Job Hunting Strategies That Work

By Author: Howard Smith
Total Articles: 49
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"Thank you for your interest in our company. However, we decided to go for another candidate for the position advertised." Sounds familiar? If you are one of the millions who look for a job, this is just one of the many forms of rejection letters you had or would likely receive. No matter how the human resources or recruitment agency phrase it, it all boils down to one thing: you didn't get the job you wanted. Well, a lot of us are rejected for several of the jobs we apply for. However, this does not mean we should give up easily on our job hunting. Remember, with the current state of economy and the tough competition among job seekers out there, it's really a challenge to present yourself out in the job market and be successful on the job hunt. Here are a few job hunting strategies that work. Feel free to tweak your own strategies so you can be more successful on finding and landing that dream job you've always wanted.

Identification
First step to job search is identification. This means knowing your particular interests, skills, and knowledge. What kind of work or activities do you take interest in? Can you identify ...
... the skills you have acquired from your educational training, volunteerism activities, or previous work background? What types of knowledge have you learned from previous training and educational opportunities, as well as interesting life experiences or the activities and hobbies you usually do? Identifying these key points is essential to jumpstart your job hunt since these will give you a clear view of your career path or where you're headed. You can start establishing career opportunities afterwards – know what direction you'd like to go through in the long term. This phase in the job hunting process is also an ideal time for you to discover your goals that reflect not only your career expectations, but also your personal motivations.

Tailor your resume
This seems like an old trick already, but a lot of people always make the mistake of submitting generic resumes for different job positions. Employers and HR people can see through this, so tailoring your resume specifically for the requirements of the job you're applying for will give you an edge over your fellow applicants. Potential employers will likely notice that you've taken the time and effort to outline your skills, accomplishments, and career goals based on what the company is really looking for.

Improve your online presence
Do you know about SEO? In a nutshell, it's basically about ranking your website up for a few related keywords. Goal is to increase your ranking in search engine result pages, because the top results are the ones usually visited by internet users. Basically, that is what you should do. Do you have online resumes posted somewhere online? Or maybe you have a LinkedIn account listing all your accomplishments and skills. Make potential employers easily find you by making sure that you are highly searchable using the keywords that are relevant in your niche. Know the key search terms that are related to your target industry or line of work and ensure that you use those keywords in your online resume and other pages you're managing online.

Be proactive and build your network.
Your job hunting should not only involve looking for job opportunities; it should also be about building your professional connections. Utilize your social media profiles in building your network and aim to reach out to some industry people. As you build your online presence, also take advantage of the opportunity to get recommendations and testimonials from people who matter. These can be current or previous employers and colleagues, professors, and others who can give proof to vouch for your skills and accomplishments.

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