Want to get more out of your job search? Here are 4 top strategies to make sure you’re getting the most out of your time!

Develop a List of Target Jobs, Job Types, and/or Companies

While this step does require an initial investment of time and energy, it makes the rest of your job search so much for efficient!

For those who already have a very clear idea of the jobs they’ll be pursuing, this step is less time intensive. For others who are a little less clear, I recommend researching positions, companies, and job types/functions that may be a good fit for you.

Only you can know what types of jobs are best for you, so spend as much time as it takes on this step. Don’t be afraid to go down the rabbit hole of online job postings – you may be surprised at what you find that interests you!

I always encourage clients to spend some time researching articles and online job boards (indeed.com, ziprecruiter.com, Snagajob.com, careerbuilder.com, monster.com, etc.) to find positions you (a) are interested in and (b) feel qualified for.

You can also research companies in your area to find out if there is a particular organization you’d like to work for. Learn their pain points and/or what they’re trying to accomplish. Understand their company culture and public image.

Then search for positions within the organization either on the company website or on the job boards listed above, and create (for yourself) a point-by-point explanation of how you fit into the needs of the companies and jobs you’ve identified.

This will help you start to focus on a definite career direction, which is important because current recruiting practices are largely keyword based, at least in the initial screening, so your resume will need to be targeted and include appropriate keywords.

Speaking of your resume…

Have a Stellar Resume (and Career Collateral) At-the-Ready

Having a targeted, effective resume at-the-ready is an incredibly important factor in a successful job search.

Take it from me, it’s a soul-crushing experience to find the ‘perfect’ job for you, only to realize it closes on that very day at midnight and there’s absolutely no way you resume will be ready in time. (Thankfully this was when I was 24, and I learned the lesson of resume importance early!)

Your resume should be written to target the positions and/or companies you identified in the step above. Use a broad range of job descriptions (at least 10) as a basis to understand the types of skills (a.k.a. keywords) being used consistently, because that will let you know what to showcase in your resume.

And don’t do all the work above only to have your job search tank because you neglected your LinkedIn profile!

According to U.S. News, 95% of recruiters utilize LinkedIn. LinkedIn statistics show that there are currently over 30 million companies and 20 million open jobs on LinkedIn, and Wired.com states that more than 16,000 clients and companies, like Google and Facebook, use the LinkedIn Recruiter tool.

All that to say: LinkedIn is kind of a big deal.

Every aspect of your job search is a big deal, so make sure your career collateral represents you well and highlights your most valuable skills and experience.

Remember, these are Marketing tools, not just a simple run-down of your career history. They need to sell your abilities and elevate you above other candidates with similar experience.

Networking – Online & Offline

Now more than ever, networking plays a major role in an effective job search. With the popularity of LinkedIn and other social media platforms, companies have started a whole new strategy in candidate sourcing.

Many large companies are now creating passive candidate pools through followers of the company social media page and even social media groups.

Because companies are starting to rank company culture fit as a high priority, they are starting to realize that the right person can be trained to do a job effectively, regardless of their background.

This means they are more interested in finding people who like their company and believe in the company’s mission, values, etc. than in finding randos who have matching qualifications but no interest in the company itself.

So get out of your comfort zone! If there is a company you believe in, angage with them on social media.

Cultivate and maintain relationships, even when you’re not job searching, in order to keep yourself top-of-mind with important people. And remember to always try to add value for them, even if there isn’t anything directly ‘in it’ for you. Be thoughtful and helpful, share articles you think they may find interesting or engage with posts they’ve shared by Liking or Commenting.

The more engagement and interactivity you can have with important people in your industry, the better!

Request Informational Interviews

An informational interview is a meeting in which a potential job seeker seeks advice on the career prospects, industry, and/or corporate culture of a potential future area of interest; while an employed professional learns about the job seeker and judges their professional potential and fit to the corporate culture, so building their candidate pool for future hires.

It is usually an informal meeting with no promise of employment potential, but with the common idea that both parties may benefit from the exchange.

A strong network of connections will often mean that at least 1 or 2 of those people like you enough to do you a favor sometime. Through the networking activities mentioned above, hopefully you’re able to meet and develop relationships with people at companies you’d be interested in or in similar roles to what you’d like to be doing.

Ask one of those contacts out to lunch, or see if they’d be willing to spend a bit of time on the phone with you so you can pick their brain about what it’s like (and what it takes!) to work there or do that job.

You can also try to meet with recruitment/hiring personnel in similar companies to learn what they look for when hiring for positions you’d be interested in.

This may seem far-fetched, but people who like their job and the company they work for often genuinely enjoy talking about what they do. And if you’ve put in the work to become a trusted, maybe even liked connection, then it’s not out of the question to think someone may be willing to impart some wisdom!

At higher career levels, informational interviews can sometimes lead to the creation of a position within that company just for you – so what have you got to lose?

Final Takeaway

Diversify your job search! The old idea of not putting all your eggs in one basket is heavily applicable in your job search. Keep your options open and don’t rely on just one method of getting yourself out there.