Next page
While you might try to sit down and apply for any job that you’re qualified for, taking the time to assess your career hopes and dreams can be a more satisfying and productive way to start a job search. Thinking about what makes you come alive can help you narrow down your search to target specific roles and careers.
Next page
Envision your career future. Here are some questions that can help you: – Are you passionate about a certain cause or industry? (Perhaps you get excited about supporting theatre arts or are interested in finance in emerging markets.) – Do you want to become a leader of a team or organization, or do you prefer to be a creative and independent producer?
Next page
– What salary goals do you have? Do you aspire to earn a six-figure salary? – Do you value team cohesion and collaboration? – What kind of lifestyle do you want? – What skills do you bring to a job role? (For example, do you have a knack for persuading people through spoken or written communication, or are your skills more suited for patient care?)
Next page
Next, think about the types of industries or roles that you either have experience in or that pique your interest. Research everything you can about the food and beverage industry, for example, if that’s a business area that interests you. Have you considered a career in IT, data analysis, marketing, or UX design? Say you have a degree in
Next page
marketing; are you interested in pursuing a career in that field? If so, do you want to work for an agency or in-house for a company or non-profit? What type of marketing do you hope to specialize in—perhaps social media marketing, digital marketing, or content marketing? Drill down in your search to understand the different roles you could play
Next page
within a field or industry. If you’re thinking more about your lifestyle, consider remote jobs, jobs that let you travel, or jobs better suited for introverts.
Next page
Once you have a better idea of your career goals and what types of jobs you’re interested in, think about how your experiences can apply to these roles. Identify your transferable skills, including technical skills and workplace skills you have acquired in your personal and professional life. If you are seeking your first job, your transferable skills might
Next page
come from extracurricular activities, volunteer work, or daily life (for example, taking care of children or siblings). For those switching jobs or changing careers, you can mine previous work experiences for technical skills like data analytics or data entry, and workplace skills like leadership, creativity, and critical thinking.
Next page
Now, more than ever, people are finding jobs on LinkedIn. In fact, six people are hired every minute on LinkedIn [3]. A majority of recruiters (around 87 percent) use it during the hiring process, especially when vetting candidates [4]. Your LinkedIn profile should reflect your current resume, along with links to projects, videos, and content you worked
Next page
on. A professional, friendly profile photo helps recruiters put a face to the name, while a bulleted list of accomplishments using keywords can boost your credibility. Though posting on LinkedIn is not necessarily going to get you hired, sharing and liking posts creates engagement and can help you get noticed by
Next page
potential employers. If you decide to post, consider sharing pictures and summaries of projects you worked on, or articles that demonstrate your industry expertise. You can even reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn by sending a request to connect or messaging them using InMail. When crafting your message, explain who you are, what
Next page
you’re looking for, and why you’re hoping to connect with them. Finally, clean up your presence on other social media platforms. Delete any incriminating photos, such as smoking weed, imbibing alcohol before age 21, or any other activity that could be perceived as unprofessional. Keep your pages private for additional security.
Next page
Breaking into a new industry or field can be difficult, especially if you’re unsure whether that career is right for you. That’s where informational interviews come in. Job seekers can conduct this type of interview to gather insight into a prospective field or job role. Here’s how an informational interview works: – Decide what you want to know.
Next page
– Reach out and request a meeting. – Develop a list of questions to ask. – Get to know your interviewee. – Send a thank-you note. – Keep in touch. Informational interviews build relationships, provide interviewing practice, and even open up future opportunities, especially if you make the effort to keep in touch with your interviewee.
Next page
For each job you apply to, the best practice is to customize your resume to the job description. Recruiters and hiring managers like to see that you’ve understood their ethos, tone, and overall language and can speak it, too—meaning that your resume reflects their specific jargon (“creative briefs,” rather than “creative
Next page
requests”). Your experiences should match the role’s requirements, and sometimes you’ll need to highlight or even omit certain skills and experiences. Always double-check your resume for spelling and grammar errors. Crafting your resume to demonstrate you are an ideal candidate is not enough. These days, applicant tracking
Next page
systems (ATS) filter job applications, so you must make sure to strategically include exact keywords and phrases from the job description on your resume.
Next page
This might sound like a lot of extra work, but you don’t necessarily have to write an entirely new cover letter for each job application. However, each cover letter you submit should definitely reflect your enthusiasm for the specific job you’re applying for. You can create a basic cover letter template for each type of job, and mark the places where
Next page
you’ll tailor information to fit each job. For example, if you are applying to three types of jobs, such as communications consultant, social media specialist, and marketing analyst, you can create three separate cover letter templates. In each template, list out specific skills and experiences relevant to each job type. Then, when
Next page
you’re customizing your cover letter for the job, swap out your interest in one company for another, and tweak your language to fit.
Next page
The interview process can be intimidating. It is helpful to remember that an interview is a two-way street—while it may seem like you are proving your worth to an employer, it is also an opportunity to assess whether the employer and role will be fulfilling for you. Preparing for an interview can help you feel more confident, so you’ll present yourself in the
Next page
best possible light. To prepare, consider writing down or saying out loud your responses to the most common interview questions. Reflect on the role’s responsibilities, the skills needed to perform the role, and questions a hiring manager might ask to determine if you are the right fit. The role may require several interviews.
Next page
If your interview is virtual, and many initial screenings are, you might consider practicing mock interviews with a friend to ensure your tone and body language expresses your enthusiasm properly over the internet. Plus, small adjustments to your setup can make a difference. Clean up any clutter in your background, and make sure
Next page
your internet, camera, and microphone are reliable and ready long before your interview begins. If you expect the interviewer to ask structured behavioral questions, a good practice is to write down several STAR (situation, task, action, result) scenarios and describe them aloud. For panel interviews, try to remember each person’s
Next page
name and make eye contact with each interviewer while you are speaking.
Next page
Always, always send a follow-up email to thank your interviewers for their time. The best practice is to write a couple of sentences about any highlights from your conversation that resonated with you, and to reiterate your enthusiasm. This simple act of courtesy and gratitude doesn’t require much time but can help solidify a hiring manager’s decision to hire you.
Next page
Congrats! After the applying, preparation, interview(s), and thank you emails, you got the job. Now, it’s time to negotiate your salary and benefits. Check sites like Glassdoor for data to confirm that your salary expectations are appropriate for the industry, company, and job role. These days, it is culturally acceptable and even expected
Next page
that you will negotiate. Chances are, the job letter comes with salary information. A good rule of thumb, when in doubt, is to negotiate 10-20% above their initial offer, in addition to the benefits package. Often, these packages will be similar for every employee of a company, but year-end bonuses, signing bonuses, and paid time off (PTO) may vary.
Next page
Do your research, and feel free to clarify any questions with the hiring manager before accepting a job offer.