Your job sucks, or maybe your role has recently been made redundant, either way you need to start looking for a better job. Most people put it off as long as they can because the job search process seems overwhelming. It really doesn’t have to be, you just need to work your way through the 10 steps below and you will land a better job and get out of that rut you are in.
“Whenever things go a bit sour in a job I’m doing, I always tell myself, you can do better than this.” Dr Seuss
The 10 Things You Need to Do to Land a Better Job Are:
- Give Your Resume an Overhaul
It’s time to find that old file you call your resume, and give it a major overhaul. It’s not just a matter of adding all the new skills and experiences you have developed since you last updated your resume. You also need to:
Remove all the standard cliches that employers find unbelievably annoying when reading a resume. Download our FREE eBook – 7 Cliches to Remove From Your Resume
Adjust your resume to make sure it is chosen by the resume screening software programs 90% of large companies now use. Read our post on How to Beat Resume Screening Software for advice on the correct fonts, keywords, file format etc you need to use. If you don’t get this right, the resume screening software will reject your resume long before a recruiter lays eyes on it.
Create a resume that stands out. If you are struggling with how to achieve this then download our FREE eBook – Beyond the Basic Resume Tips. It covers off the different types of resumes, how to insert keywords and more. You can go a step further and create a digital resume. There are lots of website around that can help. Try sites like Re.vu , About.me and Flavors.me which can help you create a digital summary page that you can use as a digital resume.
- Download the Best Job Search Apps
The job search process will quickly become overwhelming for you if you don’t have the right tools in place to help you manage the process. The best way to do this is to use a few key apps that you can download across all your devices to help you stay on top of things. We recommend 4 Apps:
Evernote
Namerick
See our blog post – The Only 4 Apps You Need to Increase Your Job Search Success for all the details on how to use these 4 apps to help you manage your job search more efficiently.
- Reconnect With Your Network
Whenever people hear the word networking they automatically picture themselves in awkward social situations way beyond their comfort zone. But networking involves so much more than going to functions and forcing yourself to meet new people (although as awful as that sounds it can actually be very effective). You can also try:
Reconnecting with old friends, workmates and acquaintances. After all everybody knows somebody useful. Reaching out to old friends you haven’t spoken to is a while is easy with social media especially with Facebook and LinkedIn. Also use every social engagement you go too as a chance to chat to people you know especially if they are in your industry, get them to introduce you to others in the industry and find out which companies are looking for employees.
Don’t burn your bridges, ever. Even if you hate your job, your boss and all your workmates never leave on bad terms. The world is just to small and networking is too important. If there are people you don’t like just keep your relationship with them polite and professional, you never know who they know.
Always speak well of your past and current employers and work mates. Never blame the people at your previous job as the reason why you are leaving. Instead focus on the company you are applying to and highlight why they are a perfect fit for you and what you can offer them.
- Update LinkedIn
This is an obvious one, in fact we have mentioned LinkedIn a few times already. LinkedIn is an online social network for business professionals and your LinkedIn profile is like a modern day version of your business card. You need to get your profile right, make good connections then you can follow recruiters and specific companies and even apply for roles directly. Read our posts on:
How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job
The 6 Best LinkedIn Job Search Tips
How to Promote yourself on LinkedIn
And watch out for:
How to lose Jobs and Alienate People on LinkedIn
- Clean Up Your Social Profile
We all have some photos or comments we are not particularly proud of still sitting on one of our social assets. If you serious about looking for a better job you need to clean up your social profile. You also need to do this as early on in the job search process as possible because it will take a while for search engines like Google to pick up the changes. Make sure your check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+ and even Pinterest. Have a look at the posts below, they will step you through everything you need to do to clean up your account.
How to Clean Up Facebook Before a Job Interview
How to Clean Up Instagram Before a Job Interview
How to Clean Up Twitter Before a Job Interview
How to Clean Up Google+ Before a Job Interview
How to Turn your Online profile Into Job Offers
- Schedule Job Search into your routine
If you already have a full time job you don’t have a lot of spare time to allocate to the job search process no matter how much you hate your current role. If you are in fact going to land a better job you need to make some time to look for it. the best way to guarantee you won’t get overwhelmed and give up is to schedule ‘job search’ time into your calendar.
Maybe you start work at 9am, you can schedule an hour before work every morning to look for roles, update your resume, send applications etc.. Maybe the evenings work better for you. Either way schedule in about 4-5 hours per week to devote to job searching.
- Bookmark relevant Job Boards
There are so many different job boards out there, some are well known like Monster.com and Craigslist while others are more obscure like OneDayOneJob.com. Look up all of them and bookmark the ones you think will work best for you. Use Evernote to keep track of all the details.
- Target Specific Companies
While sending your resume in to every position vaguely within your industry will get you a new job it won’t necessarily get you a better job. A smarter approach may be to target specific companies you want to work for which have the growth prospects, company culture etc you are looking for. If the role and company meet all your needs, it’s a better job.
You can use websites like Glassdoor, which is an online resource that can help you learn about a specific company or ask others in your network what they think about the companies they are with. Once you have created a target list then see if you know anyone at the company that can help you, know anyone with a friend at the company that can supply you some names and send your resume directly to the relevant people. Worst case, just rink the company and ask the receptionist for the name of the department head you need.
- Contact Head Hunters
Senior-level professionals are often recruited through agencies and headhunters. f you are at this level chose 2-3 reputable head hunters to work with and provide them with your updated resume.
- Prepare Job Interview Answers
Finally, once all the work above is completed you need to start preparing your job interview questions and answers. We have many resources to help you here. A good place to start is:
Behavioural Interview Questions and Answers
FREE eBook – 20 Questions You Should Ask at an Interview
Manager Job Interview Questions and Answers
15 Common Behavioural Interview Questions
We also have separate lists of questions by industry such as 15 Common Marketing interview Questions etc which you can easily find by doing a quick search of our site. Make sure you prepare well so you can move onto a better job as soon as possible.
