Searching for a new job can be quite distressing, especially if you have been unemployed for a while and can’t seem to put your foot in the door. Certainly the accelerating growth of internet providers and services also presents the biggest challenge to job-seekers because there is so much information on the world wide web that it makes it harder to know where to start or to even figure out what you are looking for. Thankfully, there are many excellent tools that can help you get around in a market—like the internet—that is highly saturated with too many vendors and services.
Firstly, forget about looking for job offers through want ads or in local newspapers, because that method is way too outdated. Job search engines are a good avenue to explore. Sites such as Jobrapido for example have a large and varied selection of job offers from multiple industries rather than being industry-specific. Start anew by updating your resume and creating a good cover letter that highlights your special skills and potential, and that can be easily tailored to your preference when contacting potential employers. If you possess one or more academic degrees, or have varied experience in different career fields you may want to create several cover letters to send out that detail your specific skills in all these areas. This is a great multi-lateral strategy that can save you time and in the process maximize your chances of finding the perfect job among the many career fields available.
Use social media networks to the fullest! The rising popularity of professional networks like LinkedIn especially shows how contacting and maintaining relations with professional organizations can help you synthesize and expedite your job search. The more group connections you have, the higher your chances of success.
Link all your social media content and accounts so that all your posts and profiles appear on your pages, in order to heighten your level of visibility, and make sure you discover all the valuable tools that LinkedIn provides (since some usually pass unnoticed by most users). These include sharing important posts on your timeline that will help you capture the attention of professional companies, and targeting specific connections from within the industry of choice—like employers, general managers or human resource departments. Using the target module on LinkedIn you can even link your calendar and issue a specific command for the program to follow in order to reach a specific goal by a certain deadline, such as: ‘connect to all human resource managers and investors in the biomedical industry in my city by the beginning of October.’
Network, network, network! Get involved and communicate with other members and chat groups on LinkedIn as well as other professional websites and blogs. With social media it is not enough to simply join an organization: you must also actively engage with other connections with the objective of developing a high-level profile that gets you noticed. Like any social media site—including Facebook, Google Plus and Youtube— your profile ranking is the most important indicator of professional success, and knowing how to use your reputation to the fullest is the key to unlocking the potential of social networking. Aside from promoting larger profile visibility and faster response from job employers, its greatest advantage—especially on LinkedIn— is that over time this also increases the chances of receiving direct and unsolicited job offers from companies who viewed your profile- without having to lift a finger.
Connect with people you know personally and especially with the alumni from your college or university. Close friends that you have known since the early days can help you get back on your feet or refer you to someone they know who may have an open position in a company. Attend alumni reunions or meetings to grow your network and even catch up on old times—because everyone needs a friend to lend an ear in times of personal crisis.
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