The old days of finding a job in the newspaper “help wanted” section are long gone. As technology grows so do the avenues in which job seekers can find their next opportunity. This technology age allows us a variety of options when searching for our dream jobs. How do you identify the right method for your search? Here are 5 tips on how to engage in your career search.
Recruitment Agencies
if you are looking to break in to a niche industry recruitment agencies can help you identify the players. There are a number of companies that hire through recruitment agencies because it helps to streamline the lengthy process of locating and interviewing candidates. This is often a no cost option to yourself. Agencies can often work as your “Agent” to help find you the best fit. Often times they have worked with the client before and know what they are looking for. Agencies will often send your resume to companies that haven’t posted a job yet to see if your skills would be a match for their organization.
Referrals
Word of mouth can go a long way. Studies have shown that you increase your chances of being hired if you have an employee referral. U.S. News reported that almost 91% of people referred by a Director level or above where hired. Don’t know a director? That is ok, 53% of people were hired if the referral came from an entry level candidate.
Job Boards
Some job boards can allow you to be both a passive and active candidate. You can post your resume and allow recruiters to come to you as well as applying. If you are looking for a specific field you might want to target your search to niche job boards. The bigger job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder act more like a Help wanted section and often have quicker turnaround times.
Networking
It’s not about posting every status on your LinkedIN account, connecting with everyone you see or going to every event with a FOMO (fear of missing out) attitude, rather being able to effectively communicate at the right time. Whether that’s saying hello to the person you see every day in line at your coffee or an organic conversation with a passerby that strikes you as something interesting. Networking and getting outside of your comfort can help you in ways that you don’t anticipate.
The Bottom Line
The modern job market offers us a variety of choices with searching for your dream job. There is not a one size fits all method. You might have to use a combination of searches to identify the right fit. Don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed. Remember it’s about searching for the perfect job that might take time.