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You’ve got a good idea of where you want to take your career, and you’re ready to start looking for your next exciting opportunity. Let’s talk about strategies for a successful job search.
#1 – Focus
To be successful, your job search efforts need to be targeted. Otherwise, you can easily become overwhelmed and spend far too much time and energy on activities that do not suit your goals.
Portfolio Activity #21 – Focus and Planning
#2 – Vary your approach
Most career development professionals agree: the majority of jobs are never posted publicly. Back in Module 3, you learned about networking and tapping into the hidden job market. Remember: reaching out to current and new network contacts – as well as cold calling employers – can be a great way to find out about job opportunities that have not been posted publicly. Although we spend much of this module discussing posted jobs, keep in mind that applying to posted jobs is just one method of job searching. Be sure to include job fairs – whether virtual or in-person – as part of your job search strategy. Many larger companies and industries – including construction, technology, and healthcare – use job fairs as their primary recruitment strategy.
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is the term for learning through an education program that also includes authentic workplace experiences, like an apprenticeship, internship, co-op, clinical/field placement, or applied research project. Combined with extracurriculars like temporary or part-time jobs, clubs, and athletics, WIL is a highly valuable form of experience that you can draw upon during your job search. Whether it’s the knowledge and skills you developed, or the people you met, remember to include your WIL and extracurricular activities when planning out your job search activities.
#3 – Put your job search on “project status”
It is often said that job searching is a full-time job. By treating your job search as the serious project it is, you’ll have more success planning, executing, and making measurable progress. Some best practices:
- Plan out and keep track of your job search activities.
- Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Bound)
- Schedule time for your tasks. Use a calendar.
- Keep a record of your job search activities in one place, including contact information.
Portfolio Activity #22 – SMART Goals
Setting goals that are SMART – that is, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound – will help to make steady progress on activities that support your job search. Here are some examples of the some SMART job search goals:
- Draft the Education section of my resume by noon today.
- Reach out to 3 connections on LinkedIn before Friday morning.
- Spend 15 minutes tomorrow evening searching for job postings online.
- Take a 5-minute stretch break for every 30 minutes I spend writing a cover letter.
To really make your SMART goals work for you, don’t hesitate: schedule your activities in a calendar!
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