Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

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Five Ways to Make Your Job Search More Effective

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Job hunting is difficult, and can require a lot of time and energy. With thousands of job postings available online, it can be hard deciding when and where to apply. The search for the right job can be arduous, and it may take a while before you find a position that’s truly the right fit for you. Simply casting about at random isn’t going to work, so there are things you’ll have to do in order to make sure that your job hunt is efficient and effective. Luckily, we’ve put together some relevant tips below that might help you in the long run.

Know Your Skills

The first thing you’ll have to do in order to make sure that your job search is effective is have a clear idea of what your skills and capabilities are. Job openings are often very specific, and employers will likely open up interviews to candidates who seem like they’re the best fit for the position. Start by listing out your skills and capabilities, and use that as a guide to narrow down the search for the kind of job that you’d like to have. This list will also serve as a good starting point for your resume, especially if you have to tailor it to a specific application.

Set Your Career Goals

Next, set out your career goals. Where would you like to be in five or ten years? What would you like to learn from your job? By mapping out your career goals, you’ll have a better idea of the work that you’d like to do, and that’ll help you narrow down the search further. If you aren’t sure where exactly you should start, CareerAddict has a list of achievable career goals in the short- and long-term that may be helpful.

Pay Attention to Language

Language plays an important part in not only the job search, but also in the application process. From the right keywords to input in a job board, to understanding what exactly a company is looking for, paying attention to relevant terms will help your job search go a long way. Business Insider also found that the language used in job listings provides insight into company culture, so that’s another factor that you’ll need to take into account.

Be Picky

While it may be tempting to apply anywhere and everywhere, you’ll find that it’s actually counterproductive in the long term. A post by Aviation JobNet on ‘Tricks to Help You Be a Better Job Seeker’ recommends that you narrow down your search, as applying everywhere may take time and energy away from the applications that really do matter. It can also take a toll on your emotional health and self-confidence. Tailoring your search to a few relevant companies is much better than applying to dozens that may not even be the right fit.

Do Your Research

Finally, you should also make sure to do your due diligence when searching for a job. Doing your research on both companies and the positions you’d like to apply for will help you have a clearer idea of where you’d like your career to go. It can also help in writing out your resumes, as companies will be more likely to go for candidates who have a clear understanding of what the work entails. Going in blind might waste more time and effort, so set aside a period every day to do some reading up on your industry and relevant companies.

Accepting a Job Is Harder Than You Think

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Job seekers and employers certainly understand the daunting challenges of looking for a new job. And while filling a position is immediately satisfying to job seekers and employers alike, filling the position with the wrong candidate is expensive and discouraging to everyone involved.

Although much has been written for job seekers and employers on the topic of how to find a new job, very little has been written on how to accept a new job. This is where the accompanying infographic, The Ultimate Guide to Accepting a Job Offer, comes in.

When job seekers and employers understand the proper steps of the acceptance process, the result is a much better fit and a far greater likelihood of successful and mutually rewarding long-term employment.

In particular, when all the details of a job offer are reviewed carefully, the candidate has a clear understanding of what he or she will be getting into. This greatly reduces the chance of surprises cropping up that cause the new hire to become disenchanted or leave the organization soon after starting.

Another critical aspect of the acceptance process is negotiation. When negotiations are handled professionally, the result is a new employee who starts the job in the best possible frame of mind, and an employer who feels likewise. Poorly executed negotiations leave one side (or both sides) feeling unhappy, or even worse, cause a great candidate to get away.

Bottom line: Don’t stop working when a job offer comes through. Instead, learn the details of accepting a job, and make the most of the opportunity.

The Ultimate Guide To Accepting A Job Offer from Advanced Resources

Getting the Most of Your LinkedIn Profile

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LinkedIn, that according to this research, is the world’s most popular professional site for networking, has quickly become an indispensable tool for recruiters and job seekers alike. If you’re looking to boost your career, chances are that you’re already using the platform. But is your profile as well-optimized as it can be to attract the right kind of attention, or are you neglecting to make some easy changes?

Here are some tips to get the most of your LinkedIn profile!

Make Sure Your Photo is Professional

Simply adding a photo to your LinkedIn profile can make you 14 times more likely to be found. Whether others click on your profile will in part depend on the picture you choose to use. Stick with a headshot photo where you are making direct eye contact, presenting a friendly smile, and showing a professional front. Beware of any background distractions in the photo and avoid using selfie snapshots, which come across as unprofessional.

Present Headline That Speaks to Hiring Managers and Recruiters

First of all, don’t be boring. A little bit of humor won’t hurt. Your headline depends on what type of job you are looking for and on your skills and qualification. Use strong language. Strong adjectives and words will make you more professional and reliable candidate. Be specific. Include career-related details that can make a difference (certification or training). But stay concise and channel your efforts on describing yourself, your best traits or biggest professional achievements.

Highlight Your Experience in the Summary

The Summary section is an important piece of your LinkedIn profile. This is where you can directly promote and market yourself as a professional. Inform hiring managers and recruiters why you are someone they should talk to for a job opening they have available. This is also a section in which to build up keywords that matter, which will help you come up on top in search results.

Show Your Experience

In a nutshell, the Experience section of your LinkedIn profile is your online resume. To quickly create a LinkedIn profile, review your resume and copy/paste the relevant information into your profile. It’s essential that your resume matches your profile because prospective employers will check. However, when you get more time, make sure to add as much as possible to your LinkedIn profile. Employers expect your resume to be somewhat condensed and specific to the job you seek. But your LinkedIn Profile should be more vast and complete.

Showcase Your Skills

When you add skills to your LinkedIn profile, it increases your profile views by up to 13 times the amount it would otherwise receive. Often, hiring managers and recruiters search for talent based on specific skills required for the job. The more your profile is identified with specific skills and the more endorsements received for those skills, the better your profile will rank in search results. Work to identify and prioritize what skills are important for the job and engage with your contacts to endorse those skills.

Ask for Recommendations

Take time to request LinkedIn recommendations. Recommendations from people you have worked with carry a lot of weight. To a potential employer, a LinkedIn recommendation is like a reference in advance. Review your contacts and approach the ones who can vouch for your work and put in a good word in the form of a recommendation.

Include Your Location

Including a location will let recruiters find you easily and can help you connect with other professionals in your area. If you’re looking for work outside of your current location, update it to your desired location but mention your actual location elsewhere in your profile to avoid seeming deceptive.

Show Off Your Interests

Joining groups and following companies in your current or desired industry shows up on your profile and lets others know more about your career and extracurricular interests.

Now you see, that creating an eye-catching LinkedIn profile is not daunting, on the contrary, it is so rewarding and worthwhile. Invest your time in personal branding. Follow these simple tips on how to create a LinkedIn profile for job search and you will definitely get a professional LinkedIn profile that will be on the top of this resource. You will be stunned how fast hiring managers will notice your profile and you will get the desired interview.

The Dos and Don’ts of Getting a Business Degree

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You’ve done it. You’ve gone through a rigorous application process, been accepted to a business degree program and carefully hung your posters of Warren Buffet in your dorm room. The next several years will be crucial to your development so you’ll want to make the most of them. Here’s how.

Do Network

Network, network, network. You’ve heard it a million times, but it’s truer in business than anywhere else: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Business schools hold networking events with professors, students and local business people all the time. Take advantage of them. The people you meet might give you great advice; they might connect you to others who share your interests; they might give you a connection to your first job outside of school and they just might be the key to your business career trajectory.

This doesn’t have to mean handing out your card, making sales pitches and schmoozing everywhere you go. It does mean you should be open to meeting new people, expanding your connections and going to events you might not feel like attending,

Don’t Wait to Choose Your Major or Specialize

Be prepared for the moment you can declare a major or choose a concentration. Specializing in an area like finance, marketing, human resources or management is a great way to narrow your focus and find a niche in the industry. To prepare, there are a few things you can do:

  • If you haven’t already, take personality tests like the Myers-Briggs or True Colors and try to match your traits with your educational (and career path)
  • Talk to an advisor
  • Ask people who know you well (friends, family, coworkers, bosses) where they think you would excel
  • Look at your options and “feel” out the ones that excite you

Do Learn to Manage Your Time

Time management skills are crucial for all college students but they’re particularly important for students in business school, where professors will pile more work on you than a normal mortal can handle. They do this not because they’re sadists but because they know it’s what you’ll face when you enter the business world. Throwing you in the deep end in a safe environment like business school is a great way to test your mettle and force you to pace yourself, stop procrastinating, stick to a schedule and focus on the important stuff.

Don’t Close Your Mind to New Ideas

When you’re faced with a new environment and daunting levels of work, it can be easy to retreat to the familiar; to stick with your comfort zone. Resist that urge with all your might. Being good at business means keeping your mind malleable and open to unconventional ideas and business school is the perfect place to start. You’ll be exposed to myriad ideas from professors, fellow students and independent study. Don’t reject anything because it doesn’t fit with your preconceived notions.

Do Get Real-World Experience

You can study economic theory, sit in classrooms and lose yourself in textbooks for years and still be clueless when it comes to business. Getting real-world experience — either by working or doing an internship — is an invaluable way to use your time at business school. It will not only help you connect your classroom study to practical situations, but it might also give you your first job in business. In fact, a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 56.1% of interns became full-time, entry-level employees at the company where they did their internship.

Using these time-honored tips can mean the difference between spinning your wheels (and wasting your money) in business school and using your time to catapult into a successful business career.

Are You Ready To Make A Career Change? [infographic]

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For most professionals, their career paths are hardly straightforward. There are likely a number of twists and changes that happen as they grow more familiar with what they truly enjoy — and what they don’t. Whether you’re in college changing your major again, or a mid-career professional looking to make a big leap, changing directions is a part of life. Our increasingly digital world makes it easier than ever to find what we truly want out there — which can sometimes make settling hard.

According to a recent study the average person changes jobs 12 times in their careers, and most Millennials expect to change jobs every three years. So if you’re considering a switch, you aren’t alone. 

Are you ready to make a career change? It can be scary to consider hopping careers and starting over. Your pay may decrease, and you could end up back at the bottom of the ladder once again. Additionally, it can be hard to ensure that you’ll even like a new career if you’ve never done it.

However, many people overcome these doubts and make the change. There are many benefits to remember as well. Switching jobs is often one of the best ways to get a significant raise, and setting out on your own as an entrepreneur can create a limitless earning potential. Even if you do take a pay cut, the satisfaction you gain from working in a job that is fulfilling and enjoyable can be more than worth it.

So if you find yourself among the 63% of workers who say their job causes them to drink and cry regularly, don’t hold yourself back. While your job should challenge you to learn and grow, it shouldn’t make you so unhappy that you’re resorting to unhealthy behaviors. 
If you’re still on the fence, check out this handy flowchart by Turbo that can help you decide if you’re ready for a career change:

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