How to solidify your job search strategy

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Solidifying Your Job Search Strategy

7 DECEMBER 2011 WRITTEN BY: GUEST AUTHOR ONE COMMENT

Searching for a job in an economic downturn can feel demoralizing. Whether you’re unemployed or underemployed, when there are multiple candidates for every open position you find, it’s easy to feel defeated. But just because the job market is a little soft doesn’t mean you can’t find a good fit in the work force. It just means you’re going to have to work harder to make it happen. And working harder means you’re going to have to work smarter.

Use Social Media Wisely
Social media is an integral part of job hunting. If you’re not using it, you should. But don’t get fooled into pursuing a social-media-only approach as a meal ticket into a better job scenario. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter work well and you need to leverage your social media profiles for maximum effectiveness. Your LinkedIn page should complement your resume. Good educational outcomes and academic achievements should jump off the page.

If you’ve pursued education past undergraduate work, highlight it. If you’ve pursued additional online degrees, make sure you feature them. But don’t get so caught up in the social media component of your job search that you ignore old school job search tactics. Just because social media is a relative newcomer to the job search toolbox doesn’t mean it should be your only weapon. Think of social media exposure and Internet networking as a tactic in a much larger toolkit.

There’s No Substitute for Face Time
No. I’m not talking about the new iPad 2-camera capability here. I’m talking about actually getting out and spending time with real human beings in the real world. Human connections still matter more than you might think. Social media and electronic interactions may play a much larger role than they used to, but knowing someone inside a company can still get you a job faster than almost any other method.

Taking time to leverage friendships into potential employment options is important. Contrary to what you may have heard, mixing business and pleasure is entirely appropriate when you’re job searching. There is no reason to feel bad about asking acquaintances for leads. In many scenarios, if you’re a good candidate for an opening, they may take your resume and cover letter and bypass HR completely. An HR professional may not intuitively understand how perfect you may be for a position. So if you have a contact who has a relationship with the hiring manger, your chances may be heightened.

Be Flexible
If you want to gain an edge in a competitive job market you need to be as flexible as possible. That may mean reconsidering some assumptions. If your particular geographic region has been especially adversely affected by the downturn, you may want to consider relocating. There are specific areas within the country where significant job growth is actually occurring.

Relocating carries some element of risk but has the potential to pay off big. If you’ve used social media wisely and identified where those job hot spots are happening, you may be able to move into an area where your skill sets are actually in high demand. Incorporating flexibility and the entire tactical toolkit into your job search strategy can go a long way toward your employment end goal.