Thursday, June 14, 2012

How To Save A Dead Job Search

Has your job search hit the skids? It happens to all job seekers at some point, but it doesn't mean you have to accept it.

It's easy to get frustrated when you go weeks or months without any response from employers. You probably get advice from friends and family telling you to just take a break from the search for a bit. While it can be helpful to take a quick breather, there are other steps you can take to bring your job search back from the dead.

It all starts with a self-assessment. Take a look at your skills and experience from the perspective of the employer. How do they match up with the organization's needs? If you find that you are lacking in some areas, think of some creative ways to fill those gaps. Do you have any non-traditional experience you can add to your resume?

Another part of your self-assessment should examine what job search methods you are using. Relying solely on online job boards or newspaper ads is not a great strategy, as they usually take the longest to bring in results. Make extensive use of your career network to enhance your applications, and consider directly contacting organizations you are interested in joining.

The final step you should take is to re-evaluate your resume and cover letter. These documents are key to communicating your worth to the organization, so you need to be sure you are communicating these points effectively. Answer the following questions:
  • Are you communicating your value to the employer by explaining how your unique skills will help the organization reach its goals?
  • Are you using concise sentences that leave no doubt to your meaning?
  • Are you including only relevant information so the employer isn't confused about your skills?
If you answer yes to these questions by the end of your evaluation, your resume and cover letter should be in good shape.

Resurrecting your job search isn't something that happens overnight. It will take some time and a lot of hard work. But if you follow the steps in this post, you should be able to turn frustration into success.

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