3 Not-So-Scary Ways To Enhance Your Job Search

Happy almost Halloween! Job searching is can be pretty scary, but here are three pragmatic ways to refocus your search to get results.

1. Create a list of 40-50 companies you are interested in
   The first thing that most people do when they job search is look at open positions. This isn’t necessarily wrong, it’s just ineffective because you are applying to positions without strategy. Why do you want to work there? Do you have a connection/referral? Does this align with your own personal goals, compass, and heart? First assess what you want from your next opportunity. Then, create a list of companies that you find interesting. Brands you like, companies you follow, employers in your current city or cities you would like to be in. This gives you a road map and a place to start. Do some research on these companies - how large, company culture/Glassdoor rating, do you have any connections there to engage in informational interviews? By starting with your personal list, instead of “seeing what’s out there”, you empower yourself to make better decisions, focused conversations, and engage in a self-directed job search. 
   
   
2. Attend Virtual MeetUps and Events 
   There are SO MANY EVENTS happening all over the world right now. And you can attend them - because they are virtual! Conferences, industry meetups, industry webinars, career fairs, company info sessions, and your future interviews will be hosted via video chat. A quick google search or checking eventbrite.com or meetup.com, you will be connected to a multitude of possibilities to gain insight in your industry, meet and connect with participants, and follow up with the host and others after the presentation. This is a great way to reinvigorate your interest in your field while gaining new connections at the same time. 
   
   
3. Reconnect with your friends, colleagues, and acquaintances
   I’m sure there are at least 100 people that you know that you haven’t talked to yet this year. Classmates, former coworkers, friends, acquaintances, that nice lady you met at the market that gave you her info, etc. Scrolling through your LinkedIn and you will see a bunch of people that you can send a quick message. Also, many of our contacts overlap - you may have their number, email, instagram - other ways that we can slide a DM that yields a higher response rate besides LinkedIn messaging. Personalize your message and keep it short and sweet. You don’t have to mention you are job searching - this will come up naturally in your conversation. Feel confident that the other person would like to hear from you too! There are many ways we can help each other and reconnecting with your community is a great way to spark ideas, referrals and collaboration. 

I love working with clients to develop job search strategies and help them get where they want to go. With these 3 steps, your job search and engagement in your industry will take off boo-itfully. ;) Cheers and Happy Halloween friends!