5 strategies for an efficient job search [2024 updated]
In today’s competitive and network-driven job market, job seeking has become a notch tougher, making it no longer as simple as putting in an application and landing an interview.
On the contrary, the most successful job seekers make use of a variety of strategies and different steps to help them stand out from the crowd and get noticed by their desired leaders.
So let’s take a look at some of the things that can help you, as a job hunter, remain at the forefront of this race.
Table of contents:
- Optimizing your CV
- Building a strong LinkedIn profile
- Networking
- Identifying your career goals
- Keeping an open mind
- BONUS: Get help through Loopcv
1. Optimizing your CV
Having a strong CV is considered a fundamental asset as it is the first point of contact through which you introduce yourself to companies.
A CV serves its purpose of summarizing all your academic and professional experiences, in addition to other relevant information, such as your job-related skills, extracurricular activities, and other achievements relevant to the information provided, to sell your abilities to potential employers.
An ideal CV should be simple but effective, communicating your message clearly and concisely.
Here are a few do’s for when writing and sending a CV.
1. Ensure that your CV is kept at an ideal length, preferably not exceeding two pages. Put yourself in the employers’ shoes, who wants to be reading an excessively long resume? Remember, you want to keep your employer engaged, writing too much can only bore the reader and work against you-so keeping to the point is key.
2. Review your CV before submitting it. There is nothing worse than sending a CV brimmed with grammatical errors. Do not rush, take the time to proofread your work, whether it be through spell checker programs, or second opinions, do not leave this step out!
3. Write a cover letter. A cover letter sets the ground for your application and explains to the employer what your motivation behind applying for the role is and how you can contribute. It is more personal and tailored than a CV alone, so investing your time in writing this truly shows your efforts and ambition for attaining the role.
4. List relevant experiences to the job you are applying for. It is useless to mention any irrelevant experiences unless relevant skills have been extracted from them. For instance, being a hotel manager is very different to being a sales representative, however, in both positions, communication skills are key.
2. Building a strong LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn is a social media platform purposely designed for professional connections.
It is a tool through which employers, employees and job hunters can take advantage by networking and keeping track of all the potential opportunities within their desired industry.
The platform enables you to create a custom profile with relevant details of your academic and professional experience together with any other additional information.
Think of LinkedIn as a CV that is displayed on a public scale, showcased to a broader audience. The stronger your profile, the more attractive it appears to companies looking to hire.
3. Networking
Not enough emphasis can be placed on the significance of networking in this day and age. In spite of the fast-paced life led nowadays, there are so many different means of interacting with others without having to step away from your tight schedule.
Today’s increasingly digital world gives room for various online conferences, events, meetings, and such, making all of this possible with just the click of a button.
Through these interactions, individuals engage in the process of exchanging information and developing contacts, in return raising more awareness about the opportunities present out there.
Particularly, when networking with individuals within your field of interest, you get the chance of expanding your knowledge within the respective area and using that same knowledge as a stepping stone for your job hunt.
Sometimes certain jobs would go unadvertised or even unheard of, but through word of mouth, you enable your horizons to stretch further than simply that of what you hear on the internet.
The above example of LinkedIn for instance serves as a great online medium to explore these options as it allows you to offer your insight, share any industry updates, give your take on certain topics and generally engage in a dialogue with professionals within your field.
4. Identifying your career goals
It is understandable that within certain fields, there exist a wide array of roles which intersect and can be linked to one another, making it sometimes a bit of a struggle to decide which path suits you best.
It is therefore useful to plan what your goal is and set realistic and clear targets as to what you want to achieve.
By doing so, you can narrow down the job hunt accordingly and focus on the vacancies that fit your requirements instead of experiencing an overwhelming that comes with all the different options present on your screen.
Some useful things to take into consideration would be to:
- Make a list of things you would like your role to entail-for instance, more face-to-face communication & less sitting behind a screen.
- Setting an income goal-is your priority to have a higher salary than in your previous job? An income that satisfies your desired lifestyle? Establishing this allows you not to waste your time on lower-paying jobs.
- Potential corporate benefits? Free health insurance?
5. Keeping an open mind
If there is anything we can thank COVID-19 for, it is the element of adaptability. The situation that encountered us over the last two years laid particular pressure on our professional flexibility; requiring many of us to get used to new modes of working.
This truly tested our capabilities of adjustment and challenged our attitudes towards change.
Being that we live in a time when things are altering so abruptly in the professional sphere, it is vital to keep an open mind and simply be prepared for anything new.
In the context of job-hunting, you might find that the job you applied for initially does not offer the income that you hoped for. It can be tempting to instantly reject the offer, however, do not be quick to do so.
It might be the case that this is counteracted with other corporate benefits, some of which might be very beneficial to you, and it could be these exact benefits that end up being more valuable to you in the long term.
This also applies to the type of workload, for instance, perhaps your starting tasks are not your cup of tea, but be patient, as you involve yourself further within the company and set yourself a respectable reputation, be assured that your efforts won’t go to waste.
Through simple communication of your ambitions, your voice can be heard and the tasks you hoped for will eventually come your way. Think of it as a stepping stone to achieving your dreams, and don't forget, you will always have the chance to quit, and that is easier to deal with than the fear of having missed out on something potentially great.
Risks are worth taking and what might seem ugly at first might end up leading you to everything you had hoped for.
? BONUS: Get help through loopcv
Loopcv is the first matchmaking platform that offers fully automation on the job search and job application. Loopcv can help you apply to hundreds of jobs every day automatically and the best part is that you don't have to spend time doing all the manual steps that you would normally do in order to apply.
You can send emails, apply to companies and upload your CV in order to find job postings that are related to your profile.
Loopcv will help you find all the jobs that match your profile by integrating multiple job boards and matchmaking platforms (like LinkedIn, indeed monster and Glassdoor).
To signup click here: https://app.loopcv.pro/signup
