New Year . . . New Beginnings
New years mean new beginnings and a fresh chance to expand on past successes and to succeed in matters that may have perplexed us in the past. So for how many of us is finding a better job (and a better life) at the top of the resolutions list for the new year? Chances are a lot of hands are raised – at least the consistent surge in jobseeker traffic on the bayt.com website, the region’s #1 employment website, post new year would seem to indicate this. The same trend is true outside the region. According to Hitwise, the world’s leading online competitive intelligence service, “the market share of visits to the Business and Finance – Employment and Training category increased by 31 percent comparing the week ending January 6, 2007 versus the previous week, ending December 30, 2006. But what can you do differently this year to ensure that your job search activities strike a more successful chord with employers and resound in the right quarters? The answer is: a lot! Here are a few tips from bayt.com on how to optimize your job search strategy for the new year:-
Exercise creativity. Search for and employ new ways to apply to jobs. If you have previously relied on one method, say newspaper ads or global recruitment sites, augment your activities with new methods such as job fairs, region-specific online recruitment sites, your college alumni network, your high school alumni network and aggressive word of mouth networking.
Perfect your toolkit. The paper your CV is printed on may be politically correct award-winning A-grade recycled parchment imported by courier straight from Europe for the purpose and you may have the correct address and a suitably environmentally friendly postage stamp on the envelope; however it does you little good if your CV and cover letter are flawed. For a perfect CV and cover letter read some of the bayt.com articles on how to perfect your toolkit. Think of yourself as a warrior in the mine-ridden brick and mortar world of job mobility and seek nothing less than perfection in sharpening your essential toolkit which should consist of a complete, candid and compelling CV, a well-researched and attention grabbing cover letter, and at the back-end, a simple, detailed system to manage and document the job search workflow.
Research. Some industries are booming and making news while others are slowly being relegated to the yesteryears. Some companies are hiring aggressively such as the construction and finance sectors in the UAE for example, while others due to restructuring, downsizing, industry consolidations and 2006 excesses are cutting back. Some companies pay salaries that live up to your expectations while in others the reward may be more the prestige, the rigorous training and the long term career development. Some companies advertise their job vacancies aggressively while others prefer to hire through word of mouth referrals or by confidentially perusing online databases. You will only be able to successfully navigate the corporate world labyrinth, tune into the hidden job market and customize your search optimally if you invest a proportionate amount of time in research. Aim to read industry publications regularly, systematically study company websites, subscribe to relevant newsletters and look for any up-to-date books that shed light on your chosen company, industry, occupation or job search techniques in general.
Follow up. Ever considered that the average employer may occasionally have items more important than your CV on his desk? If you are waiting for him to give it top priority and seething at the delay, chances are you will be disappointed. Take matters in your own hands and proactively follow up. Call to ensure receipt, resend if delivery failed and ask for a meeting at a specific time and date that is agreeable to you and which the employer can then work around. Aim to follow up at every stage of the job search process.
Be realistic. Don’t throw in the towel after a few weeks of unsuccessful resume mailings. Research indicates that a job search takes on average 3 to 6 months to be successful. Keep applying and following up diligently and meticulously to all applications sent. Being realistic also means understanding your qualifications and how they relate to the jobs you are pursuing; you should over time gain a better understanding of what jobs you are and are not qualified for and whether it is advisable or a waste of time to pursue the job search trajectory you have been pursuing. Learn from your mistakes and adjust your job search objectives, materials and strategy accordingly.
More advice on successful job search strategies is available in the bayt.com Career Centre. Follow the career advice of the experts and there is no reason why finding your dream job shouldn’t be amongst your success stories this year.
