As the economy and the labour lurch towards something adjacent to normalcy (though we’d argue it will never be exactly the way it was pre-pandemic and that’s probably a good thing), many people are settling into their job search and figuring out where they want to work. While there is still a healthy demand for workers and it is still something of a worker market, it’s still important to polish your job search strategies so that you don’t have to be part of the unemployed market for too long. Employers may be a bit desperate to fill positions, but they aren’t going to take just anyone and their systems of filtering resumes and cover letters may get you out of the running before you’ve even begun. It’s still important to have some good strategies in your pocket if you want your job search to result in a job you will enjoy!
Fortunately, although the landscape of the employment market has undergone some seismic shifting, the basics of getting into that market remain largely unchanged. There are still some basic things you can do to make your life easier and a few twists on the old routines that give you a better chance of success. Let’s take a look at the common strategies and how you can give them a twist to make them more effective.
Know What You Want to Do for Work
This has always been something we have strongly advocated: search for jobs based on what you actually want to do, where you want to work, and nowadays, how you want to work. Traditionally speaking, narrowing your job focus to things that you actually want to do and can do means that you can spend more energy putting together the perfect resume and cover letter. It also means that you’ll be more passionate about the job when it comes to the interview, which is important.
A really important part of this is establishing your professional goals. What kind of culture do you want, how much money do you want (need) to make, your ideal industry, the kind of work you want to do, etc. Without a few clearly defined goals to guide your job search, you’ll end up flailing and applying for jobs you may not be suitable for or enjoy.
The Twist: Nowadays, it’s not just important to consider what you want to do, but where: do you want to work in the office/workplace, have a job that allows for a hybrid of work from home/work in the workplace, or work entirely remotely? The remote work environment is growing in popularity with more businesses at least offering a hybrid model, when possible, of course. So don’t only consider what you want to do and where you want to work, but also your ideal working environment.
Leveraging Your Network
The hidden job market, accessed primarily through your professional and personal contacts, is still very important, even in a market that is dying for workers. Getting referred to an employer puts you further ahead than cold calling and people are still more likely to hire those that they have been told by people they trust will be good hires over hiring blind. In order to make the most of your network, reach out to people who can help you in your job search regularly, refresh your references with people who are more up to date with your work history (ensuring that you have a good relationship with them of course) and be active in social media circles that help you get more credibility in the eyes of employers.
The Twist: Up until relatively recently, a professional network usually meant people you knew from things like work, conferences and job fairs. But with more remote working, being highly visible online is incredibly important. This means that you may want to also consider the broader network of things like a blog audience, podcasts, Instagram/Tik Tok/Facebook presence, and of course, LinkedIn. Leveraged properly, this has really given people a far broader network than they ever had before and job opportunities that may never have occurred to you before.
Stay Organized
While you don’t want to be applying for every job you see, you’ll probably end up applying for several and that means staying organized so that you know which step you’re in for each job. You also want to keep track of who you’ve spoken to, who you need to speak to, interview times and so on. With so many opportunities out there, you may be applying for more jobs than you would have a few years ago because many industries now have multiple openings. You should at least keep track of the following:
- The job title/place of employment
- Who is in charge of hiring
- Which ‘stage’ you’re in (working on the resume, turned in the resume, interview stage, post interview stage, results)
- Contact information for who’s in charge of hiring and who interviewed you
- Who your references are for that particular job
You can use just about anything to do this that you feel comfortable with: a notebook, a spreadsheet, notes on your phone, whatever; it’s the staying organized that will help you out so that you don’t accidentally send information to the wrong person or contact an employer too many times.
The Twist: None really. Staying organized is staying organized. But if you’re a real data lover, you can easily keep track of things like time stamps on messages and phone calls to track patterns of when people are around and seem more willing to talk. You should also pull from the past: make sure to write a thank you letter after each interview. It doesn’t have to be long, but it should be heartfelt.
There are many job search strategies out there, but they basically boil down to a few principles: Have a goal or two and tailor yourself to those goals, understand what you want, be organized, and leverage your network. Everything else lines up pretty well with these broader strategies, so get out there and good luck!
