How to Prepare for a Job Search
Feeling unfulfilled, bored, or like you’re not progressing in your career as you desire? If you’re ready to make a change in your job, it’s time to prepare yourself. Here’s some steps to take on how to prepare for a job search.
Planning
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Where do you want to go from here?
Take some time to really think about you. What are your goals? If you haven’t planned ahead, now would be a good time to take some personal inventory to make your planning easier. Are you looking for stability, or a more advanced role? Think about your strengths and what you enjoy. Explore what opportunities are a good match for someone with your strengths.
Whatever your aim is, do some research on the qualifications and skills that you need to move yourself in the direction you want to go. If there’s gaps in the experience you need for your goals, map out the steps you need to take to get the experience you need. Whether it’s education, or moving up through different roles, get an idea of what is necessary to achieve your goals. Having this intentional direction to your job search will help in identifying opportunities that fulfill your needs.
Consider internal opportunities
If you don’t mind your employer or the industry you are in, consider possible opportunities within your company.
Look at the roles that exist in your current company for any that you may be interested in. Talk to your supervisor and express an interest in growth or a particular role, and inquire as to what steps you need to take to get on track for acquiring those skills.
If your employer isn’t interested in training on a different role within the company, make sure that you are truly unsatisfied with your work, and if so, time to prepare to look at your other options.
Optimize your resume for your goals
Make sure to highlight your strengths that are geared towards the kinds of jobs you want. You’d be surprised at the employers that find your skillset desirable.
Check out our article on resume writing tips!
Put your resume up on Job Boards
Countless employers are scouring job boards for resumes just like yours at any given moment. Make sure you’re putting your resume on all of them you can find to increase your potential for opportunities.
Here’s some popular job boards:
- Indeed
- Monster
- CareerBuilder
- ZipRecruiter
And consider creating a profile on Linkedin if you haven’t already, it’s a great networking tool and a good way to be seen in a way that isn’t limited to just your resume.
Conduct your intentional Job Search
Shoot your shot! Now that you have an idea of the direction you want to move in, it’s time to explore your opportunities.
Since you’ve done some research on the types of roles you’re looking for, it should take some stress out of the process. Be dedicated in your search, and your efforts will pay off.
Keep an open mind. There may be positions you may have never thought you could be considered for but are interested in, check it out! Some employers are more than willing to train the right person, even if they may not have directly related experience. Having the right characteristics and aptitude or enthusiasm can influence more than you think.
Be proactive!
While you’re in the process of getting a new job, consider setting aside some time to develop skills independently. Whether it’s your communication skills or a software, continuing to grow will only serve to help you.