Amanda Gia: Career Soup: Take your job hunt offline (at least for a little while)

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Career Soup: Take your job hunt offline (at least for a little while)

Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. Submitting, submitting, submitting. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

Online job hunting can become very discouraging. It seems as if the only way to get a job these days is by submitting an application online, but that is not all the way true. You should take your job hunt offline for a little while and here’s how.

Use the employment opportunities online to make a list of people in your network who you need to talk to about your pursuits. For example, if you see that there is an opening at a financial institution, flip through your Facebook and Linkedin pages to see who might work there. Make contact with that person on line AND schedule a meeting to discuss your employment goals. That person may be able to give insight about the hiring process, timelines, and working conditions that will inform your cover letter writing or your desire to apply altogether. Your contact may even know of a position in the pipeline that will better suit you.

Get some assistance with sprucing up your résumé and cover letter. You may think that you’re putting your best foot forward, but a fresh pair of eyes can make a big difference. Maybe your résumé was effective in one sector or even two months ago, but now it may look dated or out of touch with the market. If you are in transition from one career to another, your résumé needs a completely different flow. Get some help with this. There are Career Coaches, HR professionals, and colleagues in your network who are willing to take a look and provide valuable feedback.

Complete an honest professional skills alignment assessment. Take a look at five positions you have been rejected for and complete a side-by-side alignment of your skills with the requirements. Do you need more training? Do you need to read some trade books or articles? Do you even need to look for another career that you are better qualified for? Be honest with yourself and get what you need to get the position you want.

You’ve networked. You’ve polished up your application documents. You’ve even done a skills alignment assessment. The last thing you need to do before you hop back online to apply for positions is to develop a schedule. Determine how many applications you are going to submit each week. You will need to factor in how much time it will take to complete a professional skills alignment assessment for EACH position, craft a dynamic cover letter, and complete the online application impeccably. In this case, quality usurps quantity.

If you apply for only two positions a week and they are quality submissions, you are more likely to get the job! What’s the point of being an expert job applicant? You want to be employed! And, if you are looking for an employment upgrade, you want to MOVE UP!

Get offline. Get focused. Get the job you want!