How to develop a Job Search Strategy

1


Developing an
Effective


Job Search Strategy


Dream-
Jobs.org
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Developing
a Job Search Strategy

A job search strategy is really nothing more
than a detailed plan to guide your

actions when
executing your job search campaign. This plan
should clearly
art
iculate the vision of exactly what type of job
you are planning to get and the

specific actions
and tactics you plan to utilize in the process.
You need to choose

the specific tactics that align well with your
personality, career goals, target job

markets and time
frame.
A solid
job search strategy is a step-by-step action plan
that you can use to

effectively accomplish your job search goals.
If well designed and executed, it will

lead you from
where you are now (unemployed or unhappy in your
current job) to
yo
ur dream job. A scatter-gun or haphazard approach
to job search is not

appropriate for todays job market.



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Developing a Job Search Strategy

Without a clear
vision, well-mapped plan and strategic approach,
its more likely
t
hat youll end up feeling frustrated,
disappointed or disillusioned. Ensuring that

your efforts are
guided by a clearly defined and well-rounded
strategy will bring a

degree of direction, focus and discipline to
your overall job search campaign.

Providing clear answers to the
following questions will help you determine the

strategies you
will use to achieve your ultimate goal.

Developing Your
Strategy
It is
important to clearly define the tactics and
strategies youll be using to search

for your dream
job.
? What will
be your primary methods of searching for your
dream job?
? What
platforms will you use?

? What parties will be involved in the
process?
? What
are the top 5-10 organizations with whom youre
most interested in

working?

? What are top 5 organizations you have some
interest in working

? How can you look more like a great potential
colleague rather than a desperate

job
seeker?
? How will
you measure success?







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w.dream-jobs org
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Developing a Job Search Strategy

Defining What
Youre Looking For

Its important to define your search criteria so
that you are completely clear about

what it is youre
looking for.
Common
search criteria include

? Geographic
location.

? Aligned with workplace
strengths.

? Connection to
interest/passion.

? Fit with work
values.

? Compatible with
personality.
Job
Search Tools
These
include the tools youll be using to demonstrate
your unique value to

potential employers.

? All-star
LinkedIn profile targeted to the specific
industry.

? Value-based resume aimed
at a specific industry and employer.

?
Strong personal brand.

? User-friendly
portfolio.

? Compelling cover letter
aimed at a specific employer.

?
Attractive social media profiles.

?
Relevant qualifications including degrees and
certifications.

? Honors and awards.


? Transcripts

? Volunteer
work.

? LinkedIn recommendations.



https//www.dream-jobs org
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5



Developing a Job Search Strategy

Defining What
Youre Looking For

Its important to define your search criteria so
that you are completely clear about

what it is youre
looking for.
Common
search criteria include

? Geographic
location.

? Aligned with workplace
strengths.

? Connection to
interest/passion.

? Fit with work
values.

? Compatible with
personality.
Job
Search Tactics and Strategies

Your personal branding and job search
efforts must be focused on building trust

with your target
audience. Your target market include the
recruitment consultants

and hiring decision makers that are in a
position to help you land your dream job.

These are the
people to whom you will be directing your job
search initiatives.

You want to be known by your target audience.

More importantly,
you want them to like and trust you. You do that
by building a
stro
ng and impressive personal brand, and interacting
and building relationships

with them.

Aim to apply for a fixed number of desirable
jobs on a daily basis. According to the

law of averages,
the more targeted jobs you choose to apply for,
the higher the rate

of positive returns you will receive.



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Developing a Job Search Strategy

For example, if
you submit a quality application for 30 targeted
jobs within a period

of two weeks, you can expect to get at least
10 interviews and at least two job

offers.

Keep your expectations
realistic by only applying for jobs that youre
trained or
qualifi
ed to do. Applying for jobs for which youre not
qualified will confuse your

target audience. Decide what is
realistic for someone with your credentials,

qualifications,
skillset and experience, and stay within those
parameters.
Create
a list of the job titles and 510 organizations
with whom you are most

interested in working. These organizations
should get the vast majority of your

attention. Aim to
apply for at least one job that is perfect for
you, every day. If your

resume is tightly targeted to a specific
job role such as search engine optimization,

you will only
need to customize your cover letter for each job
you apply to.
Ever
y time you customize your cover letter or resume,
it is important to save each

revised version of the document with
the name of the company in the title of the

document so you
don't get things mixed up. So, if you've applied
for a customer
ser
vice manager position with Virgin Media, you'd
save that version of your cover

letter and resume
as customer-service-manager-Virgin in a specific
folder.







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Job Search Platforms

Online Job Boards
O
nline job boards are websites where job seekers
and prospective employers can

connect. They include sites such as
Monster, JobServe, Dice, Indeed, HotJobs.com,

etc. They make it
easy to find jobs in any niche, and are used
heavily by job seekers

as well as recruiters looking for suitable
candidates. However, anxiously waiting for

recruiters to call
you is not the way to go.

The main problem with online job boards is
they are used by millions of job

seekers, and it
can be very difficult to direct your resume to a
named individual or

to follow up after responding to a job posting
because of the huge response that

employers receive.
This is why job seekers who use online job boards
generally
have a
4-10 success rate. Professionals who tend to be
successful with online job

boards tend to be engineers and
healthcare professionals.

If you will be using online job boards as
part of your job search strategy, avoid

wasting time by
focusing on just a few carefully chosen
employment sites.
He
re are the largest, well-established job boards


? Monster

?
Indeed

? LinkUp

? Career
Builder

? Dice

?
Usajobs.gov

? Vault

?
JobsAhead



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Job Search Platforms

Here are important steps to take when using an
online job board as part of your job

search
strategy

? Register with all the major
online job boards that match your job-search


requirements and
industry.

? Create a presence on the
smaller, industry-specific job boards that cater


to your field.

?
Create a strong personal keyword-optimized
profile for each site youll be


using. Your profile should
include all of your relevant information


including your personal
branding statement, employer-focused resume


that highlights your
accomplishments and the value you
bring.

? Use job alerts to get
notifications when job vacancies that meet your


criteria become
available.

? Use JibberJobber to track
exactly where youve sent your resume, and


what jobs youve applied
for.

? Keep a log of your research and
activities so you know whom youve


called, when and next
steps.

? Make sure your online profiles
are up-to-date and easy to find.

?
Avoid registering on shady career job boards that
entice you to submit

credit
card information.







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