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5 Steps To Get Through A Difficult Job Search

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Going through the process of trying to find a job? Don’t like interviews or re-re-updating your resume? Guess what…you are just like everyone else in this world. After every interview, it’s easy to feel this need to “treat” yourself for just getting up and going through the motions, even though that is technically your job while unemployed. You should be doing job-related things all day, every day. Yet, somehow you end up sitting in your room with your best friends Ben and Jerry staring at the computer screen, wishing there was a way to make this whole job search go faster. How do I get myself out of this reoccurring slump?

Follow these steps to get you through the low points of your job search, and you’ll be happily employed in no time!

1. Stick To The Plan

The hardest part of being unemployed is going through the day to day life as the bank account dwindles. Having nothing requiring you to get out of the bed creates no motivation. Make sure to keep to a schedule as if you had a full-time position. Set the alarm to go off maybe not 7 a.m. but 9 a.m. at the latest to make sure you don’t just waste away your day in front of Netflix (talking from personal experience).

Take any extra time to visit a company in person, sometimes this simple gesture can be enough to put you on the map. The easiest path isn’t always the best, especially in the job searching world. Keep in mind that consistent contact in some way, shape, or form will get you somewhere in the long run.

2. Polish Your Skills

If you say you’re a master of Photoshop, maybe find a way to keep using the program to not lose the skills with that program. If you want to get some skills you don’t have yet, there are a lot of free programs you can use like CodeAcademy, which teaches coding languages and Duolingo, which helps you learn a new language. The point is: you have the time, so do something that might help you later in life or the job market. Give yourself a new edge.

3. Don’t Be A Hermit

Go see the sunshine, (or in my case clouds…not the point.) Get outside of the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom (the three rooms you’ve only been in for approximately a month). This can be challenging on a limited budget, but with a little creativity, you’ll find yourself catching some fresh air. Go to a park, walk into a store, move around, just get exercise.

4. Update Your Materials

When you’re going through a tough job search, it can be easy to feel like you’re grasping at straws. But, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. So instead focus on changing it up! Try a different resume format, make sure all of your skills are front and center, and be sure to include lots of numerical data to back up your accomplishments.

5. Know That You’re Not Alone

Everyone knows someone who might know an important person! Contact the network of your networks. Get in touch with your dad’s friend’s uncle’s friend that works at the next best company. You never know who can help you get in the door of an organization. There are many other individuals unemployed which yes — this does mean you have competition. But when you find the right position or company then this whole process is worth it.

Last but not least remember this — you are not defined by your occupation. There is more to life than just having some fantastic job. Hobbies, volunteering, family time, vacations… these things are all important. And you have made it through 100% of your bad days, so remember you’ve got a GREAT track record so far!

5 Secrets of Job Qualifications

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5 Secrets of Job Qualifications

 

The biggest secret to job qualifications is that hiring is up for interpretation and your career has prepared you more than you realize. When searching for a job, pay attention to how you evaluate your skills against a job and give yourself a fair shake. It is easy to discount yourself when you don’t meet all the requirements. Review each position from a full 360-degree point-of-view before you decide your level of qualification. Consider these secrets the next time you review a job description and determine if you are the right fit.

 

1.       Skills Gap

Hiring someone fully qualified is more difficult than ever and often requires top dollar salaries and benefits. The skills gap has created more opportunity for those without all the skills. Supply and demand has forced hiring managers to prioritize some of the skills while sacrificing others. This my friend, is a concession and hiring managers and HR professionals make them all the time.

2.       Job Description Evaluation

Take the time to evaluate the job description with a fine-tooth comb looking for top priority duties and how the required skills apply. It is easy to fall into the habit of focusing too much on technical skills, specifically when your experience does not meet the expectation. Soft skills are not considered well enough, leaving some much-needed reflection necessary to accurately evaluate opportunities. Imagine for a second if you had five candidates, none of them had all the skills required. What skills would you seek to ensure they could eventually meet the requirements?   

3.       Research Job

Take it a step further and compare the opportunity to other companies hiring for the same position. Start by performing a job search using the title (include any other variations) and review other company’s descriptions to determine the most valuable skills. You may also identify skills important to other companies which you could introduce as a benefit to the employer. In addition, use LinkedIn to see how professionals already in this space share their success.

4.       Presenting Your Skills

After you have identified all the primary responsibilities and skills, look back to your experiences and determine what could be valuable to this employer. Present your skillset in way that will increase your odds of getting hired. The best way to sell yourself is to quantify your results. It’s not good enough to simply list you know a skill, but necessary to also draw conclusions to the results obtained using the skill. If a job description requires “Excellent Communication” (which most of them do) think beyond the practical and not only demonstrate your great communication skills but also share how it added value in previous experience.       

5.       Unique Experience

Make sure you share your unique talents, even if the job description doesn’t prefer or require them. This includes fluent bilingual, certifications, awards and recognition (recommendations), and strong soft skills, preferably demonstrated and quantified. These skills help paint a picture of who you are and can communicate who you will be professionally.

 

Experienced hiring managers understand their ideal hiring goal will be the exception and not the rule. Given the circumstances, the hiring manager can be swayed. Think outside of the box, it’s your uniqueness that will make you memorable.