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Sshhhh …. 5 Secrets of an Effective Job Search

Written by Bernie

Bernie Frazier, SPHR is the Founder and President of CAREERCompass, LLC, a speaking and career coaching firm in St. Louis, MO. She also spent almost 25 years recruiting talent to six organizations across four industries and led the talent acquisition function for four of those organizations, including one global team.

When looking for a job, there are many things you can do to get the results you want.  But who has time to do all of them?  No one.  That’s why it’s important to identify those key activities that will maximize your results in the least amount of time. 

In my many years of being in recruiting, coaching others to success, and having to apply my own advice, here are the top five job search tips from my perspective: 

1.  The old rules have changed – accept it and move on.  No matter how badly you want “the good jobs” to appear in the classified section of your local newspaper, it’s not going to happen.  Even though you want to receive your very own phone call to explain the status of your application, chances are that call will never come.  Today, many recruiters receive thousands of resumes each week.  With tight budgets and limited staff, it would be impossible for a recruiter to follow through with each candidate. 

2.  Have a good resume.  If you apply my next four secrets plus 20 others, but don’t have a good resume, your efforts will probably go to waste!  By good resume, I mean:

    • Have your credentials effectively positioned so a potential recruiter or hiring manager will be impressed;
    • Make sure your resume layout is clean, easy to follow, yet still possesses the polish of an executive-level resume;
    • Write your resume so that the content is relevant for the position you are pursuing.

3.  Network, network, network.  Did I say network yet?  This is one of the single most important efforts you can apply to any job search.  If you wait until you need a job to start, it’s too late to maximize the true results networking can bring.  Seek out opportunities to meet new people, identify ways a rapport between you and others can be mutually beneficial, and stay in touch even after you’ve achieved your career goal. 

4.  Embrace social networking.  Social networking has quickly become a mainstay in our society, and there is a lot of good which can come from it as well as productivity.  I’ll let you in on a little job search secret – the number one on-line tool used by recruiters today to find talent is LinkedIn.  If you don’t have a completed profile, aren’t reaching out to others, and joining groups to connect, you may be missing out on your pot of gold! 

5.  Be prepared.  Over the years, the most common mistake I have seen candidates make in their job search is to not be prepared.  Whether it’s polishing your resume, researching companies, rehearsing for interviews, creating your “30 Seconds of Fame” message, or practicing the route to the interview, this has been the most common downfall.  By investing time and effort in the process, you dramatically boost your chances of success.

Until next time….