Gone are the days when people used to get a job after graduation and will stick to it till retirement. In these modern times, people look for new opportunities almost every year, and so the more traditional tactics are becoming less in demand and loosing popularity. The old age method of looking for jobs in newspaper still do exist but the reliance on newspaper advertisements is declining.
Here are few new age tips and tools for job seekers to hunt for their dream job and get selected;
The one age old technique which still exists due to its credibility is “Networking”. Till now, majority of job vacancies are not advertised or published openly, and they are often referred to as the "hidden job market.” To scout for this hidden job market, the job seeker needs to have a very strong networking channel of right people.
Networking can be either online or in person. The job seeker can become a member of professional associations, can attend events for of college or school like alumni meets, or even connect with professionals who work in the desired companies or industry. Networking has become easier with various online tools such as LinkedIn, wherein you can send connection request to professionals and ask about possible job openings. Networking can help in locating job through indirect channel also, like even if the one you know does not have a direct job opening in your field, he can connect you to his group of network who may have a opening in your desired field or industry.
Another age-old method which is still in demand for credibility is through “Referrals.” Opening through referrals also come from individuals the job seekers know, however, this referral method may give you a chance to apply for a direct opening. Since golden old days, a lot of employers offer incentives to their employees for referring candidate for selected job openings. This method becomes a win – win situation for employees and employers, as employers end up saving time and money and on the other side the employees take responsibility for the candidate they refer and they will refer the best suitable candidate only.
Nowadays all the big and mid-size organizations, publish their job openings in the Career section on their website. The job seekers should keep a watch for openings on their website in regular intervals and there is a bright chance that the opening one is interested will be available sooner or later. The job seekers should also upload their updated CV on the company website, which makes a place in the employer’s database of job seekers. As a systematic strategy, the job seeker should create a list of employers as per their priority and keep visiting their websites on weekly basis. It is also better to have a long list of employers, rather than waiting for opening with one employer.
Job fairs are generally organized by group of people from specific industry or some Government of local body. The job fairs are a way to attract candidates to specific industry and create awareness amongst a large pool of candidates. The job fair advertisements will usually disclose the list of the organizations that will be present in fair. The candidates get a chance to Investigate any companies before going for the fair. It is also advisable to carry a lot of copies of resumes and be ready to sell yourself. The candidates can have direct conversations with the recruiters in the form of mini-interviews and a lot of organizations may even offer on-site interviews to candidates that match their requirements.
There are lot of job search engines on the internet or career-related websites that post job openings, like Shine.com, Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. These websites sometimes have a tie up with these organizations and are the first one to publish about any job opening with those organizations. These career websites have a very large pool of job openings and have very less turnaround time. The job seekers must post updated CV on these websites and keep on updating the CV from time to time.
the job seekers are not getting calls for job offers, then they can look for some professional help in the job search. The direct recruitment agencies do offer professional services with some fees, but they can surely help you in landing the right job. Apart from that, there are several organizations that hire through direct recruitment agencies, because it helps them in streamlining the lengthy process of hunting and interviewing candidates. Many a times these headhunters will have a tie up with the organizations to hire for specific vacancies which are not posted in other career websites or not disclosed in the open market.
In a competitive job market, job seekers must adopt new age creative methods for drawing attention of the employers. Sending direct emails, sending cover letters letters with a copy of your resume attached or sending direct messages on professional websites are methods which drag attention of the employers to candidates resumes. While sending emails to recruiters, be mindful of the language, grammar and the information being shared.
The job seekers should not shy away from taking a temporary employment like Internship or some special project if available in the desired company. Sometime temporary employment can lead to permanent positions. Many employers go to colleges for offering summer internship or select candidates for special short-term projects which may offer a minimum stipend. The job seekers should not shy away from taking the small short-term job offer and not look for money in that case. A lot of internships are converted into full time employments immediately after the internship is over or after a time period.
With the growing competition in the modern job market, finding the best suitable job is not a short-term process. The process involves a lot of time and thus the candidate need to keep patience and adopt to all possible methods available. The job seekers often require a combination of methods.