Turbo Charge Your Job Search!

Turbo Charge Your Job Search!

Let’s face it—unemployment sucks!

When searching for a job, every day can seem like an eternity.

Fight a slow clock by keeping a positive attitude and staying proactive; an organized and structured strategy will help you obtain a job a lot faster.

Five ways to turbo-charge your job search; use them to get back to work fast!


  • The search for a job can be its own full-time job.

Looking for a job is a job on its own. If you are on unemployment, the government is paying your wages to look for work. Treat it as such, because it may be the most critical job you have.  Your future depends on it!

When a job search becomes a full-time activity—and it IS—like any other job, you should follow a regular schedule and make sure you properly record all things to be done. In addition, you need to take frequent rest periods—for lunch, and other breaks—to prevent getting burnt out.

No matter what steps you take in your search—make sure each one counts. Volunteering, continuing education and other related activities should go towards building your value.

All of these accomplishments show commitment and determination—qualities that set you apart from the crowd.

Networking is necessary at this point; not just online, but also in-person. That is what makes these off-site activities so vital; to form a group of people you personally interact with. Employers are able to call them to get a sense of who you are.

  • Invest in yourself first.

When it comes to investing in you, why wait until it’s too late? Now is the time to enlist the little extras that will make a difference.

Two things you should never skimp on:

Don’t skimp on the most effective advertising you have. Use a resume writing service to work on your resume—it is worth the expense. Resumes and cover letters are marketing pieces, keys to getting your foot in the door. By investing in you and your career, you will shorten the job search considerably.

Don’t skimp on clothing. A well-made, professional suit. Dressing appropriately for job interviews is required, even if a job is presumed “business casual.”  This investment will pay off by having you both look the part and feeling confident.

  • Technology is the key to a job search.

There are tools that no serious job seeker can live without—use them wisely!  The business world is filled with electronic gadgets designed to increase productivity—many are available for your job search.

The internet is the go-to place for any job search; now even newspapers post most of the premium jobs online.  Besides job boards and sites like Monster, CareerBuilder and Craigslist, there are online job seeker and professional groups that share info, tips and helpful hints.  Use them to understand the marketplace, and get emotional support.

Let technology keep you organized. A proper filing system, both for paper and electronic files, is the secret to juggling several working applications as possible. Calendar scheduling programs (like ) is great to keep all your appointments in check—and is easy to integrate with a free account.

  • Job search is a numbers game.

Now is not the time to narrow your focus. The more places you look, the chances are better you will receive a response. Use different general keywords in your job search agent to deliver the most leads possible.

Don’t focus on a few close contacts; get yourself out to as many people, recruiters and companies as you can.

Let everyone know you are on the market, and live by the old sales adage “ABC—always be closing.” You are selling the best product on the market—you!

  • Don’t forget the follow-up.

Persistence is the way in a serious job search; with regular emails, letters and phone calls. Systematic communication can be useful in getting an interview. Sometimes an opportunity comes out of sheer persistence and doggedness.

Even if you are not the most qualified “on paper,” a positive attitude, tenacity and excellent communication skills will leave you on top of the list. Employers often look for these “soft skills” for people to work well on their team.

Searching for the right job has never been an easy process—with the various levels of communication, marketing, and coordination required to make it all work.

By taking the challenge seriously, making the search a full-time job, and having the right organizational skills and attitude, you can keep your search—and your time between jobs—as short as possible.

 

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