Considering that the majority of us are not super high-fliers who can switch jobs on a whim, we put together a quick guide on how to find a job for the benefit of everyone in this lousy COVID job hunt landscape.
1. Figure out what you want
In the madness of searching for a job, this is something that most people actually overlook.
It’s always important to know what you are looking for before finding a job. Ask yourself a few questions: Exactly what do you want out of your next job? What type of companies are you okay with working for? What is the most important thing for you for your next job?
Of course, it’s true that you can’t really wait around forever for your dream job. But figuring out what you want when finding a job actually helps your search. Instead of pulling your hair out stressing over how to find a job, take a step back.
Figure out some goals and things you want from your job first. It might just help you act as a filter while you’re sifting through thousands of job listings and save you time by not applying for jobs that aren’t a fit for you anyway!
2. Sort out your resume
Everything else aside, your resume is the one thing that will get your foot in the door. Naturally, the foot into the door is as difficult as it gets.
First, you have to get through the applicant tracking system. Nasty little resume bots that automatically remove “unqualified” resumes from the pool.
They’re excellent at sorting out and ranking resumes for the hiring company. They, however, are terrible at reading images.
So as a general rule of thumb, the two things you can do are:
- Decorate your resume with the keywords that will get you through the bots. Pick up on the keywords in the job listing and regurgitate them over your resume.
- Don’t include images
After that, you’ll have to get through the hiring managers. Who, by the way, will only spend 5-7 seconds looking through your resume.
Despite enlisting the help of bots, a hiring manager will still sift through about a couple hundred resumes to find the right person. Which means, if your resume is longer than a page, you’re likely going to get eliminated.
A general guide to follow is:
- Keep it to one page
- Include only relevant information (only your top few qualifications and the recent few job experiences)
- Include your contact information (this sounds very obvious but people actually miss this)
3. Connect with everyone
No, this section isn’t a Kalpha plug (Or is it?). But if you’re scratching your head trying to figure out how to find a job, why not ask someone?
Some people say that your network is your net worth. And there’s a certain level of truth to it.
Your friends and families might be able to help. And so would you old colleagues or classmates! After all, being there and helping each other out is what friends and families are for.
But if you’re at the end of your network, then perhaps some new connections will help.
And with advancements in technology, connections can be made easier than ever. With platforms such as Linkedin and Kalpha (sorry we had to), networking is as easy as tapping on a few buttons.
Connecting with recruiters. Speaking with industry professionals. Networking with staff within the companies that you are interested in joining. In place of physical networking events, make use of the platforms that are available to you in your job search!
4. Keep a schedule and set up your alerts
The hardest part of a job search is well…the searching. In the rush to figure out how to find a job, most people don’t realize one thing. That the job hunt is a job in itself.
And just like how people approach jobs, it’s possible to work out a process to simplify things.
Step 1: Commit to a schedule
A job search is called a search for a reason. It requires a dedicated amount of time for it. To be effective, set aside a period of time that is purely dedicated to the search.
Do nothing else for that period except search for a job, no matter how mind-numbing it is. You’ll find it you’ll actually save yourself more pain and time!
Step 2: Figure out what job sites to use
- If you’re looking for jobs in general, sites like indeed, jobscentral, and monster are your friend
- For a more finance-centered job, efinancialcareers might be the site for you
- AngelList, of course, would be your site if you’re looking for a gig in the startup world
Step 3: Filter out the job listings that don’t fit you
If you’ve read the first section of this post, then you’re going to be fine. So if you haven’t, scroll on back up so that it saves our lazy writer here a section.
Step 4: Automate the process
Automation has made our lives much much easier. So, always remember that you can simply sign up for daily job alerts.
Find a couple of job boards that you’d like to use and sign up for their alerts! This way, you can take a break when your eyes are tired but not miss out on any potential openings.
Step 5: Follow up
It’s easy to apply to 30 different companies and lose track of your application. But it’s a good idea to keep a list of companies that you’ve applied to.
To supplement that, write down some information about the company and the positions you applied to with them. Throw in the contact emails of the company or hiring manager. And you’ll have the perfect amount of information required to follow up on your applications.
After all, showing a company that you’re interested and eager is never a bad thing.
5. The interview
There are a million and one ways to approach interviews. And each person has their own method that works particularly well for them.
But of course, there are certain best practices that you can never go wrong with.
Stage 1: Before the interview
Before you even think of what you’re going to say for the interview, there is just one thing you need to do.
Find out EVERYTHING you can about the company. Sift through their website. Scour Linkedin for the contact who emailed you. Download their app (again, not a plug to download Kalpha here). Try their product.
Do every single thing possible during this information gathering phase to arm yourself with information.
If you know everything there is to know, down to how many dogs your interviewer has, it lends you a calming effect during the interview.
Why? Because information is power. The more information you have about the company and/or your interviewers, the more in control you feel. The more in control you feel, the better you will perform.
Stage 2: During the interview
Assuming you’ve done stage 1 correctly, you’ll only feel a slight twinge of nervousness.
There are some things in the interview that you cannot control, such as the attitude of the interviewer.
The things you can control, however, set the stage for your interview.
If you’re late, you’ll be flustered. If you’re unprepared, you’ll be anxious. If you’re tired, you’ll be disorientated.
Make sure you’re in the best possible condition for the interview and you’ll do just fine!
Stage 3: After the interview
The process doesn’t end with the end of an interview.
Follow up with a thank you to the hiring manager and keep looking until you’ve landed yourself a job!
And the most most most important thing: CHECK YOUR SPAM MAIL! As ridiculous as it sounds, you have no idea how many people have missed jobs just because of a spam filter.
Our last bits of advice
“How to find a job” is probably one of the most Googled phrases, especially over the past year. It’s easy to feel stressed, pressured, or overwhelmed by the urgency of wanting to find a job.
And rushing the process or not having a plan usually leads to mistakes or missed opportunities. It’s always best to have a rough plan and stay focused. And of course, don’t forget to take breathers.
It’s important not to forget that your mental well-being will have a profound effect on your job search and interviewing abilities. So always remember to take care of yourself!
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Have any questions or feedback? Contact us at hello@kalpha.io!
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