How to Effectively Strategize Your Job Search
When you’re in the market for a better job or just getting your career started, chances are, the perfect opening won’t fall in your lap. It takes planning, preparation, and a strategy to land that dream position.
Hunting down search bulletins and responding to ads is time-consuming and energy-draining. Without a strategy, your hunt for the right job opening is going to be full of problems.
Instead of randomly scouring the classifieds or waiting for the right job to come to you. You can simply go with nonprofit executive search firms , or use these tips to strategize your search
1. List Your Preferred Job Details
Occasionally, we have to deal with taking any job that we can get. But usually, especially in the medical field, you can be somewhat selective.
Listing out the characteristics of the job you want will narrow down your search funnels. Consider questions like:
- What work environment would you prefer? For healthcare workers, this could be a hospital, medical office, or another facility.
- Do you want set hours or flexibility?
- What kind of role/responsibilities do you want to have?
- Would you rather work in a management position or as an employee, if you have the experience to choose?
- Do you want a salaried position or hourly?
- What kind of company culture do you thrive in?
Once you have your preferred job goals written down, you can start focusing your search. Look for openings that meet some or all of those characteristics.
2. Update Your Resume
Resumes can only be tweaked so much for the businesses you’re applying to. They’re a compilation of your work and education history. But if you haven’t updated yours recently, it’s time to get it done.
You’ve likely picked up some skills and talents since your last job that could benefit you in your job search. If you’re in a field where continuing education is required, this is a definite yes.
Your resume should, above all else, show your professionalism. It needs to be well-designed and aesthetically pleasing, with no grammar or mechanical errors. Those superficial features will move your resume into the “to read” or “trash” piles.
Formatting is important, but so is what you include in your content. Make sure your resume spotlights your talents and abilities and shows your value. You want to tell the business what you can bring to the table before they ever meet you.
3. Find Legitimate Career Boards
If you’re searching for a reputable job, you need to use legitimate job posting sites to find it. The top businesses aren’t going to use Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for their openings.
Many companies prefer to use sites like Indeed and Monster. These are popular because they use automated screening tools to seek out keywords that are essential to the position. That way, they can find skilled candidates without weeding through dozens of unqualified resumes.
Some of the more prestigious or selective companies use another avenue for their candidate screening. They hire job recruiters to actively seek out qualified workers to fill their openings.
These recruiters focus on finding applicants with the exact criteria given to them by the client doing the hiring. It’s a win/win for the employer and potential employee because there’s no wasted time determining if they each meet each other’s requirements.
The third-party recruiter does the vetting. If you’re part of the recruitment network, when a job opening comes up that you’re qualified for, they contact you. It takes a lot of the pressure of the search off of you.
4. Be Consistent
When you’re serious about your job search, you can spend just as much time in the process as you would a full-time job.
If you are employed currently but looking for something different, you’ll need to allocate at least two hours a day to your search. Use that time for checking job boards and putting in applications.
Double this amount of time if you aren’t actively employed and are searching for a job. Set a schedule and block out time each day. Check out new postings, call previous interviewers to check on the status of their hire, and complete other job-related tasks.
Keep in mind the busy hours of the job you’re applying for. Many medical offices are busiest until lunchtime, and then closed for lunch. They also frequently close on Friday afternoons. Work your contact tasks around these unavailable times.
5. Set Realistic Search Goals
Being positive is a good thing, but being unrealistic is another.
The job search is not always quick and easy. For most people, there are a lot of high expectations, followed by dashed hopes and restarts. It’s easy to get dejected and want to give up if your hunt turns into a long process.
To prevent this from happening, keep your goals realistic. If you’re doing everything you can, hitting your targets, and meeting your deadlines, you’re on track.
For example, you could set a target that if you haven’t found the right job by a certain date, you’ll reach out to a resume writer to revamp your document. Or if the search looks like it may take longer than you can afford to be out of work, you’ll contact a recruiter.
As long as you are reevaluating and setting your targets, then following through with them, you can stay optimistic and keep moving forward.
Conclusion
Without a plan in place, a job search can seem scattered and difficult. Once you set your targets and get organized, your new strategies will streamline the work and reduce your stress. You’ll be able to concentrate on finding your dream position and knocking out your career goals!
