5 Tips to Start Your Job Search

This is it. Time for a change, time for a new job.

Are these thoughts all too familiar? Whether it’s because you’re burnt out, or you hate – I mean, disagree with – your boss, or you’re just ready to start over, the search to start afresh is all the same. But where do you begin? All the stress from your current situation piles up and makes it so difficult to even figure out what to do first. Well, here are some pointers you can start with:

1. Outline your job search strategy. The most important thing is to keep track of what you’re doing and your progress, like keeping a list of places you applied to and the date you applied. It is also recommended to spend 3-5 hours a week during your job search, so find the best way to manage your time, and always write down who you’ll be speaking with after you’ve received phone interview confirmations. This way you always have their name if you need to reach out to them again.
2. Update your resume and LinkedIn. A lot of times people will update one or the other, but it’s highly important to update both to keep the consistency. If your name on your resume is not the same as your LinkedIn, avoid the confusion for the companies and keep them the same. Additionally, if it doesn’t seem like you’re getting many hits with your resume, consider speaking with a professional career coach or resume writer – you can find many of those on LinkedIn.
3. Brush up on your interview skills. There are many articles out there that can help you with your interview skills, don’t be afraid to use them! The Muse and Forbes often have good articles that can help, and it’s also where hiring a career coach can come in handy. They often will give you advice on what to say during your interviews. Additionally, working with recruiters for a position gives you that opportunity as well – a good recruiter and recruiting agency will always offer up advice during your process. And if they don’t or are unwilling, find a new one who will.
4. Outline your wants and needs for the role and the company. There is a misconception out there that you should answer the questions during interviews that best suit the position’s requirements, but this is how people become unhappy! It’s also important for the company to know your wants and needs because they will be able to tell if you would be a good fit for them. If not, it’s okay! That’s part of the job-search journey, figuring out where you’ll truly be happy.
5. If you’re still employed, take your time. You can start by creating a list of companies you’d ideally like to work for. This will help you stay focused on your destination. Having this list will then influence you to do a more qualitative search, making sure that your resume is catered to specific jobs at those companies, and you can spend some time networking with people there too. But while you’re still working, don’t tell anyone at your current job that you’re searching. You never know what information can reach your manager. During your interview process, let the company you’re meeting with know that you want to keep your job search confidential so that they may potentially accommodate by scheduling interviews during non-business hours. It doesn’t always work that way, though, so you can otherwise try to use personal days. Lastly, keep doing your best at your current job while you’re looking. That cannot be stressed enough. Things can be obvious if you’re slacking!

The biggest piece of advice you should hear is to keep going. Finding a new job can be so stressful, draining, discouraging, etc., but if you keep working hard to find what will make you happy, all of the small obstacles along the way will be worth it.

I hope this guide finds you well in your job-searching journey!