There are many times in life when you might find yourself on the lookout for a new job. You might have grown tired of your current position, for example, and feel like the time is right for something new and different, or you might experience a big change in your personal living situation, like the arrival of a child or a move to a new place, and need to adjust accordingly in your professional life.
Regardless of the reasons, searching for a new job is something that everyone has to do now and then, and the process isn’t always easy. In fact, it can be quite a challenge, and many people will send out hundreds of applications before finally getting the job they were looking for. Fortunately, there are ways to expedite the process, and here are some top tips to make your job search a lot better.
Use Multiple Channels
A good way to start off when trying to be more efficient and effective in your search for a new job is to make sure you’re making use of multiple channels, with a diverse, modern approach to the process. In the past, people looking for a new job might have simply looked in the newspaper or checked out the classifieds, but in the modern world, you have lots of options available to you.
There are countless job-seeking websites out there where new job opportunities are posted and updated regularly, as well as social media sites you can rely on to find new work, virtual career fairs for veterans, company websites you can visit to send out spontaneous applications, recruiting networks, and more. Don’t just limit yourself to one or two sites; make the most of every opportunity you can find.
Make the Most of Modern Technology
The technological world has come a long way in recent years, changing the game for many aspects of our personal and professional lives, and it’s also changed the way we look for new jobs too, as well as how we approach interviews, how we conduct ourselves when dealing with employers, and how we’re able to improve our chances of getting a new position.
These days, not only can you find job-seeking websites and recruitment platforms online to help you find jobs, but you can also find apps, websites, guides, videos, and more, all dedicated to the art of job-hunting. There are videos to help you improve your interview technique, websites that can help you craft the perfect resume, and sites that invaluable assistance in improving your applications too.
Customize Every Application
As mentioned earlier, looking for a new job can be a long and laborious process. There are some searches that can take weeks or months to finally come to a close, and there are times when job-seekers feel like throwing in the towel. This can lead to some bad habits developing, and one of the worst habits you might get into simply copies and paste the same application letter or email over and over again.
This approach often ends badly, because seasoned recruiters can easily spot when candidates are sending out copied letters, without any thought or customized information. You have to take the time to customize each application, adding in relevant information, highlighting key skills for the role, and showing that you’ve put in the time and effort to find out more about the company. Just a few customized applications are worth far more than dozens of copies of the same old document.
Get into a Growth Mindset
Looking for a new job can be both a physical challenge and a mental one. On the physical side, you have to spend hours of your own time looking for jobs, writing applications, sending them out, getting to interviews, visiting businesses, speaking with contacts, and so on. On the mental side, you have to cope with the fact that many applications are likely to be rejected and the process may take a while to reach a satisfying conclusion.
A good way to deal with the mental challenges of job-hunting is to adopt a growth mindset. This basically means that instead of seeing rejection as a form of failure, you start looking at it as an opportunity to grow. People with growth mindsets are always focused on self-improvement, rather than self-doubt; they don’t let mistakes and “failures” get them down and always try to learn from their experiences to grow.
Final Word
Looking for a job isn’t always easy, but with the right approach, the process can feel like less of a challenge. Follow these tips to start on the path to your next job.
