3 Tips For A Successful Job Search

Ask most people where they’d rank looking for a job and most would liken it to getting a root canal without the Novocain!

As a professional resume writer, career coach and teacher of techniques to ace interviews, I have oceans of empathy and compassion for all job seekers-especially recent college grads and the 45-55 year old crowd. Both groups are facing a variety of challenges in finding jobs that energize their passions and really use their talents and skills.

What follows are some tips that will get you noticed.

Be Crystal Clear About Your Job Search Strategy
Job searches have moments of delusions, illusions and insights. Your first priority is to get as clear as possible about what type of job you want to land and equally important, why. 90% of job seekers don’t do this well resulting in a “spray and pray” job search. Sending out countless resume is ineffective and the lack of responses becomes demoralizing. 

This Piece of Paper Can Literally Change Your Life
Your cover letter and resume is the first thing that potentially lands you your dream job and puts you on the career ladder of success that matches your ambitions. The competition is fierce and while you can definitely draft a good cover letter and resume, you don’t write them all day long. Yes, you might have some inclination about what needs to be stated to get your phone ringing, but are you 100% sure? 

Use a professional service! The best investment you can make is in yourself and if your cover letter and resume doesn’t impress the hiring manager within 15 seconds, you’re heading to the “do not call” pile. Realize that recruiters and hiring managers read countless resumes a day. This was part of what I did and I can assure you that it was a mind numbing experience. It’s all about selling yourself on paper and few job seekers know the nuances to make this happen.

Sidestep Emotional Landmines
Buckle up-job searches are emotional rollercoasters. I make myself available to my clients to help them manage the “killer B’s” of any job search: the blahs, the blues and the big bummers like getting rejected after you’ve made it all the way to the final interview and left feeling that you’d be getting an offer. Manage your emotions by accepting that all you can control is creating a smart job search plan and then executing it to the best of your ability.

So, chins up to all and best wishes for a successful search. No one ever regrets trying their best!