10 Job Hunting Tips and a Checklist for Best Practices for 2020
With so many people out of work because of covid19, I thought I would share ten job hunting tips and a checklist for best practices, updated for 2020. This is a part of my career coaching I offer during my professional résumé writing service, as I have described previously.
Remember the adage: “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
There are always those who thrive in the worst of times, and those who do poorly in the best to times. The difference is mindset. Expect the good, and take the time to be prepared when the right job comes along. Part of being prepared is taking the time to get clear about what you want. Focus on a career path or job that utilizes your natural strengths. When you work within your strengths, time disappears and the work doesn’t feel like work.
Always remember, it is still a who-you-know world. Only 20% to 25% of new hires are cold applicants and 75% to 80% are warm applicants. Warm applicants include:
- Internal Hires
- Employee Referrals
- External Network Referrals
Here is a checklist of 10 job hunting tips in order of effectiveness, from most to least effective. Best strategy: use as many as you can.
___#1: Always warm yourself up first! Make contact with decision makers at place(s) you are interested in working. The more personal the contact the better. Strategies from best to worst: face-to-face online, face-to-face in person, talking on the phone, messaging/texting, email, finally fax. Do follow up via USPS mail for confirmations and thank you notes.
___#2 Align EQ Mindset First: Line up with your true Self in the AM; only take action when feeling good. Your true Self is that happy kid you were when you were seven or eight years old. Your true Self feels confident, carefree, energized, eager, enthusiastic, and creative. If you’re feeling unsatisfied, overwhelmed, worried, anxious, fearful, angry, sad, or any other negative emotion, it means you’re not yourself. It’s totally Ok to feel that way. Emotions are like weather. Just never make any decisions or take job-hunting action during a storm. Wait until the sun comes out, which it always does. Otherwise, not only will everything be harder, like swimming upstream, but you’ll carry negativity with you wherever you go. That can come across as desperate, like you are groveling. No one wants to hire a groveling, desperate person. More importantly, you don’t want to work for someone who would. You want to be able to be yourself. You want to look for people who want to hire rock stars and superheroes. Your true Self is a rock star superhero. In my coaching I teach dozens of techniques to help you tune in to your true Self.
___#3 Internal job postings at your current company are the best way to find a new job, if your reputation in your current company is good, and if you want to continue to work there. Of course, this may not apply to you at all. Strategy: always have a killer résumé and LinkedIn profile that presents your true Self and achievements, for the best bargaining and leverage to show your value. You want your company to see the asset you really are to them, so that they do what they can to keep you, and help you grow your career.
___#4 Networking: Real world and online. Under normal, non-pandemic conditions, face-to-face networking is always the best. Attending networking meetings such as BNI chapters, Rotary club meetings, chamber of commerce or other after-hours networking events are excellent. For online networking in most professions, LinkedIn is the most effective platform. I also coach people in creating their own personal career networks, and how to work those networks to their best advantage.
___#5 Résumé, LinkedIn & Personal Websites: Polish your résumé and profiles, engage with your network following best practices, and connect with those who can assist, regularly. Upgrading your LinkedIn subscription to a premium level is not necessary but can be effective.
___#6 Volunteer/Intern/Cold Calls: Call and offer a few hours a week. Nothing impresses like giving a desired employer your best, highest-quality work, to put you at the right place at the right time for hiring opportunities. Years ago in college I volunteered at my local public radio station which had offices on campus. I not only learned great job skills needed by anyone working in radio, my supervisor was very happy to hire me when an opening occurred. It saved her a lot of time and headache to have me there, already a known entity, knowing how to do the work. It also costs company a lot of money to conduct applicant searches. Employers love finding people they already know and trust to fill open positions — it is win-win for everyone. Plus it gives you the opportunity to confirm you really want to work there.
___#7 Recruiters/Placement Firms: Crystalize your LinkedIn profile before alerting recruiters you’re looking: be authentic, personal, and professional.
___ #8 Complete course(s) on LinkedIn Learning (add certificate(s) to your profile) to demo key skills: you grow, you learn, you’re online-training savvy
___ #9 Video / Blog Work: Post to LinkedIn positive relevant content and tell your practiced why, what & how story.
___#10 Online Job Boards & Newspaper Listings: Research first! Google the company. Check reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed, keeping in mind that negative reviews can be very biased by negative people. Use LinkedIn to locate people you might know who work there, or know people who work there. Use LinkedIn to get the name of the hiring manager. Do a “save as” and create a custom résumé with key words from the specific job description in the correct place on the résumé and LI profile. ”Specific is terrific.”
Job Interview Prep: After aligning your EQ Mindset with your authentic Self, prepare and practice telling 1-minute stories about each of your job successes. Think PSS: Problem/challenge, Solution, Skills. Sit down with a piece of paper or leaf back through your career journal. In your most recent jobs, think of at least one problem or challenge that came up. How did you solve it? And what skills did you use to solve it? Have at least one or two stories for each job.
If you’d like to learn more any of these tips, or would like to a free career strategy session, just fill out a short career goals survey before booking a free strategy with me, at bit.ly/WSResQ. Or learn more about my unique way of writing résumés at bit.ly/WSResumes
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