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Follow Up Immediately – In a good job market you need to follow-up immediately if you want to get the job you want and in today’s job market you’d better follow up immediately if you want a job at all. If you receive lead for a position call immediately, even if it’s after hours (providing you have a direct extension). Your attention will not go unrewarded.
Always Be Ready - Have a copy of your resume in your car at all times. Have an “interview”
Make a Spreadsheet – Whether on paper or on the computer, track who you have interviewed with, when you last made contact and any information about the contact (or attempt to contact). Approach your job search as if it was your job and you will find yourself in a job faster than you might imagine.
Schmooze – You heard it… schmooze. Find people who might be able to help you in your search, get to know them and schmooze a little. Making connections is the fastest way to find the jobs that no one else knows about.
Create a Pitch – Most job searchers have a hard time articulating why they are a great candidate. Write down all of your talents and think about how they could be valuable to a potential employer. Then rank them in the order of importance for the type of position(s) you are trying to land. Take the top five and develop a pitch about yourself. This will help you avoid looking like a deer caught in the headlights if asked why you think you are the right candidate for the job and it will help you build your confidence.
Buddy Up – These days you are probably not the only person you know looking for work. Find a buddy and help each other out. Even if you are going for the same types of positions, two heads are better than one. Alternate calling the same lead first and offer feedback to each other. Hedge your bets by working together.
Niche Your Resume – Most job hunters have one resume that is supposed to be a “catch all” for every job. The fact is that the more targeted your resume, the more likely it will result in generating interest.
Find Out Who the Hiring Manager Is – Your resume is likely to be one of several piling up on the HR person’s desk (and that is putting it lightly). If do a little detective work online and by making some unobvious calls, it can be relatively simple to find out who the hiring manager is for the position you want. Once you know who the person is, submit it the standard way and then follow up with a brief call to the hiring manager indicating your name, your interest in the position and that you have submitted your resume to HR and are looking forward to getting a chance to interview. Your resume might just find its way to the top of the pile.
About the Author:
Michael Powless is a content author for CareerReady Academy. CareerReady Academy is an online career preparation service provided to students at client colleges and schools of Career Service Solutions, Inc. Career Service Solutions, Inc. is the nation’s leading career services outsourcing company for colleges and schools.
For more information about CareerReady Academy or Career Service Solutions, Inc. go to:
http://www.placestudents.com or email the author at mpowless@placestudents.com
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
