5 Job Search Tips for Tough Times
Given the current state of the economy, it's no surprise that jobs are getting harder to come by, and unemployment rates continue to skyrocket. Although many career experts are saying that attending career fairs and actively posting on job boards is the way to go, there are ways for candidates to streamline their efforts in order to be more strategic and proactive in their job searches.
Below are five tips to help them:
1. Make a plan. The more organized you are, the more effective you'll be. Plus, the competition is organized, so you'd better be too. Think about which companies you want to work for, what other areas/industries your skills might apply to, and how you're going to track and follow up with all the contacts you make in the course of your job search (hint: use a spreadsheet). If you plan well and execute your job search diligently, there's a much better chance you'll get what you want.
2. Search effectively. Don't bounce from site to site to site trying to paint a complete picture of the job market by hand. Job search engines like Juju.com do the heavy lifting for you by making virtually all job listings on the web searchable from one place. Job search engines link you back to the original source of each job they list, so you can run a single search that covers jobs from thousands of employer, recruiter, and job board websites at once, then submit your resume directly to the specific employers or recruiters you're interested in.
3. Think carefully about your search terms. What types of jobs do you want to see? Which ones will just clutter up your search results and waste your time? Which related terms should you be searching (ex. nurse vs. nursing)? Once you've got a good idea of exactly what you're looking for, use the tools available on the "advanced search" page of most job sites to get the most relevant search results possible. Advanced search typically allows you to search by things like company name, job title, job freshness, and exact phrase. You can even specify which words should not appear in your results. When used correctly, these tools can save you hours of tedious screening time every week.
4. Don't repeat your work! If you've spent the time to carefully construct a job search that works well, don't throw that work away only to redo it the next day. Bookmark your search, save it to your RSS reader, or sign up to have new matches delivered to your email address... just do something. Forgetting that great search term you came up with could cost you the opportunity you've been waiting for.
5. Don't lose heart. It's tough out there, but 90% of winning is showing up for the race. In this environment, you may need to beat the bushes until all of the leaves fall off, but when they do you'll be rewarded. Stick to your plan, while staying creative about how you execute it, and hustle, hustle, hustle until the job you want is yours.
Article courtesy of JuJu.com, we strive to create tools that make web-based job listings more accessible and our search results more relevant
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