Free Job Searching Newsletter!
Discuss in my Forum

Readers Respond: Best Job Search Tips
Responses: 9

Filed In:

Do you have a job search strategy that worked really well for you? Add your tip to the list of best job search tips for job seekers who are starting a job search or who want to get their job search moving. Share Your Tips

Professional Recruiters

Search and identify good professional recruiters and register with them. Keep on nudging them every now and then for any good opportunities they can share with you.
—faryal.humayun

Keep It Small

I've found of the greatest challenges when looking for a job is getting overwhelmed. Break your daily to do list down into tasks you can accomplish in a daily basis. And keep track of your accomplishments! It's a great boost to write 5 positive accomplishments down at the end of each day. Both of these will help you get through the process and walk into an interview confident and able to answer my favorite question-"what have you been doing with your time since your last job?"
—Guest CWilliams

Know Your Finances when in Transition

You think about money more when you are in transition than when working. So sort out your financial picture so you know how many months you can search, the minimum salary you can accept (good to know in weak economy),and how much you can spend a month. Getting this in order helps lower the stress around money and allows you to focus more getting a job. Mark Richards www.candidateschair.com
—Guest Mark Richards

Networking really works

In 3 simple strong words, Network, Network, Network. I had 4 interviews in January as a result of networking. I went to a job fair yesterday (2/11/09) in Phoenix, AZ and networked with other job seekers waiting in the lines, offering my advice and information on networking, and to follow up with me to find out more. Make sure you have a 'network' card to hand to people with simple contact information on it, and do not use old business cards for this purpose. Have them printed out for networking, they are pretty inexpensive, and easy to hand out to someone and say 'contact me later, lets meet for coffee and see if we can help each other.'
—Martin_Piraino

Job Search Is Not a Mystery

It's not black magic. Be yourself. Be prepared. Be organized.
—Guest Andrew G.R.

Create Something That Helps Others

During my job search in 2007, one of the things that made job search more difficult was to find qualified companies in my target geography. Oh, sure, I knew about the big ones. But what about all the smaller ones right in my backyard? So, I created a list with all the companies I knew and sent it off to a few friends. They added extra company names that I was missing and pretty soon I had back a nice long list. And, guess what, that list got e-mailed around to a few other people (as did the word that I created it). Who wouldn't want to meet the guy who created that helpful list? As a helpful and interesting person you will also be memorable. Memorable people get more job leads than everyone else.
—Guest Tim Tyrell-Smith

Keep your spirits up

Your self confidence is the most important aspect of your networking and your interview. Keep your spirits up with a "brag book." Keep a journal of your accomplishments, big and small. Enter new items before you turn in at night and read it when ever your spirits flag. Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach www.jobsearchdebugged.com
—Guest Rita Ashley

Google Alerts

While it's a good idea to Google yourself, and find out what prospective employers would see about you online, it's a better idea to automate the process and have Google Alerts do the Googling for you. It's simple - go to http://alerts.google.com and set up an alert for Google to email you whenever they find your name on line (hint: you can also do this for your current company, prospective companies, competitors, and more). This also saves you the trouble of remembering to Google yourself every day. Also, don't forget that many churches and religious institutions also have job search groups. LinkedIn is great, too, but there is a growing number of other professional online networks that can also be helpful in finding the next step of your career path. To your success, David B. Wright Author, Get A Job! Your Guide to Making Successful Career Moves http://www.thegetajobbook.com http://jobs.therecruiterslounge.com
—Guest David B. Wright

Job Searcher

Have had three interviews in the last two weeks by using Jobserf.com. I pay a small fee and they have people search and apply for me. This has really helped take the pressure off me. A great attribute is - I no longer have to fill out each online application. They do it for me. The big upside is this allows me to focus on networking and following up with their leads. I get a daily report that details the position, job link and company to which they have applied. I highly recommend jobserf.com. This would also be great for college students and if you already have a job as they can search and apply as based upon your target criteria - location, exclude/include companies, resume and cover letter. I am associated with JobSerf as I am on the board of advisors but I was laid-off from an online bank and am now using JobSerf.com to look for a job.
—Guest Rob