How to use the Internet to your advantage
Job searching is almost entirely done online these days, so mastering your Internet job-finding skills is a must. First of all, you need to critically assess and enhance your social media. More often than not these days, hiring managers are looking at your social media, and how you present yourself on your various accounts can help or hurt your prospects. So before you start applying to jobs, go through your personal social media accounts and either clean them up or make them private; if you go the private route, make sure that all things visible to the public, such as your profile picture and bio descriptions, are appropriate. In addition, be sure to fill out and maximize your LinkedIn profile, as today’s hiring managers are most definitely looking at those. Don’t have a LinkedIn profile? It’s time to make one.
Once you have all your social media in order, you can start surfing job posting sites. There are a myriad of jobs sites out there — Indeed.com, Careerbuilder.com, even Craigslist, just to name a few — and they all have a variety of different jobs posted. I’m sure you already know how to discern a scam post from a legitimate post, so what you need to learn is how to figure out whether the job being advertised is right for you.
Start by analyzing the posting itself. Do the responsibilities and activities of the position seem like work you would find interesting? Does the listing mention company culture? Does the company offer benefits and value work-life balance? If not all of these things are alluded to in the job posting, then start doing some research on the company. Glassdoor is a great tool for checking out a company from the employee’s perspective — the site is akin to Yelp for work, as current and former employees can leave reviews on companies they have worked for and interviewees can be candid about the process. When reading through reviews, be sure to take into account the both good and bad reviews and the years they were made. A company that has a bad review from three years ago may just have made some major changes within the company to improve their employee satisfaction.
How to apply for your dream job
Once you’ve found an opportunity, or a few, that you feel is a good fit, it’s time to start creating and gathering your materials. All of the research and time you spent finding the right jobs to apply to will mean nothing if you don’t put forth a good effort when you are applying.
First up is an awesome resume or C.V. — often an abridged version of your LinkedIn profile nowadays. A resume is basically a brief account of all your experience and qualifications, and it’s important that it’s reflects you in way that shows you are best for the job. There are a lot of tips on how to make a solid resume. One tip is to always tailor your resume for the job you are applying for — read through the job description and make sure your resume reflects the experience you have that fits the position. It’s also important to be truthful in everything you put down — lying on your resume can have consequences, such as being fired in the chance you get the job.
Maybe even more important than your resume is your cover letter or email. A great cover letter can change your job search for the better. While a resume is limited to a fairly strict structure fit to one page or tops two, a cover letter gives you a chance to go into detail on what you have listed on your resume, as well as elaborate on why you think you would be a great fit for the company. It’s also offers a touch of your personality so they’ll be compelled to click and download your resume. Just don’t get too long-winded; recruiters don’t need your life story, they just need to know why you are best for the role.
Outside of current job openings, you may consider pre-applying to places that aren’t currently hiring. If you know of a company that you think would be great to work for, it may be worth your time to reach out to that company and get your name in the door. Reach out to your future department or hiring managers through LinkedIn, or even a good old-fashioned letter, and let them know you are interested in working for their company, informing them of your qualifications, and that you’d like to hear about any openings.
How to nail the Interview
Assuming all your research and careful material creation has gone just as excellently as expected, you’re a shoe-in for an interview. Interviews are the endgame in getting the job. Not only do you need to make a good impression so that they want to hire you, this is also your last opportunity to find out if the job is right for you. You can kill two birds with one stone buy asking the right questions during your interview.
Some of the most important questions you can ask are about company culture. Company culture varies from business to business and finding the right fit for you is going to be important in assessing if you can be happy at work. By asking questions, not only do you find out information to help you make a decision, you are showing the hiring manager that you are truly interested in the company.
Finding job satisfaction is vital to your life satisfaction. We all spend so much of our lives at work that it’s essential that we feel proud about what we do at the end of each day. By taking the time to really search for and apply to jobs we believe will be a great fit in our lives, we can find a career that we can be happy and satisfied doing.
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