A quick guide on how to search for a new role

7 Tips on How to Search for a New Role

 

Searching for a new job can be difficult, frustrating and a huge drain on your valuable time. A quick Google search on the topic brings up 100s of articles outlining various examples of silly, unrealistic job-hunting antics job seekers have undertaken to garner the attention of hiring managers. With that in mind, I have written this blog is to give you 7 relatively simple steps that will improve your chances of securing your dream role.

1. Update your LinkedIn

Your LinkedIn profile is a fantastic self-promotion/networking tool to connect and network with current and former colleagues, potential hiring managers and recruiters in your space.
 

• • Update your profile picture with a high-quality, professional-looking headshot if possible. Add a summary of your career to date in the “About” section.
  • Turn on the “Open to new opportunities” tab and select the type of role you are looking for.  
  • Make sure you have outlined all your previous positions with a short sentence or two under each, detailing your role and responsibilities. If you are coming off a period of not working, make sure you outline that on your profile. (E.g. Travelling, Career break etc).
  • Set up LinkedIn job alerts for the specific roles you are looking for. This will ensure you hear about new opportunities as soon as they become live. 
  • Follow companies you would like to work for, connect with relevant hiring managers, share and like relevant content relating to your areas of specialism.

 

2. Work with 1-3 specialist recruiters:

In your job hunt, you might be tempted to use multiple recruiters with the belief that a widely cast net will offer more rewards in respect of job interviews and opportunities. Before you begin working with several recruiters, know the pros and cons of establishing multiple recruiter relationships; it could prove less rewarding than you might think.

 

Below are a few points to consider when deciding which recruitment consultants to partner with:

• • Are they a specialist in my space? E.g. Data analytics recruitment etc.
  • Are they knowledgeable about job opportunities in my areas of interest?
  • Have they secured new opportunities for people like me before? Check their LinkedIn recommendations.
  • Do they keep in contact with me regularly and listen to what I want in my next role?
  • Do they provide advice on my CV layout/structure, how to interview properly, what companies are a right cultural fit for me etc?

 

3. Create a well-structured CV:

Your CV should showcase your experience, skillet and crucially your suitability for the role you are applying for.

 

Your CV is the ultimate document you will use to market yourself. It will outline your career to date, your skills, achievements, and personality traits somewhat. It is extremely important to have a well laid out, formatted CV. Again, there are 100s of articles online outlining how to design your CV but the truthful answer is there is no one structure you should use. The content and structure of your CV should change based on the type of job you are applying for.

 

• • Thoroughly analyse the job specification of a role you think would suit your skillset, qualifications, and experience.
  • Critically analyse what type of employee does this company want based on this job description. For example: what technical skills do they require? Is the ability to communicate with stakeholders a large part of this role? Are these points outlined in my CV in as much detail as possible?
  • Include what type of role and organisation you would like to work for in your opening introductory paragraph.
  • Work with your recruitment consultant on your CV layout. Recruitment consultants see 100s of CV’s on a daily basis. If they understand their customer and know what they are looking for, they will be able to best advise and work with you on how to structure your CV and what relevant experience you need to add to have your CV stand out. This will give you the best possible chance of securing an interview for the role you are applying for.

 

4. Attend Networking events in your space:
   • You would be surprised by how many people secure jobs just because they got talking to a hiring manager informally at a meetup or networking event.
   • Search https://www.meetup.com/cities/ie/dublin/ for relevant networking events in your space. If anything, these events will offer you the opportunity to engage in thoughtful conversations with your peers and they offer the opportunity for you to learn new skills, enhancing your knowledge of your specialism.
   • With LinkedIn being the fantastic self-promotion tool, I mentioned earlier, update that you’re attending (or went to) an event and ensure you add a picture taken from the session, so your post gets noticed.
   • Make sure to connect with the speakers and the other attendants that were at the event on LinkedIn.
   • The ability to network efficiently is a whole other topic and potential blog post in itself! Generally, my aim would be to interact with other attendants on a personal level and be curious about their own jobs and companies without seeming too pushy or nosey.

 

5. Apply directly for roles that suit your skillset:
   • Do not apply for every role you see online. Focus on the opportunities that align with what you are looking for in a move, by using a scattergun approach and applying to conflicting positions you may give the impression that you don’t yet know what you’re looking for, and that you’re not looking for the right job; just any job. Only select the roles that are most applicable to your experience and skill set and desired career trajectory.
   • Edit your CV to showcase your skills/qualities that are most applicable to the job you’re applying to. I’m not saying re-write your CV for each application, simply to spend 5 to 10 minutes enhancing key areas and experience that suit the sector, skillset, project etc.
   • Follow up with an email or call to the internal recruiter/hiring manager after a day or two. Normally, when you apply for roles online your CV goes into a shared inbox with sometimes 100s of applications. If you take the time to contact the job poster (recruiter, hiring manager) directly, it will show your interest in the opportunity and will help you stand out from the crowd.

 

6. Create a target list of companies you would love to work for:
   • Does this company hire people with my skill set and experience?
   • Who are the hiring managers/recruiters responsible for recruitment in these organisations? Do I have their email’s and contact numbers?
   • Do I know anyone in these companies that could potentially refer me in?
   • Does this company have any job openings that suit my skill set and experience at the minute? Set up job alerts on LinkedIn and job board sites so you get notifications of vacancies in this company.
   • Don’t just rely on job boards, check out the careers page of your target employees too. Job advert slots aren’t cheap, so there may be more opportunities advertised on their own website.

 

7. Don’t give up!

Searching for a new job can sometimes be draining, deflating and done properly time-consuming as well. Have confidence in your own abilities and remember, all it takes is the right application to the right person at the right time. Being consistent in your approach, not giving up and using these tips will eventually lead you to success in your job hunt.

“Action is the spark that ignites potential” – John Long

 

Drop me a line at david@talentspot.ie if you'd like to have a chat and learn more about the above, or if you'd like to know more about Talentspot and how we help our candidates with their careers.