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3 Ways to Super-Charge Your Job Search

Erika Mitchell

Posted Jun. 26, 2008
Tagged: Work, GettingAJob, WorkTips

Whether you’re looking for your first job out of college or a new career opportunity, job hunting is a lot of work. It takes a lot of time to update and improve your resume, sort through job postings, write cover letters, and attend interviews.

A frustrating aspect of job hunting is that much of the work you do will not pay off. Many of the companies you submit your resume to will not call you back, and you will probably not get a job offer from every interview you give. Sad facts, but all true.

So, the question becomes, what can you do to improve the efficacy of the work you put into your job hunt? Here are some tips to help you give your job search some oomph:

Network often and well. Ideally, you will have built up your network and maintained it while you were happily employed or in school. (If you would like some information about how to network, you might find this article helpful.) As soon as you decide to start looking for a job, spread the word. It’s often helpful to start by contacting former colleagues, who may be with different companies and may know of new opportunities. Whoever you network with, make sure you are polite, professional, and ready to return the favor.
Get a fresh perspective on your resume. Ask close friends and family to review your resume and give you feedback. Often, having a fresh pair of eyes looking at your resume will help you find where your weak spots are.
Try something new. Sometimes, there are just genuinely no jobs out there in the field you are looking in. At times like these, it might help to try a different direction. Take a look at your skills and find ways to make those skills work in different industries. For example, if you are very skilled at car sales, you will definitely be able to transfer those skills to another industry, such as pharmaceuticals.

These are just some of the tips that can help you super-charge your job search. What has helped you with your job search?

I am a 20-something young professional with a background in Human Resources. I am the Work area content manager and as such have the privilege of indulging my love of research and blogging. I am extremely excited about Qvisory and can't wait to see how far we can take this concept. I truly believe that young Americans are faced with challenges unique to this generation and am committed to equipping them to succeed in this dynamic environment. See Erika Mitchell's other posts and profile.

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4 Comments

Erika Mitchell
06/30/08 01:14 PM

-Job Searcher, thanks for the tip. Confidentiality can be helpful at times, but I have admit I've seen a few people use their job searches to leverage better positions at their exisiting companies!

job searcher
06/30/08 06:15 AM

Keep things professional and confidential. Check out this new site QuietHire.com. It is going to be the Future in Confidential Hiring.

Erika Mitchell
06/27/08 07:59 AM

Great point, Working Girl! I think the same can be said of almost any problem. If you know a problem too well it's often difficult to think around it!

Working Girl
06/26/08 09:15 PM

Sometimes it helps to talk with someone completely out of your industry. Choose an experienced someone with good judgment.

He or she, not being loaded down with too much information or details about your particular field, may offer an original approach you've not thought of. You never know. Anyway, it's good to get out of your head every once in a while!