Job Hunting for Dummies

I’m job-hunting, I’ll admit it, I don’t dread it, I relish the challenge, and so should you if you ever find yourself in my shoes! I can’t wait to feel that optimism of a new environment, and tackle that learning curve and meet those new colleagues of my next place of work. This is life, this is the eye of the hurricane. 

 I don’t know where you live mate, so this post might not fully apply to you, but here are my own reflections on this personal journey.

 Finding a job in the digital age requires some new skills, but don’t forget those old traditional ways either, this post is dedicated to the inner job hunter in all of us:

 The Things I Tell Myself 

• Be comfortable with change, changing jobs (often) is part of the new economy
• Let yourself be genuinely passionate about the job you’re apply for (if you aren’t, consider changing fields)
• Polish your Resume
• Get creative with your CVs
• Always customize a Cover letter to a prospective Employer

• Think of the people you know, your friends and acquaintances, can any of them introduce you to a prospective job?
• Think of yourself as a Sales person for your own brand, market yourself!
• Google your field + your town
• Update and showcase your strengths on LinkedIn
• Create pulse articles in your field to show you are a knowledge authority
• Establish connections in your field on LinkedIn

• Call everyone you know and mention that you are looking for the specific kind of job. Display candor, vulnerability and your personal quest openly to your network with a personal touch. 
• Remain positive and optimistic, positive vibes, hard work and a social approach are the keys to landing opportunities.
• Head-hunters are your friends, be good to them.
• Envision your future job clearly in your mind, repeat this internal dialogue-vision daily
• Try to bond with the interviewer or HR personal and administrative receptionist when you go in for the interview. Be likeable while being professional. 

• Don’t only apply to job postings, submit your resume to places and companies you actually want to work @
• Contact recruiters in your field on LinkedIn or age job agencies and employment centers near you.
• Set daily and weekly goals of how many jobs you will be applying to
• Don’t be so picky that you neglect to send enough resumes out (the call back ratio can be quite low to jobs applied for some of us)

• Follow a career plan and try to have a rough idea of where you are heading and what you need to do to get to the next level.
• Apply for jobs on LinkedIn, this will give you a better understanding of the # of candidates you are potentially competing against
• Look for sites where you can post your resume online, like Workopolis.com
• If you really like a company, ask them for a short internship or trial period, to see if you both fit with each other.
• Learn from every interview

• Consider even a phone interview, a mini "success". 
• Consider actually going to companies you want to work for and personally delivering your CV and cover letter to HR in person, since this is more rare, it will help you stand out.
• Strongly consider becoming self-employed and how you could make that work for you. If you are burned out or tired of the same old grind.
• Don’t forget to make a follow up call to HR, a couple of weeks after you submit your application, see if you can actually talk to a person.
• Think of it as getting better at life skills (job hunting, job learning, change management)
• Fully utilize social media in your job hunting, as social recruiting is becoming all the rage. Find recruiting sites on facebook groups in your area, don't just focus on LinkedIn. 
• If all else fails, go back to school, it could change your life!

• Explore some of the top job hunting jobs sites:

> Indeed.com

> CareerBuilder.com

> Wowjobs.ca

> Monster.ca

>SimplyHired.com

>Dice.com

>Glassdoor.com

>Idealist.com

>Linkup.com

I hope someone else out there finds these tips useful. I may continue this series if I get any positive feedback. 

Recruiters out there, what advice do you have for prospective job hunters? I want to hear your best opinions on this. This is LinkedIn after all, I'm expecting greatness.