10 tips to help you find your next career opportunity, fast!

Finding yourself in a position of suddenly having to seek employment can feel terrifying and lonely. We’ve all been there. I was laid off once, It was at a time in my life when I was penniless and desperate and I thought it was the worst day of my life.?After spending the night curled up on the couch (crying), I knew the morning would come and I had to be in business. The business of finding a new job and selling me! Within a short amount of time, I had successfully landed a great new role, stress was behind and I was excited about the new chapter in my career journey.??

Here are some tips that helped me and I share them in the hope they may help you. There are many chapters, each one an adventure.?

1 - Think positively

The stories we tell ourselves are very important and it is important to know and believe you will get through this. It’s just a storm that will pass, and all will be ok. Have your cry, but never stop believing in yourself and focusing on your goals. But this is no time for a pity party, it's time to get to work.?

2 - Make sure all personal documents are in order

Update your LinkedIn and resume. Everything should match, and triple check for any errors. Keep it simple, your resume ideally looks like your LI profile. Collect all client and colleague referrals. Get written emails and/or online references. If you don’t have many, now is the time to get them and begin building your brag book. If you don’t ask, you don’t get!?The good news is that people want to help.?

3 - Build your list of potential companies where you could work

Identify all potential companies you could work for: check the job boards, and build your target list of leads. Think of industries that are growing, stable, exciting and identify the best companies in their field. Reach out to recruiters and contacts you know or find online. Create a spreadsheet with the?names of the companies. Google “growing companies in xyz industry”, “companies in xyz city” Check the careers page of each company and apply online to any/all suitable roles

4 - Find the appropriate contacts?at those companies

Do everything you can to get in touch directly with the appropriate hiring manager or decision maker. Network for introductions, see if you have any contacts at the company, cold call them. Start at the top or find the obvious hiring manager. Even if a company isn't advertising (fyi: 10% of jobs are advertised), call the head of the department and ask when they are planning to hire next.?Book a time to connect with them in future.?

5 - Keep your ask simple

You are looking to introduce yourself and understand if they have any immediate openings at their organization for your skillset. If they do, request an interview and book a meeting or get a referral to the appropriate hiring manager. Set a goal of 1-2 meetings per day (that’s 5-10 new opportunities per week).

6 - Follow-up with every prospect via LinkedIn and Email

You want to get your name and resume in front of them. If you call someone, make sure to follow-up with an email or LinkedIn message. Provide a link to your LinkedIn profile in every email. Don't give up if you don't get a response.

7 - Document and track everything

Just as in sales, you have to build a cadence and relentlessly pursue your leads. It may take 10 tries to get a hold of someone - track it and don’t give up. Be persistent, creative, authentic, personal, and concise.?

8 - Ace your interview

The work has just begun! If you really want this job, you need to ensure that you have done everything possible to prepare for your interview. After all, failing to prepare is preparing to fail (read this article for great tips).? Do not leave any meeting without a next step. Ask what the next step is in their interview process, and try to get confirmation that you are moving forward. Ideally, you book the next step right then and there. Even if they reject you, tell them you’ll check back in a few months to see if anything has changed.

9 - Approach your job search as a full time job

Set KPI’s - find 10 new companies a day, find all the relevant contacts. Make 20+ outreaches a day, phone and email. Personalize every email, be consistent, you will land something! Keep your activity levels high, responses will follow.

10 - Don’t be hard on yourself and try to have fun

You may not get the results you want as fast as you want them, but your hard work will pay off. There is a perfect next opportunity for you, you just have to be prepared to knock on a lot of doors to find it. Have fun, stay positive and just know that all will be good!

Good luck and happy job hunting! ?