Top four ways to jumpstart your job search

Get it in gear and back on track

Shawna Simcik //September 23, 2015//

Top four ways to jumpstart your job search

Get it in gear and back on track

Shawna Simcik //September 23, 2015//

Recently, Colorado air has been filled with smoke. To make matters worse, there has been a streak of bad economic news which always impacts our view of the job search and open positions. The good news, according to the Review of Colorado Economy – Analysis of 2015 Data through July, is Colorado employment is greater than the same period last year.

Despite this positive news, are you still feeling stuck in your job search? Do you find yourself visiting the same websites day after day hoping to discover a new job? Communicating with the same people? Have you given up searching for a job on most days?

Well don’t throw the white flag yet. As I wrote in a previous ColoradoBiz article, “Beat the Job Search Blues”, the job search stinks! It can be a lonely, aggravating, and disappointing journey. Here are four suggestions to get yourself ‘unstuck’ in the job search.

1. Review Your Job Search Strategy: What do I mean by strategy? If you are not getting the results that you want, you need to change the way you are using your resources. For example, if you are trying to get a job but not getting any interviews, you should revisit your resume or rewrite your LinkedIn profile. If you are getting the phone interview but not getting a call back, you need to practice and hone your telephone interviewing skills. You may be working hard and putting a lot of effort in, but that doesn’t matter if you don’t see any results. Review and refresh your strategy.

3. Get Moving and Network: Many associations or organizations will take the summer off and stop host events. The good news is the kids are back to school, vacations are fewer, and networking hiatuses have ceased. Check out the “calendar of events” and get back on the networking horse. The network now accounts for 60-80% of hires according to some estimates. When you refresh your networking, remember the rule, networking is about building genuine relationships, not asking for favors. Be ready to talk to contacts about who might be valuable for you to meet to accelerate your search, tell them about the kinds of positions you are looking for and the employers or fields that interest you.

4. Keep Going! It’s a Numbers Game: A recent client of mine, who happens to be highly analytical, tracked every job he applied for, interviewed for, and networking connection he made during his job search. His numbers are astounding! He applied for 225 jobs, received 50 first-time interviews, and19 in-person interviews. He had to network with 90 people – that’s 90 cups of coffee! Take stock of all your hard work, track the opportunities that you are applying for and analyze what might be inhibiting you from reaching job search success. At the end of the day – keep going! The ‘right’ opportunity may just be right around the corner.

What separates successful people from underachieving is their ability to remain in control of their behavior, remain positive and power through those tough times.