Job Search Tips That Are So Basic People Forget Them

It’s a harsh world that we are living in. Everyone is in some kind of rush, especially when people are looking for jobs. Since everything happens so fast nowadays, it comes as no surprise that we tend to miss the obvious.

In the world of talking robots, who would think that writing a thank you note is actually a skill? When was the last time that you had to search for a job? Or when was the last time you actually spoke with someone who is searching for a job?

You see, finding the job can be extremely challenging moreover if you are searching for a job in a competitive industry. Finding a job today can be quite intimidating.

How can one parry someone with Bachelor’s, strong computer skills, and experience?

Or, how to parry someone who is fantastic with modern programming languages? This may be hard for you to believe, but there is a secret to be told – not even those with exceptional skills and years-long experience can find job super-fast.

Why is that, you may ask?

Well, the truth us that people tend to complicate things.

They polish their resumes, use hard to understand words, become easily overwhelmed with available information, and overall make easy things hard, and utterly complicated.

So, if you have done recently everything by the book and you can still land that dream job, it’s time to reflect. It’s time for you to reevaluate your job search process, and identify your bottlenecks.

You just have to open your mind and spot them. Finding a job is a job for itself.

That being said, job hunting can be occasionally so wrapped up in trivial aspects of job seeking that people tend to miss the obvious.

Simply stated, people tend to overlook the more natural options and even the most straightforward rules.

So, let’s explore the top five job search tips that are so basic, but still can help you land that perfect job!

MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE A GOOD FIT

This should be simple, yet people tend to neglect it. Know that if you are an engineer, with no experience in digital marketing, you have no business in this area, right?

However, if you are an engineer by vocation, but you do have years-long experience in digital marketing then you have full right to apply for the position of a digital marketer.

You see, when you are applying for a job, you need to have one thing on your mind – you need to be an obvious fit. This is what will make the job process easy and fast.

Moreover, you should know that companies, especially big companies have specific applicant tracking systems. These systems are designed to find perfect candidates.

They are designed to scan resumes and search for particular terms.

That’s why it is essential to keep your resume without specific symbols because the system will mark them as a scam.

Therefore, you will lose your dream opportunity.

So, once the tracking system approves your resume, your resume goes to the second round. Now, this is the phase when a human, an employee, looks in your resume.

In most cases, this is either a recruiter or a lower level HR person. These persons may just start their HR careers, so they may not understand all the specifics of the job that you are applying for. So, it’s mandatory to make it simple for both sides, including the computer program.

This means that your resume should present to you and your experience has written explicitly for this position. Stated leads are to step number two and why customization matters.

ALWAYS CUSTOMIZE YOUR RESUME

Your resume is your mirror in the world of business. Recruiters don’t get to meet you first. No, they are still the first welcomed by your resume.

Therefore, resume matters. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to think outside the box. Customize it.

In today’s competitive job market, it’s vital to increase your chances of being different. Why not use tailor your resume for a specific position?

If you were on the dating scene, would you love for every man or woman to approach you in an identical way? Probably not, if you lose to see that you actually matter to someone.

The same philosophy applies to companies. People who run companies love to know that they are chosen for a specific reason do not randomly.

Therefore, a specially tailored resume shows them that you care. Bear in mind that recruiters usually spend only six seconds screening one resume. In this quick six seconds, one person will decide if you are a fit for the next level or not. So, stand out!

Create your resume in such a manner that it will pass the ATS filter, first. Then, make sure that it’s visually appealing. You can use our resume templates and other free online tools for designing CVs.

Have you ever heard that line – Dress to impress? Use the same philosophy on your resume. Impress them, but don’t overdo. Don’t forget – less is more.

This means that you have a particular document only for this purpose. In this document, you can write every job you do, with a minimum of your three responsibilities on that job.

Moreover, if you could write the top three things that you learned in one position, write it down.

Over time, we tend to forget where we worked and what we have learned, so having this go-to list can be handy. This way, you will shape that resume much faster.

KEEP YOUR LINKEDIN ALIVE

First of all, is you don’t have a LinkedIn profile make it in the next 48 hours. This is a must if you are serious about your future, not to mention what a time-saver this platform is.

Did you know that you can actually download your LinkedIn profile and have it in PDF in just a few seconds? Yes, this is true. Moreover, this is only one of the perks of this business platform.

Since LinkedIn is not a permanent body tattoo, you should maintain it properly. Furthermore, you should update it when needed. Just finished a course on Leadership? Great! List it on your LinkedIn profile.

You just got your certificate for advanced Spanish? Amazing! List in on your LinkedIn profile? Your kid learned a new song? Mind-blowing! However, keep it for Facebook, or other platforms, unless your child is not the CEO of a world-leading company.

Know that LinkedIn profile is for business offering and business search only. Of course, you can share hare numerous business-related stories, quizzes, or articles, as long as you keep it professional.

Your LinkedIn is a living organism, and it should evolve as you progress. It will help you land a job by following specific companies and their job alerts.

Moreover, you will be able to place an ‘open for opportunities’ option, so recruiters can easily spot you. Furthermore, you will receive notifications whenever someone looks at your profile. People tend to neglect this, but LinkedIn is also a high learning ground.

The platforms offer free and paid courses, special prices for top demanding courses, and enables you to share every course certification on your profile. Next, you can follow people from relevant industries and engage in their posts and comment. This is also a great way to be noticed.

On the other hand, if your boss knows that you are searching for a new work adventure, then feel free to tell the world. Also, you can ask close colleagues to endorse you on various skills and even write a letter of recommendation.

GO OFFLINE

Yes, everything nowadays is about the online world and digital presence. However, you shouldn’t limit yourself to exclusively digital world. Real people are still walking, talking, and meeting. So, go offline and mingle. Your perfect job might be just one coffee away.

This doesn’t mean that you should forget about online applications. No, this offline approach simply means that you should expend your job searching range. So, you just applied for an online opportunity? Great!

Now, go to your LinkedIn profile and see if you have any connections there. If you don’t have any, don’t panic! A friend of a friend definitely knows someone there so that they can connect you. Meet people from that company.

Talk with them, ask them various questions, get their perspective. Ask for interview tips, learn about the company’s culture, vision, and mission, and discover if they are expecting.

Moreover, carefully plan and schedule informational interviews. This comes handy even before you apply for the position, in case you have to write a motivation letter, try any type of cover letter. Always go beyond the expected and online application.

If you are really passionate about the job position or the company, show them your passion. Meet them in person. Show a more proactive approach. This move will separate you from others, and you will be more confident in the interview.

The chances are that they will react positively (bosses), and it will give you a mandatory boost for the final interview. Moreover, by meeting the right people, you will reach that last interview faster.

HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

This may sound funny at first but just think about it. Do you prefer people who share positive energy, or people who only see negative outlook?

Although this may seem harsh and unjustified, the truth is that people will hire those people with whom they can imagine having a five-minute coffee break.

So, be that person! Show them that you are pure joy! You will have more than enough time showing all shades of you, once you are hired.

As mentioned earlier, job searching can turn into a long and time-consuming process. So, staying positive during the process and hoping for the best is a must.

You may feel downsides, but you should always look at the bigger picture.

Desperation and tiredness will pass. It’s crucial to keep your spirit up and continuously work on your self-confidence.

A genuinely optimistic approach will help you during your job hunting phase.

Moreover, it will push you until you land that perfect job. Job search is sometimes straightforward. Sometimes you know the right people, or sometimes you just have enough luck to land your dream job in only three days.

In the meantime, if you have been searching for a job for some time or season, it may be easy to feel frustrated. So, overcome occasional sadness and defeat by being positive.

HERE IS HOW TO STAY POSITIVE DURING YOUR JOB SEARCH IN A NUTSHELL:

1. Talk about it. Everything is far easier to bear when you actually talk about it. If you feel like complaining or crying, talk to your best friends or ex-colleagues. You shouldn’t’ keep your emotions bottled up until you explode.
2. Be realistic. That being said, you should have realistic goals. Dreaming is fine, as long as you can measure it. So, have time-oriented goals, such as ‘I want to have a new job three months from now.’
3. Have a routine. Job searching is like a job itself, so make a job-searching-routine. Know what you search and where. Moreover, having mini-goals will help you be more productive while job searching. Furthermore, you will be more dedicated, and you should be able to find a job faster with a good routine.
4. Be goal-oriented. While you are job searching, you have only one goal – to get a job, right? However, getting a good job might require more time than initially planned. Moreover, it may require small actions such as sending customized cover letters. So, make sure that you create bite-sized goals that you can accomplish. Also, you can have daily, monthly, and weekly goals.

For example:

• Every day you will apply for a minimum of one job.
• Every week, moreover every Friday, you will have a job reflection. This means that you will have a list of companies that you applied for and write their replies.
• Every month you will go for a minimum of two network events to meet with relevant people from various industries. This way, you will meet in-person HR people, recruiters, and so on.

Continue with your education. As you probably know, learning never stops. Moreover, we are living in a world where life-long education is mandatory.

So, if you want to be relevant in the job market, you should learn every day and excel in various skills. So, while you are searching for your next job, take a class. The truth is that you will have a lot of feet time while job hunting, so why not use it to advance some more?

This is a great way to acquire new skills and to show a company that you are serious about education.

They will see that you are prone to learning new things. Companies love proactive people. Not to mention that you can place your new skill in your customized resume. On top of that, you will be able to meet new people and widen your networks.

Plus, it will be good for your health, both physical and mental, to get out of the house. All in, this can do wonders for your frame of mind.

“THANK YOU” MATTERS

It’s more likely for recruiters or HR people to notice you if you follow up. While you are talking with HR representatives, you are actually talking with people.

So, always bear in mind that you people love friendly people stuff. They enjoy kind words and civil actions. Why not use that and create a short and effective follow-up? Yes, the truth is that with the right extension you can automate a bunch of things.

However, nothing can make a sincere human word as a person can. So, an honest and non-robotic thank you note can do wonders. Make sure that you the person’s name in the email and wish them a beautiful day.

Moreover, you can send them a thank you not a few hours after the interview. This way, they will link your note with your face. If you send it a week later, the chances are low that they will know who you are.

From ten candidates, probably only one will step up and make a move. The only one will send a thank you note. Be that ONE. Saying thanks matters.

However, this is something that even the most experienced candidates forget. People think that we are beyond this practice, but the truth is that a kind gesture is always stylish. How much time do you need to write a pleasant email?

This short “thank you” note was written in only twenty seconds. If you can say ‘have a nice day’ in three seconds, then you can write a thank you note in twenty seconds.

Keep it short, engaging, and oriented toward them. No one wants to read about you only. Show other people that they matter as well. People want to hear their name and positive things about them. Use that human urge and use it to benefit from it.

All in, a proper thank you note is a simple and effective gesture that will show them that you care.

The most important thing about sending the thank you note? The speed. How fast you will send you to note matters. The speed will determine the impact. However, make sure that the note is well-crafted. Quality always wins over quantity.

THE BOTTOM LINE

To sum up, remember that recruiters care about the company first. Consequently, they really care about what you can do for them and not another way around.

In a way, this approach makes sense, and you should think about it. Therefore, use it as your strength.

This will help you land that job faster. Last but least, remember that you need to keep that spirit high, and that job searching can be demanding and time-consuming.

Demonstrate how passionate you are about the job position, and how well you know the company.