Tips to Kick-Start Your Job Search in 2020
Today, employers are attracting employees with competitive wages, perks or other benefits. Those who are looking to make a move now have better options at different organizations. To maximize marketability, job seekers can work on marketing themselves through means of their resume, social channels such as LinkedIn, networking and applying for new roles. For those seeking to make a move, here’s how to kick-start a job search for the new decade.
Expand your network
Research has shown that while we rely on our strong ties in our everyday lives, but it’s our weak ties (also called an “open network”) that help make leaps when it comes to finding new careers and positions. That may sound counterintuitive since we’re so close to our strong ties. But because weak ties are farther removed, they know about opportunities we aren’t likely to know about. By getting slightly outside your comfort zone, you can extend your open network dramatically.
Leverage social media
LinkedIn may be the first social network most people think of when it comes to a job search. However, branding through social media can take place on any platform, from Instagram to Twitter. You may want to make certain profiles private, create secondary accounts or start purposefully sharing content that matches the job you are seeking.
Update your resume for digital
There are many tools to take your standard paper resume and turn it into a digital version, such as VisualCV. This online tool allows users to add photos or graphics to their resume, select sample templates based on industry type, or outsource their design to a team that will format a CV or resume. Once the resume is finished, VisualCV will generate a URL for the design that can be shared in social media and indexed by search engines.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Bring what you are truly qualified to do to a new role by considering your training, soft skills and personality. To get an objective view of your strengths and weaknesses, consider both getting feedback from peers and managers, as well as taking an online assessment. ManpowerGroup, for example, provides online assessments so candidates can work with informed data when putting themselves into the job market.
Spread your search
ManpowerGroup identified a group of candidates known as Early HR Technology Adopters who use at least three technologies in their job search. This includes a smartphone app, social media advertisement, virtual job fair, text message, video interview, website chat, game or skills challenge test, or voice search via a virtual assistant. This new group of candidates represents the next wave of applicants who leave no digital rock unturned.
The task of finding a new job takes many paths, from crafting the cover letter to casting a wide net when searching. It’s less overwhelming when you start to break down the end goal into smaller, individual parts of a routine. Tackle the above categories one by one, and you’ll be able to build on the momentum of each to accelerate your job search.