Getting Started With Your New Job Search in 2021

Hi all, hope you're well! I hope that 2021 will be a better year than 2020 for you!

With a new year, brings a very common thought for most: New year, new job perhaps.

Hence, I thought writing this article would be useful for some, especially those who have not looked for a role for many years and would like to know how to get started.

1.First and foremost, ask yourself if you are really ready for a change

Have a check in with yourself, ask yourself if it is just a moment of impulse, or are you really ready to move on?

-If it is a bad week at work, maybe you will feel better the next week.

-If it is a monetary/responsibilities concern, have you already brought this up with your manager and tried to resolve it internally?

After having a pulse check and knowing that your firm cannot provide you with what you are looking for e.g growth opportunities, then you are ready for a change.

2. Aligning your priorities - Knowing what you really want

After coming to a conclusion that you are ready for a new role, then come up with a list. E.g, what is it that you need/want in your next role. Needs are factors that cannot be compromised and wants are things that can be overlooked as long as needs are met. Note: Be reasonable with your needs and wants as more often than not, we can never have the best of everything.

Let me put this into context - E.g, if you just had a new born in a family and your role requires you to travel extended periods of times with no work life balance, and you know the situation cannot be changed due to the nature of the firm, your list will be as such:

Needs:

-Work life balance

-No travel

Wants:

-Better Pay

-Good culture

-Good Boss

As long as the needs are met, some of the wants can be compromised. The list will change from individual to individual as everyone's priorities are very different.

3. Next Important Step - a CV!

Now that you know that you are ready to move on and what kind of firm/role you will like, you will need your CV to move ahead. Without a CV, you will not be able to get started on your job search. For CV writing tips, check out my post on how to craft out a perfect resume. You can have two versions of your CV, one that is about 2-3 pages and one that is an elaborated version of it. In my opinion, cover pages are not essential unless a firm specifically requests for it.

4. Moving the wheels - The actual job application stage

With your thought processes in place, you will now have an idea of what kind of roles you will be applying for. There are a few avenues that you can go with:

-Applying through the firm's website

-Applying through job boards such as Jobstreet, Efinancial, Linkedin

-Applying through a recruiter - Saves time on your end as all the admin is done by recruiter

-Friend's referral

-Going to job fairs

Word of advice: As your time is precious and should be well invested, do not blindly apply to every single role that you see, do ensure it is a job fit before applying as you do not want to get random job application calls for jobs that do not suit your profile at all.

5. The interview stage

Interviews can always be daunting, especially if you have not sat for one for many years. Do not worry, it is very normal to feel nervous for interviews. The key to a good interview is always preparation. With lots of preparation and research done for the interview, you will have a higher chance of acing it. Dressing well for the interview will also bring you more confidence.

Do always prepare for technical, behavioural, situational, cultural fit and leadership (if applicable) questions for every interview. Remember, it is always better to over prepare and over dress than to under prepare and under dress for an occasion.

Note: With the recent pandemic, companies might arrange video interviews more from now, hence you can check out my post on how to ace video interviews here.

6. Congratulations - The offer stage and getting the job

Scenario: After a few weeks hard work of applying for roles and interviewing for roles in the market, you have secured a role. If the terms of the offer are acceptable to you, you will proceed to accept the role and officially resign from your firm. Note: Always only resign after officially signing the black and white contract from the new firm. Also, try not to accept counter offers as more often than not, accepting counter offers backfire in the long run. (You can read online articles on why)

7. Tada! Starting with the new job

Congratulations! You have got yourself a new job and all the best for it! I hope that the new career switch will be a great move for yourself.

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With this step by step guide, I hope it helps anyone that is looking to kickstart their job search. Feel free to share this article with your friends/connections who are looking out as well.

If you are a cybersecurity professional looking for your next cybersecurity job/know of someone looking for a cybersecurity role, feel free to get in touch at sheralynn.tjioe@hays.com.sg. Alternatively, if you are looking to hire, happy to help as well!

Have a great week ahead, all.

Signing off,

Sheralynn