One of your goals for the New Year may be to find a new job or revamp your career. You may be feeling as if you have more to offer and want a chance to show off your skills in a different environment. You may have gained further education and want to implement your new knowledge where it will be appreciated.
You may even just be looking for a change, something more exciting, something new and challenging.
This could definitely be the year for you to set a goal of obtaining a new job. There are many job searching tips to help you reach this goal in 2019. Below are just a few, but they may give you an edge over your competitors.
Prepare for More than Just an Interview
Getting to the interview stage is great. But with so much competition out there today, employers are taking extra steps to find the right candidate. You can expect to complete personality assessments in some fields.
The employer may want to know how you learn to how you get along with others. They may be interested in your social life as well as your professional life, and how the two may intertwine.
To learn more about what employers are requiring these days, join online employer communities and groups through social media. Here you can begin your preparation process.
And if you aren’t fully on board with technology, you need to get there. You may be expected to conduct a first interview using video or online chat systems. Learning these tools in advance will impress the employer.
Your Online Presence
Not only should you have a professional online presence in outlets such as LinkedIn, you should also clean up your personal profiles on sites like Facebook and Instagram. Employers are checking out both during the hiring phases.
If you are someone who is still hesitant on learning and adapting to online programs and computer changes, you may not be an employer’s first choice for hire. Employers of all kinds are looking for staff that can adapt and learn new technology quickly and efficiently and cost-effectively.
They are not looking for people who are resistant to change. Almost every task in a business these days can be done online. In fact, most job searches are done online, through multiple sources. But don’t be afraid to go beyond the online search boards to grab a new job this year.
Go Beyond the Online Job Searches
Job search boards can be beneficial, especially when showing you what jobs are posted the most and what the requirements are for each. But when you simply reply to a job board advertisement, you are putting your resume in a slush pile with hundreds of other people.
The best way to stand out from that slush pile is to connect with someone inside the business. Employee referrals are one of the best ways to land an interview and get you closer to a job. It is even becoming popular for employees to post job announcements on their personal social media pages.
If you know someone working in an environment you desire, reach out to them directly and ask if there are opening at their place of employment. They can give you a direct line to their hiring committee and save you the time of submitting to the slush pile.
Networking is a must when trying to get a desired job.
Improve Your Networking Skills
Networking cannot just take place online. Networking is the art of meeting people, sharing your knowledge and how it can help them succeed, and maintaining contacts. It is about listening to the needs of different companies and finding opportunities where you can shine.
Networking can help you gain experience in how to communicate with executives and hiring committees. It can help you build relationships with potential employers, and it may even give you insight to unadvertised job positions.
Your networking opportunities should take place online and in other ways. Attend job fairs, even if there aren’t specific jobs of interest to you at that time. Introducing yourself to leaders in the company may lead to other opportunities down the road.
Practice your skills in starting conversations, listening, and even how to exit a conversation quickly and professionally when you realize a job is not right for you. Be able to provide answers about yourself but don’t offer them before someone asks.
But before you network and before you apply, know what exactly what you want and what you are worth so you can present yourself properly.
Study Yourself
You are the biggest investment you can make when it comes to searching for a job. Take time to assess what it is you need to obtain the job of your dreams. If you need more education, which is a very wise investment, then discover the educational path that is right for you.
If you need more skills, find opportunities to job shadow, apprentice or intern with someone who can train you the right way.
If you are already qualified for the job you want, know your value. Be able to express what you are worth to potential employers in a professional and factual manner. Research realistic salaries and benefits, skill sets and education so that you can compare your accomplishments to what is needed.
You can do this without coming across as arrogant. Instead, present yourself as worthy, in a way that relates how you want to use your skills to help their company succeed.
Final Tips
As mentioned before, these are just a few of the many tips in how to search for jobs this year. You can also work on getting the ultimate reference list, studying the core values of companies; learn the art of negotiation, and putting together a personal profile that will impress.
Most importantly, stay engaged in the process of job searching. Keep reading advice from other professionals and leaders. Continue to educate yourself in areas that can be used in any job, such as leadership skills.
And finally, never give up.
