The Art of Finding a Job: 5 Musts
I’ve neglected writing over the last month. And it’s hurt — I’ve felt different. Like I’m letting someone down. Like I’m not 100% of who I should be. Sometimes things happen
that cause you to put other things on the back burner (that story for another blog) and
well … writing got put on the back burner. I’ve managed to catch my footing enough to get back into a somewhat simliar grove, so I hope to drop some serious content this week.
My first attempt is this post. The Art of Finding a Job: 5 Musts.
Disclaimer: I don’t have it figured out…not even close.
But what I do have is the storyboard of what I’ve been doing since November, and I’ll share it with you so maybe it can help you in your search…or you help me in mine. Like I said, I don’t have it figured out. But I think I’ve highlighted 5 musts. =)
- Reach out to your trust circle.
- Utilize job boards and groups.
- Swallow a whole hell of a lot of pride.
- Meticulous dedication to hours spent looking.
- Luck.
Now I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, and rightly so, “Ryan there are a bunch of other factors involved.” Yes, however I believe these are the 5 biggest contributors to finding a job, thus the “art” or “musts”.
1. Reach out to your trust circle.
Reaching out to your trust circle means letting those fellow business professionals, friends, mentors, etc. know that you are in the market for a job. Be very specific to the industry and salary requirements. As a +1, giving them a list of 3-4 businesses you’d love to work at. These are the people that know your abilities best, and at the same time have an invested interest in you getting a job. This should not only be one of the first things you do in your quest, but I believe it is something that you should re-touch ever 2 weeks. Now by re-touch, I mean exactly that, re-touch. I don’t mean hound once a week with a sob story of why you need a job — By re-touching, I simply mean shooting a gentle reminder in an email, text, direct message (DM) etc.
Utilize job boards and groups.
The amount of companies that are online right now actively looking for employees will surprise you. It sure as hell surprised me — and being online is my profession. But as a potential employee, you have to be able to go to where the companies are posting those active positions they need filled. I have found two resources, for my search, to be extremely helpful. The coupe de gras is LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn is the largest business-focused social network there is. Often considered the “digital resume,” LinkedIn offers you a place to be a part of the largest professional network. With LinkedIn Jobs, you can search for jobs and customize your search to place, type, salary, etc. It’s extremely well done and very easy to navigate. The second place, for MY job search that has proven beneficial, is a Facebook Group that I help manage called Social Media Jobs. It is by approval only to join, and is moderated very heavily by a small group of us. We average about 20 social media related job postings a week across the entire country. Currently there are over 1700 members. Even if you aren’t in the social media space and looking for a job, I venture to guess there are similar groups on Facebook for your industry.
3. Swallow a whole hell of a lot of pride.
I say this with much seriousness. You’re going to get a lot of email or verbal no’s. The most dreaded introduction to a job application response reads, “We wanted to first and foremost thank you for applying to _________.” Your heart sinks and you immediately know its a “thanks but no thanks” email. With that being said, you need to just button down the hatches, and suck it up. I hate to go all cliche on you, but with every no you hear, you’re one step closer to a yes. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, but it’s the honest to God truth. Swallow your pride, and remind yourself that you are VERY qualified and someone is going to get a STEAL when they hire you.
4. Meticulous dedication to hours spent looking.
I speak from personal experience that “looking for a job” requires an awful lot of work. It’s not something you can send a few emails and then the job miraculously finds you — it takes a lot of blocking and tackling. You have to calendar it off just like anything else you need to dedicate yourself to doing. Give yourself a window: from 9-12 and 3-5 today I’m going to find and apply for jobs (as example). Here is a tidbit that will make the time you spend applying 110% more efficient too: SAVE A FILE OF YOUR ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SO THAT YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ON NEW WEBSITES/APPLICATIONS. In hindsight, I could have saved myself well over 30 hours (to date) if that is something I’d of figured out at the beginning (November) and not in the middle of (last week). Fact: It is a horrible pain in the ass to have to answer the same questions over and over. Fact: It sucks that all job applications are not created equal. Some of the UI’s are horribly clunky. Fact: Saving your answers to questions as you go, in a master document, can shave applying time down from 15-30 minutes to 5-10.
5. Luck.
I wish I had something profound to end with, but sometimes it requires just good ole luck. Not the kind of luck that just happens out of thin air though. You won’t get a job offer while playing golf on a Friday (although I did once, post to come later). The kind of luck I’m referring to is luck that you create. By notifying your trust circle, utilizing job boards and groups, swallowing pride and spending time ACTIVELY SEARCHING for a job — you put yourself in a vastly better position to receive good luck in your job search. By inserting yourself into where jobs are, the likelihood of something ‘falling into your lap’ increases exponentially.
So there you have it folks. My 5 musts when trying to find a job. Does it mean that if you follow these 5 musts you’ll get a job immediately? No. LOL. I wish it did, because I’d have been placed in my next job by now. But I can promise you this: … you’ll be closer to finding a job than if you didn’t.
I’m currently looking for job placement on a national level (willing to relocate) in regards to a social media, community manager and/or digital marketing. I have a strong passion for communications, and the processes of those communications. I also have a strong skill-set and desire around building communities and consulting with brands on how best to serve those communities. My resume can be found here, and my LinkedIn profile here. If you know of any open positions or would like to contact me you can email me at: ryan@theryancox.com
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Image credit: Business Insider, http://cambriairene.blogspot.com/, 123 Greetings
