Yes, we’re in a good job market right now; but lots of people know this and are making their moves to bigger and better jobs. Beat your competition and get the job you want with these 8 ingenious job search tips for 2019.
1 – Get a New Understanding of the Job Search
Your job search isn’t about someone giving you a job or about what you need. Your job search is a sales process in which you are the product for ‘sale’ and the employer is the customer. In every step of your job search from your resume to the interview to your salary negotiations, you’re selling yourself for the job.
2 – Find the Hidden Jobs First
Most job openings are not publicly posted at any given time. For every job posting you see, there’s at least one more that isn’t. And often, these are the best jobs. Be proactive and find these jobs by contacting hiring managers directly. Not only will you find those jobs, you’ll put yourself in the front of the interview line for them.
See how to find unadvertised jobs and get interviews.
3 – Turn Your Resume Into a Marketing Document
Remember that your job search is a sales process? Your resume is the brochure that tells your customer about you and makes them want to find out more. How do you do this? Make your resume attractive and easy-to-read with your best-selling points highlighted. Don’t cram as much information as you can onto it. And quantify your accomplishments. Data sells to hiring managers.
See How to Make Your Resume POP
4 – Start Your Brag Book
Having documentation for the things you’ve done in previous roles is extremely helpful for your job search. You can use it as evidence or another reference in your interview, or even as a morale booster for yourself. What goes in a brag book? See the list here.
5 – Write Up a 30-60-90-Day Plan for Every Interview
While a brag book is a historical look at what you’ve done; a 30-60-90-day plan is a forward look at what you can do for them in the future. For the hiring manager (your customer), it’s like a test-drive of what you’ll be like on the job. You’ll show that you can do the job, you will do the job, and you pose no risk to them if they hire you. They’ll see your smarts, your critical thinking skills, and your awesome communication abilities. Once you go through your plan, you’ll even have a blueprint of exactly what you need to do to be successful.
See how to write a 30-60-90-day plan.
6 – Role-Play an Interview
You may already research good answers to interview questions. But to take it up a notch, actually rehearse delivering those interview answers. You have lots of options: record yourself and see how you sound; practice with a friend to get feedback; or hire an interview coach to work with you.
Practicing your interview answers will boost your interview performance dramatically. See more about hiring an interview coach here.
7 – Close for the Job
Because your job interview is a sales process, you need to know if your customer’s ready to buy, or if they need more information. The way to find out how you did in the interview and boost your shot at the job is to ask for the job, or to close. Here’s how: Toward the end of the interview, say, “Based on what we’ve talked about today, do you agree that I could be successful at this job?” If they agree, you know you have an advocate after you leave and you’ll probably get the offer. If they don’t agree, you have a chance to find out what their doubts about you are. You may even be able to address those, change their mind, and save your offer.
8 – Work to Maintain a Positive Attitude
Having a positive attitude throughout your search will not only make you feel better; it will cause you to perform better and have better results. See How to Stay Motivated in Your Job Search
Best of luck!