10 Effective Tips for Finding a Job Fast
Finding a job in Colorado, especially if you’re fresh out of college, can be challenging and frustrating – to say the least. You look forward to working at a reputable firm or an institute where you can apply your newly acquired education and skills. While looking for an ideal job, there is a constant urge to receive that one interview call and that one job offer that can help you kick-start your career. You really can’t wait to earn your own money and get that sweet taste of financial independence, which you possibly can’t enjoy any other way.
However, as time passes and you don’t get that much-awaited phone call or job offer, your self-esteem drops. All sorts of negative thoughts start to creep in, and you begin to feel despondent about your future prospects. If you’re going through a similar situation, take heart.
Here, we cover some of our best tips that will make finding a job easier for you!
1. Be Sure of Your Skills and Career Goals
This is extremely important for those changing their career path or looking for their first job. You have to figure out what you really want, what you are good at, and what constitutes a great job for you. Make sure you list down what you ideally want in a job – company, job title, salary package, location, company’s culture, etc. Doing so will help you narrow down your job hunt, and you will be able to find what you’re looking for in no time.
Also, if you apply for job positions that resonate with your overall education and skill set, the chances of getting hired will be higher.
2. Create a Professional Resume
Before you send out your resume, make sure it is readable, well-organized, and up-to-date. Your resume should also be short and precise. Employers typically prefer one-page resumes unless you have a lot of work experience, education, and skills.
Make sure you mention all your skills, activities, award, and achievements. This will make your resume attractive and impress the hiring manager in the blink of an eye. Also, don’t forget to include the following must-haves in your resume:
- Name and contact information
- A brief summary of yourself
- Education
- Employment history (if any)
- Community involvement (optional)
- Link to your professional social network (LinkedIn, Angel List, Xing, Meetup, etc.)
Once you have written your resume, don’t forget to proofread it for spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Remember that even the tiniest mistake can put you on the rejected list. So, go through your resume as many times as you can. If you doubt your proofreading or editing skills, you can always ask a trusted friend or a well-versed family member to do the task for you.
3. Attach a Cover Letter with Your Resume
A resume gives an employer very limited insight into you. However, a cover letter can fill that gap. A cover letter allows you to discuss your key skills, experiences, and accomplishments in depth. It is also important because it allows you to describe all the information that you have aforementioned in your resume. A cover letter also simplifies the task for employers or recruiters to choose between the two seemingly great candidates.
When sending a cover letter, make sure you tailor it according to the job position you are applying for. You needn’t have to start from scratch every time, but you should tweak the content according to the job ad and the company you are applying to.
A good cover letter needs to fulfill some special qualities. For starters, it should be personal, yet professional. The tone of your cover letter should be friendly but not too friendly that it loses a professional touch. Let your personality shine through.
Make a solid introduction that hooks the employer’s attention right away. Your cover letter is the first thing that the employer will read, and then if they like it, they will move onto reading your resume. So, make a huge splash! Let the recruiter know that you are really interested in a particular job position. Prove to them that you are the perfect candidate by talking about your skills, experiences, and achievements in detail.
4. Rely on Online Networking
Career networking sites such as LinkedIn are a great way to make a professional profile and connect with likeminded people when searching for a job. You can get in touch with your potential employer and increase your chances of getting a job. You can follow the companies you like, share, and comment on their posts. This will help you get noticed by the upper management of these companies. However, avoid adding people you don’t know on Facebook. It is unethical and unprofessional, and you won’t be doing yourself any favors.
What you can do instead is join discussion groups for companies or industries you want to work for. You will be able to build a solid digital network and stay in the loop for the latest job offers. You can also get in touch with people you worked with/for in the past and ask them to give you recommendations. You can add those recommendations on your LinkedIn profile. This will add credibility to your qualifications and double your prospects of getting accepted by a hiring committee.
A piece of advice to consider – always be professional when interacting with other professionals online. Save your rants for Twitter or Facebook.
5. Ask Friends and Family for Help
Don’t be shy and ask your friends and family for help with finding a job. You never know what amazing job opportunities you’ll be able to find through them. One of the best ways to reach out to your family and friends is through an email or a text message. Be specific about what you’re looking for so that your loved ones can help you better.
If you already know of someone who’s working at a company you always dreamt of working at, you can always reach out to them and ask them if their organization is hiring, and if not, then they can inform you when it happens. You can also request them to forward your resume to the right person. This can further increase your chance of finding a job in a short span of time.
6. Keep Applying for Jobs
Don’t just apply to one company and then wait for their response. Keep applying for as many jobs as you can. A common mistake that some people make is that they wait to hear back from an employer after sending them their resume or after giving an interview. Don’t ever do that! What if you get rejected in the end? All those days you waited for their response will go down the drain.
A better way to go about it is to keep applying until you finally find the right job. A good thing that may come out of all this is multiple job offers – now that’s worth your struggle!
7. Get the Most Out of Career Fairs
Career fairs aren’t just about free giveaways. They also give you a golden opportunity when finding a job to network with big-time recruiters and employers.
It’s important to come prepared for a job fair. Dress up professionally because you know what they say – first impressions are important. Bring along your portfolio that has all the necessary materials – your educational documents, resume, etc. Also, keep a notepad and pen with you so that you can write down important names that you want to remember.
Remember that companies are present there to engage with job seekers like you, so don’t be hesitant to ask any question you may have on your mind. It’s better to prepare a list of questions beforehand. In this way, you won’t forget to ask the necessary questions.
Some great questions to ask at a career fair are – “what skills do you look for in a candidate for any position?” or “what are some of the challenges of the X job?” These questions will help you understand the nature of the job and nail the job interview.
8. Apply with Confidence when Finding a Job
Don’t hesitate to apply for a job position you’re interested in, even if you meet only one requirement. A job position may be asking for 2-3 years of work experience or a skill set you probably didn’t possess. But if you’re eager to work for the company or are interested in getting the job, you should not think twice and apply straight away.
Sometimes, companies need more workers, and when they see your devotion and determination (through your resume and cover letter), the chances are that you may get selected for the job. There’s no harm in trying, so feel free to give it a shot regardless.
9. Explore New Job Titles
Thanks to technology, it hardly takes a few minutes to search for a job online. But during your search, try to go off the beaten path. You may know about common job positions such as a trainer, manager, teacher, officer, librarian, and so on, but do you know that there are a plethora of unique and unconventional job titles? Have you heard of a job position known as “content marketer?” Or a production assistant? Or a Social media manager? The deeper you dig, the more options you have.
You may find a ton of job roles only in your own field that you will be interested in trying out. Having to choose from these options will increase your chance of getting a job. How so? Because unconventional career paths have less competition and more opportunities!
10. Find a Good Job Recruiter
If you’re a professional and want to get a job fast, you can always hire an experienced search professional. Most companies are receptive to candidates that come through a recruiter. Therefore, a connection with a qualified headhunter is important. They can help you find open jobs that match your qualifications.
If you’re struggling to connect with an appropriate recruiter, try looking for one online. Many websites can help you find the best job recruiter out there. You can also search on LinkedIn by using keywords such as “search firms” or “recruiter” to get the desired result.
Ask your friends, family, neighbor, or colleagues for recommendations. It’s possible that they found their jobs through a particular recruiter. So, reaching out to them can work in your favor.
Final Word
If you’re dipping your toes into the workforce or establishing a new career path, it can take a while to get the desired job. No need to lose hope, though. Keep trying (read: applying) until you succeed finding a job, and you will eventually!
Here’s a friendly tip – during the time you’re unable to find work, just don’t slack off at home. Instead, do some voluntary work or get an internship. If you’re going on board with our idea to try some unchartered job position, you should try it out first to see if it is for you. And there’s no better way to find that out than doing an internship.
To some, this may seem like a waste of time. But it is definitely not. You will get to expand your skills and explore more options. Mentioning your internship experiences and newly acquired skills in your resume will also help you stick out from other candidates and increase the likelihood of getting hired.
