This is the first post in our series of quick tips. This will be a regular feature of the Onward Search Blog which will focus on bringing you career and hiring advice.
Job hunting is one thing everyone dreads doing…Updating your resume, an uncertain future, and endless interviewing. If you are hunting for a job, 99% of the time it means you are:
a) Unhappy
b) Unemployed
or
c) Both.
To avoid being unhappy and unemployed for too long you must commit yourself to looking for a job. Job hunting itself can be its own fulltime job and you need to accept this so you are able to take advantage of every opportunity possible. To start you should develop habits for your job search so you can maximize all your available time. These habits should include:
- Reading
- Read local news, national news, and industry news. By reading the news regularly, you will be able to stay up-to-date with which companies are still moving forward in this slow economy. Look into these companies for possible openings. Although they might not have anything listed on their website it is worth calling in personally to see if they are hiring in your area.
- Job Alerts
- Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, and the majority of job boards provide the option for automatic job alerts. Save yourself the time of checking each one individually and consolidate your searches into either a daily email or an RSS feed.
- For job boards without automatic alerts, make a list of these and make a habit of checking them regularly.
- Networking
- The majority of jobs are filled through networking. Take advantage of this by letting friends and acquaintances know you are on the job market. It will surprise you who might actually help you find a job, and if you never talk to them about your job hunt, you may be stuck scanning the job boards day-in and day-out.
- In-person networking events can be a great way to generate potential job opportunities.
- If you are still employed you might want to use a little more restraint with who tell you are job hunting. If your boss finds out through the grapevine, it can make for an uncomfortable situation.
Although it is a slow economy companies are still hiring. Commit yourself to the job hunt and stay persistent, if you are skilled professional following all the right steps, it will only be time before a company is lucky enough to find you.
