We’ve heard it from our candidates, and seen it from our network — job hunting can be a daunting task. Sure, you’ve got a killer CV and work experience behind you, but now it’s time to use that fuel to help you land the job you want. More often than not, job seekers find themselves asking; am I browsing the right job platforms? are networking events useful? And last but not least, why do I feel stuck in a rut? Landing the perfect opportunity needs patience, a good strategy and stepping outside your comfort zone. Here we breakdown 6 great strategies to nail your job hunt. Jump in!
- Know what you want:
One of the most crucial parts of putting together a job search strategy is to figure out not just the kind of job you want, but what type — is it a full-time, part-time, freelance or remote job? It’s also helpful to ask yourself what type of company you would like to work for; is it a nonprofit, an agency, a firm in a specific industry or a large corporation that interests you? Do you need a traditional 9 – 5 schedule, or do you want alternative hours? Attempting to answer each of these questions before you start your search will help guide your job search more effectively.
2. Customize your cover letter and CV:
There’s a reason so many blogs and job boards share this tip time and time again. If you’re simply swapping out the company name and job title in your cover letter, you’re doing it wrong. Several companies are now using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter out the qualified candidates from the unqualified ones. Make sure to create a cover letter including reasons why you want to work at this company and what they stand to gain from hiring you.
3. Focus on companies not openings:
From what we’ve seen, most candidates narrow down the role they want and then start to look for open positions across companies. Instead, try identifying a select few companies that personify truly great places for you to work and develop your career (i.e think about culture, networking, opportunities etc). Next, it might make sense to develop relationships with people working for these companies and look for any openings that might get you in the door.
4. Optimise tools that make your search easier:
Identifying and using the right resources is important to any successful job search strategy. Trying setting up a job-alert on Google Alerts to make sure you stay up to date with all the relevant job opportunities, locations and job-types. Want to stay on top of your job-hunt even while on-the-go? There are several great apps that work just as well, and will send all the latest notifications straight to your phone. LinkedIn, Indeed Job Search and Glassdoor are all great options, and compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android. If you’re looking for freelance or remote jobs, there are also tailored job boards such as weworkremotely and remote.co.
6. Monitor Your Job Search Progress:
Always remember, a job search is likely to take more than 90 days. If you get to the end of your 90-day job search plan, don’t give up and don’t be hard on yourself. If this applies to your situation, simply continue with a new 30-60-90 day plan. While the new plan will work towards building established goals, it also serves as an opportunity to evaluate anything from your initial 30 days.
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Here at Digital Source, we focus on building transparent relationships between candidates, roles and employers. Our customer base is stacked with household names and some of the most exciting startups in Europe. You can normally find us supporting the biggest and most up and coming organisations within Ecommerce & FinTech. If you’re looking for a job in tech, don’t hesitate to contact us – we’re always up for a chat! To read more articles from our #DSBreakdown series, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest team updates and news from technology recruitment.
