I’m not saying that I’m an expert on how to land a job by any means, but I will say that I have learned a lot since the last time I was unemployed. When you are looking for a job, there are a number of elements that are involved, most of which are beyond your control.
Sometimes the timing isn’t right, other times the company already has a candidate in mind even though they posted the job online. All I know is that even though finding a job may seem impossible and sometimes completely out of your hands, there are a number of things you can do to help you take control and land that job you really want.
1. Never give up
I mentioned in one of my posts that since I’ve been in Toronto I’ve applied to over 40 job postings. That’s a heck of a lot if you ask me, and even though it’s tough keeping motivated, with every job application I knew that the only way I would land a job is if I never gave up.
2. Have someone look over your resume and cover letter
Before I left Vancouver, I revamped my resume and cover letter, but after applying to a handful of job postings without any results, I knew I had to make some changes. I had a past co-worker and a friend experienced with resumes and cover letters look over my documents to see if they had any suggestions on what I could do to improve them.
Having a second and third pair of eyes definitely helped me pump up my resume and cover letter, and it also gave me a boost of confidence because they showed me how I wasn’t properly displaying my achievements and experience.
3. Network, network, network
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but networking is incredibly important in furthering your career and landing a new position. I had a number of contacts here in Toronto that I made sure to meet up with, and even though none of my meetings lead to any jobs, I know having strengthened those relationships was a good thing and may come in handy down the road. I also used some of my online connections to get advice and see if anyone knew of any job openings, which actually led me to one of my recent job interviews.
4. Clean up your online persona
Since I am a public blogger, I’ve always been very aware that everything I put out into the interwebs is permanent and is a representation of who I am. That being said, I’ve made sure that there is nothing out there that I wouldn’t want out there. If you still have party photos on your Facebook, have an inappropriate Twitter handle or email address, and like to post bikini photos of yourself on Instagram, just remember that your potential employer will be googling you and may toss your resume in the trash because of it.
Do you have any other suggestions on what someone should do to help land them a job? I want to know!
