Monday, January 2, 2012

Effective Tips For A Quick Job Hunt

By Gnifrus Urquart


Recently I wrote a series of articles, breaking down the job hunting process and looking in detail, at the specific elements of it. Here I build on those articles and offer 7 quick fire tips which should dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes you to land your next job.

1. Keep Up To Date With Your Industry - Always

You need to be aware of the conditions in your industry all the time. You should know what is going on, who is hiring, who is firing, where the opportunities are when you have a job as well as when you are looking. Market awareness should be a part of your professional approach to your career. Waiting until you need a job to look into this could cost you months and missed opportunities. So don't wait till then, get up to date now.

2. Keep your resume up to date

Find a template or layout that you are comfortable with and maintain it. Update it twice a year at least. It will save you the mad scramble to put it together and possibly a lost opportunity because you were unprepared.

3. Recognise Networking Opportunities Every Day

Basically everything you do while you are at work and when you spend time with work people outside work hours, should be seen as a networking exercise. Make an effort to remember everyone you meet in your professional circles. Grease the wheels here. Getting this right will really help you with point 1 above also.

4. Always Go To That Interview - Even When You Aren't Interested.

Interviewing is a very specific skill. Keep that skill honed. Keep practising the skill. You don't want to lose "perfect" opportunities because it is your first interview in 5 years and you need to get your answers back up to scratch. Remember you do not have to accept the job.

5. Keep a diary of your experiences.

Job hunting is an evolutionary process. You need to modify your approach to every unique job and as your skills improve. A great tool to help you with this is to diarise your experiences, noting where you did well and where you think you could have done better. Really make an effort to learn from your experiences so each job you go for is a better effort than the last.

6. If You Are Unemployed, Make The Job Search Your Full Time Job

Your Job Hunt is your full time job now. Get out of bed at the same time you would if you were working in your given field. This will put your time clock in sync with your interviewers. Spend the same hours working on your job hunt as you would in the job. Be disciplined.

7. Maintain Your Focus

Keep at the front of your mind what your goals are, keep a focus on them and don't go running around after irrelevant opportunities. The worse thing you can do is accept the wrong job, it could put your career back years.

Finding a new job is never fun. Keep the faith though and good luck with your hunt




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