Finding a new job can be a frustrating or even stressful experience for many people, especially if they’re not sure exactly what they’re looking for. Fortunately, there are ways to make the experience more positive – provided you put in some groundwork first.
It’s important to give yourself every opportunity to find a new job that excites or inspires you, as it’ll most likely lead to long-term success.
How to Make Finding a New Job Easier
More than ever, people are switching careers or moving into new roles – seeking new challenges or better compensation.
If you’re looking for consistent career development, you’ll likely experience the process of finding a new job several times.
Below are our top tips for finding a new job, whether you’re just starting out or you simply want to go through the process from a fresh perspective.
1. Figure out what you like and what you don’t
A common issue that people experience during a job search is that they’re not entirely sure what they like about work or what they’re looking for – they do it just because it’s the status quo. While this can work if you stay on the same career path, it can make changing careers during your job search much harder.
Take the time to figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as what you liked and disliked about your work in the past. If you understand this, you’re already in a better place to find a role that’s fulfilling and challenging.
While it’s tempting to go with a role simply based on salary and other compensation, remember to consider other elements such as company culture, work styles and how you’ll fit into the environment.
Related: What are the Top 7 Reasons for Leaving a Job?
2. Make use of your network
Having a broad, engaged network of contacts can be a huge boost when you’re finding a new job. Don’t be afraid to speak with your contacts about potential job opportunities or openings that you wouldn’t usually come across.
In many cases, people would prefer to have a candidate recommended to them by a current employee than go through the entire screening process.
LinkedIn is a great channel for building your network. With so many people on the site, there’s plenty of opportunity for you to find peers in related fields, recruitment professionals and
LinkedIn is a great channel for building a network of contacts and provides the opportunity for you to include recruitment professionals as well as peers from similar industries.
Take a look at our vacancies.
3. Don’t just stick to online job sites
While there’s definitely scope for using online job sites to supplement your search, don’t solely rely on them.
Take the time to research the various companies throughout your industry and consider directly applying to a hiring manager or HR department if you’ve found the ideal role. This can show initiative and reflect positively on potential employers.
Also, consider applying directly through a recruiter site. They tend to host a variety of roles and offer the added benefit of putting you in touch with recruitment consultants, who can be a great resource during the job search.
4. Work with the right recruiter
If you’re finding a new job, it never hurts to have a knowledgeable and experienced recruitment consultant helping you meet your goals.
Working with the right recruiter can result in a partnership that lasts during your entire career, not just a single job search. When you’re thinking of working with a recruiter, do some research into their track record or mission statement to make sure they’re right for you.
At Alexander Daniels, we’ve based our core values on a candidate-led approach that builds these same long-term, sustainable partnerships. We want to help candidates find the right job, with a particular focus on culture fit.
Related: What Happens When You Leave a Job?
5. Build a personal brand
This isn’t a priority for everyone but leveraging social media to build your own personal brand can often result in finding new job opportunities.
Building a personal brand is as easy as communicating regularly with people and presenting yourself in the way you want to be interpreted. Many people opt to establish themselves as a ‘thought leader’ around a specific subject and provide insights for their network.
Just remember, every interaction you have online is permanent and it’s important to maintain your personal brand at all times. If you want to establish a professional reputation, you need to uphold that as much as you can and remember that hiring managers and recruiters often screen social media as standard.
6. Always tailor your job application
A great tip for finding a new job is to be as specific as possible. Avoid sending a single, generic CV with every application and take the time to tailor it to the role you’re applying for.
This is where having a cover letter, personal statement and CV can help, as there’s plenty of real estate for you to utilise.
Tailoring your application documents is easy. Use all of the information in the job description and directly address these points with your skills, qualifications and achievements.
You can streamline this process by creating a flexible document template that can be easily edited based on the role you’re applying for.
Related: How to Handle a Counter Offer When You Leave a Job
7. Build out your CV, cover letter and personal statement
A vital part of your preparation should be to create a flexible and effective CV, cover letter and personal statement. These are all tools that will help you stand out in a competitive market and are important at each stage of the process – from screening to interview.
Ensure that each document is formatted correctly and contains up-to-date information. This puts you in the best position to build a successful application.
You can find more about creating the perfect CV or writing your personal statement in the CV Guidance section of our resources here.