In this day and age there are numerous job search tools at your disposal, but when you are busy,it is essential to have tools designed to help save you time during your job search. We’re bringing it back to basics here at Clarity and highlighting the top five to aid you in landing that dream job!
1. LinkedIn – Don’t underestimate the power of LinkedIn. Log in and update your profile even if you love your current job. You never know who is looking for someone exactly like you for an even more perfect job opportunity. On the flip side, as a job seeker, you should be using LinkedIn daily to reach out to different contacts at targeted companies, even if they don’t have a job posted.
2. Networking – We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, get out there and meet people. Sign up for industry association newsletters and keep an eye out for their next gathering. Check out Keilly Cutler, Clarity’s Business Development Manager, sums it up well and outlines how become a networking pro
3. Organization – Job searching can be overwhelming – it’s easy to forget which job you applied to when and lose track of when to follow up. Don’t let this important information fall through the cracks. Follow up and not duplicating your efforts are important. You can start a spreadsheet to keep everything in one place or sign up for service like JibberJobber to manage it for you!
4. Resumes – This should go without saying…make sure your resume is up to date and accessible. Save it online somewhere that you can get to on the fly. If you don’t have Dropbox, Google Drive, or Box, sign up now (it’s free!) and create a folder with your saved and updated resume.
5. Social Media Profiles – Employers are looking to Social Media during the hiring process more and more. Social Media can be your biggest ally in a job hunt but don’t let it work against you! Be sure your public profile is job-proofed and ready for potential professional viewers. Make sure to take down or edit anything that can be viewed as unprofessional. According to Forbes and a survey by CareerBuilder, A third (34%) of employers who scan social media profiles said they have found content that has caused them not to hire the candidate. About half of those employers said they didn’t offer a job candidate the position because of provocative or inappropriate photos and information posted on his or her profile; while 45% said they chose not to hire someone because of evidence of drinking and/or drug use on his or her social profiles. Other reasons they decided not to offer the job: the candidate’s profile displayed poor communication skills, he or she bad mouthed previous employers, made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, or religion, or lied about qualifications. The good news is that hiring managers aren’t just screening your social media profiles to dig up dirt; they’re also looking for information that could possibly give you an advantage.
There is no magic formula for job searching but there are a lot of useful tools out there to hopefully make it a little bit easier. Happy hunting!