3 things I learned on my job hunting journey

After achieving any goal I always like to take time to reflect. I look at the entire journey and think about what I’ve learned and what I could have done differently. It’s a very helpful exercise because if I am in a similar situation in the future I know I will be able to be more effective in reaching my goal.

Looking for a new job was a longer journey than I could have ever expected it. It was a somehow brand new experience because for the past 10 years I was progressing in one group. This time around I was out in the unknown world. With help of others and their valuable feedback, I was able to position myself better and consequently reach my goal.?

There were 3 major things I learned on my journey:

Network all the time

I always knew networking is a must but, like many others, I was putting it off. A year and a half ago I started to think about networking more seriously and looked for opportunities to meet other professionals. Some events I participated in were very transactional and I didn’t like it. Thankfully most were where I met people who saw building relationships as a long-term investment.

Interestingly enough only until I needed a new job I realised how crucial people are in helping you to succeed. I saw how incredibly easier getting something you want gets when someone you know can put you in touch with someone they know.?

I had people from different parts of the world introduce me to someone in the region that could be of help. Others invited me to networking events that expanded my network even more. Networking helped me to connect with people that shared their advice and best practices for job hunting which then helped me position myself better. Not to mention that all the advice I received will stay with me forever.?

The truth is that no matter what you want to achieve in life you will need people: to work with, buy from, sell to etc. If you focus on continuously building and nurturing your network the moment you decide on a new goal you won’t have to invest time in building the network at the time of need. Instead, you will be able to reach out to people right away because you will have a strong network already.?

Build your network

Often when I looked at the LinkedIn stats of a job I was applying for I saw that around 3000 other people submitted their CVs. That can be overwhelming. How do you differentiate yourself amongst 3000 people so that recruiters notice you? In my opinion: by building a personal brand.?

Creating the website to stand out was the best thing I could have done. By being bold and doing something different I showcased personality traits that could be easily missed if you only read my CV. With my initiative potential employers had a perfect sample of what would it be like if I work for them.?

But it wasn’t just launching the website. Way before that, I invested time in building my profile. I was posting on subjects that I am passionate about: personal and professional development, goals, and coaching. Sharing my opinion and tips gave me a chance to position myself as an expert and let people know what I strongly believe in. I also allowed people to get to know me a bit through my posts and personal stories. And that gives people a chance to get to know you a bit better and see if you are potentially a good fit for what they are looking for.?

Quantify your CV

I was always very descriptive with my accomplishments and day-to-day responsibilities as I thought that was the right way. However, what employers want is to see numbers. They want to know what you achieved, in what time frame and what was the impact on the business or people.?

The purpose of the business is to grow, therefore employer wants to see if you can help them do just that. If you only focus on describing your responsibilities then you present yourself more as a doer than an achiever.

Changing the mindset on how you present what you’re doing also helps to be more effective in what you do because you analyse what will be the impact before you even start working on it. And if you notice flaws in your plan you can quickly adjust it or create a better one.?

That’s what I’ve learnt on my job hunting journey. Definitely, it changed how I do some things and it showed me which habits are good to continue.?And as I mentioned at the beginning, it was a challenging journey, but it brought me some great lessons which I am grateful for.