If you find yourself unhappy with your current place of employment, it may be a good idea to strategize your job search for the next one. Here are a list of things to note when searching for a job:

1.Self Awareness – How much about yourself do you really know? This doesn’t necessarily mean knowing your own zodiac sign. How long do you plan on working? Why are you leaving your current job/ Why are you out of a job? Self awareness helps you deliberate the exact kind of working environment you are looking for as well as your desirability as an employee and narrows your job search down.

2.Aim for Specifics – Pattern your job search towards one that is ideal for your capabilities and work ethic and needs. Do some research about the businesses you’d like to break into. Assess the possibilities of entering every one of those businesses and work towards the most feasible field.

3.Develop Experience – A lot of employers value experience over scholastic achievement. If you are a fresh graduate, it would be wise to find freelance work that falls into the field you’d like to break into.

4.Educate Yourself – Expand your repertoire. Attend short courses, trainings and lectures within your desired field. If you don’t have time for this, there are tons of online courses that allow you to study at your own pace.

5.Watch Your Reputation – Even before she sends resumes out, an employee with good repute will already be receiving job offers with higher salaries. Become that employee. Don’t slack off at your current work place, even when you hate it. Your employer might even put in a good word for you at your next work place if you were an employee with a good work ethic.

6.Market Yourself – One of the cheapest ways to market oneself is to develop a presence online. Participate in online forums that discuss your field. Be objective in projecting yourself. Be careful about the image you maintain since this speaks for itself. Find ways to put out word that you are searching for a new job without sounding annoying.

7.Expand Your Network – It is often said that the world is small. The world is smaller within certain fields. Find out who among your contacts knows who. Find out if there are jobs available in your field of expertise that your contacts know of. There are tons of vacancies that never even appear in classified ads. These opportunities can be found through knowing the right people. Put yourself in the position to know the right people.

8.Get a Reputable Recruiter – Aside from networking, consider allying with a recruiter. Do some research on your recruiter’s background. One can never be too sure.

9.Use The Internet – Apart from looking for jobs in classified ad websites, go to specific company websites as they usually have listings of job openings. Special forums often have members who will post of job opportunities. Don’t let these kinds of chances slip away.

10.Organize Yourself – Figure out which of your skills and experience are ideal for specific companies. Do research on every prospective employer and make a list of them. Even if you do not get hired, the contact information might come in handy in the future. Proper organization will also help detail your schedule when the interviews become too much to handle.

11.Write a Personalized Resume – Write a different resume to different employers, patterning them after the needs of these employers. If the information is erroneous, don’t include this. A specific resume is more valuable than a long list of unconnected achievements.

12.Spread your Resume Out – Send your resume to as many people possible. The more sent out, the greater the possibility of finding the ideal job.

13.Write a Winning Cover Letter – The cover letter is often forgotten when people send out resumes. Your cover letter should say what your resume does not say directly. In the cover letter, you can synthesize your achievements to say why you are ideal for the position in your own voice.

14.Increase Your Chances – Don’t give them a chance to lose your resume in the mail. If you can’t hand it over yourself, send it through a courier, back it up with an email, fax it, do everything to make sure they receive a copy, and then send another one.

15.Be Persistent – Follow up with a call at least a week after sending your resume. A go-getter kind of attitude is attractive to employers. Reminding them also allows them the chance to pick up your resume, as a lot of companies receive so many applications that they have little time to read each and every one.

Job searching is as much of an effort as working itself. Remember that the amount of effort you put into something directly translates to the kind of rewards you reap. Good luck.

Tags: education, experience, hire a recruiter, Job Search Tips, marketing yourself, networking online, Personal Branding, personalized resume, Resume, resume reputation

This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 1:14 am and is filed under Applying for a Job, Cover Letters, Free Advice, Job Search Tips, Resume Help. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.