Finding a job is easy. Finding a job you love that also pays the bills is not so easy. Successful job hunting is a skill you have to hone through research, practice and experience. You can't expect great results from a hit-or-miss job search, especially if your only leads come from well-meaning friends and family who don't understand your career goals. Learn how to hunt for better career opportunities with these expert job search tips.
Set Personal Guidelines
A broad, unstructured job search is usually a bad idea because you're more likely to get overwhelmed by distractions and burn out without making meaningful progress. Planning ahead can help you set criteria, narrow your focus and periodically evaluate your goals to ensure you're still on track.
Set a time frame for your job search with deadlines for crucial tasks, such as updating your resume and gathering referrals. Take time to thoroughly define what you're looking for in a job and an employer. What are your strengths, and what type of work environments make you feel most empowered? With clear guidelines in front of you, it's easier to rule out jobs or companies that are a poor fit.
Grow Your Network Organically
Try not to view networking as a formal activity reserved for business settings. It's more effective to speak naturally about your professional passions in everyday conversations at the grocery store, school, social gatherings, church and community events.
How often do you meet people who ask about your job or hobbies? Use these informal encounters to mention a project you're excited about or a recent accomplishment without sounding like a shameless self-promoter. Enthusiasm is infectious. When you speak passionately about your work, people have more incentive to listen and refer you to others. You never know who might have the right connection, so make an ongoing effort to introduce yourself to new people and find quality leads.
Request Informational Interviews
Set up informational interviews to gain industry insight and form connections with influential professionals. In informational meetings, the emphasis is on listening and learning, rather than hard selling your skills. Reach out to people at companies where you aspire to work, and talk to them about crucial skills and strategies they used to succeed in their roles. Then, connect with new contacts on social media, so they stay up to date on your recent career developments. If you build this rapport in advance, you can ask about open positions and referrals as soon as you start a job search.
Dream jobs are hard to attain for a reason. To land one, you need to understand your strengths, nail down your career goals and do the legwork to find compatible companies. At the same time, excel in your current job to prove your value and stand out as an asset to potential employers. If you stay focused on your target and continue developing your skills, your job search is likely to end in success.
Photo courtesy of Greentech Media at Flickr.com
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