We all know the people who seem to hop from job to better job pretty easily. Do they know something you don’t? Are they just lucky? I’ve seen thousands of job seekers who felt unlucky make a few adjustments that change everything. Follow these 7 tips to create your own job search luck.
Spend time on your job search every day.
You can’t win in the job search if you’re not participating. Every day, do something that moves you forward. Touch your network, contact some hiring managers, send out your resume, work on your brag book, or spend some productive time on LinkedIn. You can even attend a job search training webinar. I usually recommend job seekers spend 4-5 hours a day on their job search.
Contact hiring managers directly.
There’s no better way to create job search luck than by stepping outside job search killing online applications and contacting hiring managers directly. You’ll uncover hidden jobs and put yourself first in line for interviews. See how to uncover unadvertised jobs and get interviews.
Make an effort to be positive.
A positive outlook will offer more benefits to your job search than you know. Not only will you feel better and take more (smart) chances, you’ll actually be more appealing to potential employers. So…take care of yourself physically (get some exercise and rest) and emotionally. Don’t beat yourself up about failures. Learn from them and move on.
See my series on positive thinking and listen to this audio.
Upgrade your resume.
A stronger resume means that more companies will call you for interviews. For a more powerful resume, keep it to 2 pages or less, use bullet points (not paragraphs), and quantify your accomplishments.
Try some new job search or interview techniques.
If what you’re doing isn’t getting results, it’s time to try something new. Some things I’ve recommended to job seekers over the years that have generated great results:
- Set up a Job Shadow
- Hire a Career Coach
- Create a Brag Book
- Create a 30-60-90-Day Plan for Interviews
Go to networking events.
You never know who others know. Go to networking events and connect with people. If that makes you uncomfortable, remember that other people need to know who you know, too. That’s what networking is all about. Go to each event with specific goals, such as: give your business card to 10 people; have a conversation with 3 people; or get the LinkedIn URLs for 5 people.
Get a mentor.
You don’t know what you don’t know. But someone who’s been down that road may be able to tell you a lot. Everyone needs someone who can offer some wise counsel. I have several mentors I regularly have lunch or coffee with (my treat) and I’ve found it to be immensely helpful.
Another version of a mentor is a good career coach. Find out more about how career coaching works.
Personally, I’m a great believer in the adage, ‘The harder I work, the luckier I get.’ (source unknown) Put some effort into these tips and you’ll see your job search and your career get better and better.