As an executive resume coach, I had the opportunity to interact with professionals at various stages of their career growth & pick their brains on what worked for their successful job search. Based on my interaction with them, I am going to share key pillars for a successful job search:
- Find out what roles you aspire to target as your next career move: Most job seekers do not wish to portray themselves as specialists specifically those who possess diverse & wide range of skills. When your resume & LinkedIn profile position your as a jack of all traders/general manager with exposure to different skills without being specialist for a particular skill/trade, it is likely that prospective employers are going to give your profile a miss & instead consider those who position themselves as an expert.
- Awesome online profile: Every second recruiter/headhunter is active on social media & use it to look out for candidates who can be a perfect fit. Therefore having a great online profile plays an important role in successful job search given today’s digital world. A recent research shows that 70% of the employers use social media to screen candidates & 85% of the corporations recruit via social media. Professionals & job seekers can control what prospective employers can see by making their profile private. Put your best foot forward on the platform where you want headhunters to find you. Mark your LinkedIn presence by being active & engaging. Like & comment on articles that align with your career aspirations even if you are not looking out. Your LinkedIn profile should be complete & your headline should portray what kind of roles you are a perfect fit for & your summary should clearly indicate why you should be hired.
- Network, network & network: Almost 70% of jobs are not advertised & are filled through network & referrals. Approaching a friend or someone in your network for a potential position would not be a correct strategy if you network/communicate with them infrequently/after a long period of silence. Networking is a 2 way traffic. Your approach can vary from commenting or liking article/blog of your connect on LinkedIn, sending messages to your contact once in 2 months via email, text or whatsapp to having coffee meetings once in 15 days
- Avoid ATS black holes: Since most of the jobs are filled through referrals when a particular organisation publishes a job on various job boards/portal, it essentially means they have someone in mind. As a potential employer what would you do when a particular position is open or active? Would you publish on job portals or check internally with other employees if they have someone in mind who would be fit for the target role. Ideally, people try to fill in resource people through people they have faith in. Most job seekers spend less time on job portals & more on networking with professionals(50%).
