Job hunting is hard and difficult. You want to find a job to be employed to make money to survive. On the Maslow’s hierarchy of need, you are bumped back down to physiological and safety steps of the ladder; you’re trying to survive to provide food, shelter and security for yourself.
I’m in that same boat, and I have been for a month so far.
I’ve went through nearly a hundred applications, dozens of phone calls, and only a handful of interviews. Please take it from someone who’s in the hunt with you: this job hunt is not going to get easier. After a few weeks, friends and advisers have pointed out my common mistakes. Here are three pieces of common advice to give you an advantage in the job hunt.
Know what you’re going to say (in the way you want to tell the employer): This was my biggest mistake, and it can easily be avoided. I found myself always changing my answers with each interview depending on how I felt about the job or the interview. The quality I was giving in each interview varied, and that’s not a great way to present yourself.
You know yourself best and that means you need to sell yourself better than the rest. I know you already have an idea on what the hiring manager will ask you, whether it be from personal experience or from googling around the internet for “basic interview questions.” That doesn’t excuse yourself from preparing for the interviews.
A solution? Writing down and practicing your answers will help give more weight when responding to the hiring manager. When answering questions, you should know what to say, pace your statements, and prepare to answer the question “why.”
Utilize recruiting agencies’ job boards: I’ve been on both sides of utilizing a recruiting agency, as a job seeker and a company looking for candidates. My last company only had one staff member for human resources, and she was also the accounting manager. Many companies that can not afford a hiring manager or a fully staffed HR department will find themselves outsourcing the hiring process to recruiting agencies. My last position was found through a recruiting agency, and I become a full-time employee after a month of working with my last company. I utilize recruiting agencies to hire my team members, many of which did not have the experience but were willing to learn.
Recruiting agencies are not for short-term employment anymore; many agencies will specialize in locations or industries, and they often offer various types of positions from temp-to-hire to long-term contracts. Recruiting agencies will often post on online job boards on behalf of the company as well as maintain their own website with job listings you can go through.
Recruiting agencies are also useful in providing resources on seeking employment. They may offer resume reviews, training, and benefits. Research local recruiting agencies and give them a call to find out more information and how you can take advantage of their services.
Commit to finding a job like it’s your job: Many job seekers are unable to start the job hunting process until leaving their last position. When you’re in this position, understand that you are now part of the unemployed. You are one of many, many qualified candidates looking for employment in a competitive market.
Don’t treat your time being unemployed as a vacation unless if you prepared the emergency funds for it. During this period of unemployment, you can utilize your time:
- Updating your resume and getting it reviewed by peers
- Looking at various job boards such as Indeed.com, Ziprecruiter, LinkedIn, Monster, and local recruiting agencies
- Applying to at least 5-10 openings per day
- Updating your LinkedIn profile and connecting with more associates
- Cleaning up your online persona by cleaning up your social media outlets
- Attending free classes that can be useful to your career
Your time is scarce and can always be utilized for the better. The more you utilize your time to be proactive in the job hunt, the more likely you’ll find yourself invited to interviews and a better chance at employment.
This is Lina 