to better callback outcomes. When candidates failed to get a response with a chronological résumé, we found that this more functional format was effective 21% of the time. Meanwhile, combination résumé formats (combining a functional skills list with chronological work experience) and sidebar résumé formats (focusing on scannability) were only effective 3% and 2% of the time, respectively.
Week 2: Improve your personal brand on LinkedIn and make your profile visible.
The narrative behind your career path is critical when you’re trying to stand out in an employer’s market. Companies want to know where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and how it has shaped you as a professional. This will help them understand your value even before you land an interview.
Make sure hiring managers see your LinkedIn profile by using keywords to land more search results. Just like you use Google to find specific information, hiring managers use LinkedIn to search for candidates. To start, copy the descriptions of 10 similar jobs that interest you and paste them into a word cloud. The most common words are the ones you should incorporate into the various sections on your profile.
You’ll also want to include your desired job location (even if you’re targeting remote positions) to catch the attention of recruiters who are searching for candidates using location-based keywords.
Additionally, you should upload a professional — but friendly — picture and consider personalizing your banner photo. Profiles with a photo receive 21 times more profile views and nine times more connection requests than those without them. Banners should follow a cohesive color scheme and shouldn’t be too complex or busy. If you want to make your banner really pop, try listing three to five keywords or transferable skills at the top of your image.
You can also grab an employer’s attention by engaging with your network. Think of LinkedIn as a way to show off your expertise. Attract more people to your page by liking and commenting on posts related to trends in your industry, publishing text-only posts (which receive 42 times more views), sharing original articles, and regularly searching for connections. Increasing your activity on LinkedIn is a fast way to elevate your Social Selling Index (LinkedIn’s metric for success in terms of your personal brand), which helps increase your visibility to employers.
Source:
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Job
https://www.betterteam.com/how-to-get-a-job
https://hbr.org/2021/03/a-five-week-guide-to-getting-a-job
How to Get a Job
How to Get a Job
This article was co-authored by Alyson Garrido, PCC. Alyson Garrido is an International Coach Federation accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Facilitator, and Speaker. Using a strengths-based approach, she supports her clients with job search and career advancement. Alyson provides coaching for career direction, interview preparation, salary negotiation, and performance reviews as well as customized communication and leadership strategies. She is a Founding Partner of the Systemic Coach Academy of New Zealand.
Maybe your current job just isn’t working out, or maybe you just graduated and are trying to get employed for the first time. The job market can be hard to crack in either case, no matter your age or experience. Start by networking and searching online for job openings, tailoring your resume and cover letter to match what employers are seeking, and then sending in stand-out applications. The process may seem daunting, but going in with determination and a plan will carry you through until you find the perfect opportunity.
Highlight keywords. Pay attention to what the description emphasizes. For example, if it is a job in marketing, you might see terms such as “digital marketing”, “SEO”, and “Google Analytics”. Make sure that you mention those terms in both your resume and your cover letter. [2] X Research source
Look over your materials. Many job search engines and company websites will ask for you to submit your materials online. Before you hit “submit,” take time to proofread everything you have written. This includes your resume and cover letter. You should also look over the fields that ask for your personal information and make sure all of your information is entered correctly. [3] X Research source
Edit carefully. Look over your resume and cover letter and then look them over again. Make sure to fix any spelling or grammatical errors. Ask a friend or family member to give your materials a read. A fresh set of eyes can catch errors that you may have missed. [10] X Research source
You Might Also Like
Be proactive during the interview.
Rather than allow for the recruiter or hiring manager to ask you all of the questions, be confident and proactive during your time together. You’ve researched the company’s culture and mission on Glassdoor, and you’re looking for a job that fits your life. Therefore it’s important to dig deeper. If you ask questions about management style, professional development, performances measurements and team collaboration, you’ll show a potential employer you’re both an informed candidate and serious about the job.
Hopefully, you know by now that Facebook statuses that describe wild nights with friends can a turnoff to potential employers. But did you know that you can use social media to build a personal brand , making you more attractive to a hiring manager? One easy way to do just that is to expand from what’s on your resume—you can post pictures or summaries of projects you’ve worked on, include a short bio about your skills, or share articles that show you’re an expert in your industry.
Seal the deal by negotiating.
The final stage of getting a job is negotiating the package. While compensation often comes to mind first, remember that there are far more facets of the job that you can customize than you think. From benefits to work-from-home options, stock options to a travel stipend, there’s a lot on the table. Make a list of the things that are most important to you and that you’ll need to execute your job well. Be sure to check Know Your Worth to make sure their base salary offer is competitive with the market. Then, speak to your hiring manager and the recruiter about whether those needs can be fulfilled. These days, negotiating is an expected part of the job search process. Ask as many questions as you need and get the answers you need to make the best job decision for you.
Learn More!
Getting a job can feel like winning the lotto. However, with a few tips and tricks, getting job will have much better odds. Here are additional resources to help you on your path to finding a job that fits your life:
Related Career Guides
How to Decline a Job Offer
How to Evaluate a Job Offer
Don’t settle
If you’re looking for a job quickly, this last tip might sound silly, but trust it’s important: Don’t settle for a job that doesn’t excite you or fulfill your needs. Why? Because if the job isn’t a fit, you’ll likely be searching for another job in a few months.
If you’re in a situation where you need to find a job fast, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stressed. Trying to rush the job and interview process can lead to mistakes and oversights, which will ultimately slow you down. As long as you have a plan mapped out and you stay focused while looking for work, you’ll be good to go.
Oh, and don’t forget to take some time for yourself. Go on a run, cook a healthy meal, watch your favorite TV show, or grab a drink with friends and family. These jobs will still be here when you come back to your computer.
Resource:
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Job
https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/how-to-get-a-job/
https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/how-to-find-a-job-fast