5 Tips to Make Job Hunting Easier in 2018

There are plenty of jobs in the market, but finding the right one isn’t easy. It needs patience, focus, and persistence. And it would not be wrong to say that job hunting is a skill in itself, one that needs to be honed constantly. Updating your professional skills as per the changing needs of the industry is essential to succeed in your career. Similarly, updating your job hunting strategies is also necessary to stay ahead of your competition as well as for bagging the best job opportunities.

With 2017 coming to an end, outlined below are some effective job hunting tips that will help in making the year 2018  truly successful  for your career:

Tip #1: Perfect your CV. Not just update it.

Simply updating your experience and recently acquired skills on the CV won’t work. You need to stay adept with the latest CV writing trends and formats being followed in your industry. Also, pay attention to these quick tips to make your CV perfect and successfully grab the attention of prospective employers:

- Keep your CV as short, sweet, and concise as possible. Remember, less is more.

- Add a summary section to your CV. Writing an objective statement is the thing of the past.

- Present the information in simple and easy to understand bullet points.

- Include 2-3 latest professional accomplishments relevant to the jobs you target.

Tip #2: Network with people, offline.

Networking is one advice that will always stay crucial and never gets old. Most professionals connect with other professionals via social networks only. However, that’s not enough for keeping your professional bonds strong. So, give your long lost ex-colleagues a call instead of just sending them a text message. Meet them over a cup of coffee or lunch to learn where they are and what they are doing in their lives, currently. Additionally, don’t just rely on the social media for forming new connections. Meeting new people offline also helps to find new connections. Attend job fairs and networking events to learn about companies hiring in your sector. These events are a great way to meet prospective employers and learn about the latest job openings.

Tip #3: Set goals for your job search.

Goals are important as they challenge you to put in the required efforts to achieve them. Also, they help in setting a definite direction in which you should proceed. Therefore, set challenging yet realistic goals for your job search in 2018. Furthermore, break these goals into actionable steps. Write down a list of things you will do daily/weekly to achieve the ultimate goal of landing the job of your choice. For example, decide upon a daily/weekly number of employers to contact, set a target to attend important job fairs and networking events and make sure to stick to this number.

Tip #4: Stay positive while job hunting.

Maintaining a positive attitude is one job hunting advice that holds the most relevance in the present age. With the competition getting fierce by each passing day, you may have to look for a job for an extended period of time. Therefore, it is natural to feel frustrated or disheartened, especially when the rejections from the employers have been frequent. It may also happen that you have to reject many job offers till the right one comes along. However, having a ‘never give up’ attitude can get you through the tough times.

Tip #5: Build a strong personal brand.

The importance of maintaining a clean and professional online presence has been stressed upon for quite some time now. In 2018, go a step further and build a strong personal brand by establishing a great online reputation. There are a number of small, easy yet significant steps you can take in this regard:

-  Take each social media network seriously and not just LinkedIn.

-  Be yourself and make sure your online activities give a peek into your personality.

-  Share your professional accomplishments.

-  Participate in discussions and share your opinions/views.

The above job hunting tips are relevant to everyone and not just for seasoned job seekers. With some modifications, job hunters who have recently graduated from colleges/universities or freshers with no prior work experience can also benefit from these.

All the best!

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