Thinking of Giving Up Your Job Search Try These 5 Things First - Career Sidekick

Thinking of Giving Up Your Job Search Try These 5 Things First - Career Sidekick Thinking of Giving Up Your Job Search? Try These 5 Things First Misc Tips / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If youre thinking of giving up your job search or frustrated by lack of results, this article is for you.Im going to give you a few simple, practical things you should try before you give up on job hunting.My goal in this article is to (hopefully) convince you NOT to give up, and to provide you with new ideas and strategies you can use to land a job over the next few weeks or months.Lets get started5 Steps to Try Before of Giving Up a Job Search:1. Take a Short Break (With a Deadline)Sometimes you just need a break.Job searching is stressful.The ups and downs. The waiting. The rejection.So if you feel like every little thing is overwhelming you right now, and the thought of starting to apply for more jobsis incredibly stressful, take a break. Thats a lot better than giving up your job hunt.Take a few days, a full week, or even slightly more if you need it.But decide how long your break is going to be, and stick to it! Mark your calendar, and know what day youre going to return your job search.And then do it! Attack your job search (with the tips Im going to share in the rest of this article) on your first day back.This is not the same as giving up your job search. Youre taking a strategic break to recharge. Which I highly recommend if youve been job hunting for more than three months and havent been able to find a job.2. When Youre Ready to Continue, Make BIG ChangesClearly something isnt working, if youre at the point of wanting to give up on your job search.So dont come back and repeat what wasnt working.Make huge changes.A different resume style. A different type of message in your cover letter. Or a different industry you might be able to find similar work in.If youre sending out your resume and not getting callbacks, change the whole thing around.Move entire sections. Re-write key parts. Delete pieces that you feel arent relevant to the specific jobs youre applying for.Add way more facts, details, and metrics, especially int o your resume bullet points.And if youre using a resume objective, get rid of it.Everyone knows your objective is to find a position in your field/industry.What should you put instead? Try writing a resume summary section one or two sentences summarizing your career and accomplishments.After that brief summary section, your resume should dive into your recent work experience in the first half of the first page. The only exception is if you have no work experience.Forget a functional resume, forget listing a bunch of skills and certifications near the top.You need to list your most recent experience and you tailor it to match the job descriptions of the positions youre applying for.So the order of sections I recommend for the top of the first page of your resume is:Your name/contact infoA brief resume summary (go here for resume summary examples)Your work experience, starting with most recentNow, same goes for cover letters. If youre sending cover letters and nobodys interviewing yo u, make huge changes.Lets say you have a gap in employment youre trying to explain. And nobodys respond. Explain it completely differently. Try a very different angle.If youre stuck on this, ask a few friends for their opinions too.Id highly recommend checking out this article on 16 reasons you cant find a job, because it breaks down some of the possible issues youre facing depending on where youre struggling (not getting interviews, getting rejected in interviews, etc.)3. Stop Applying to Random Jobs and Start Networking MoreI wrote this article about why networking is the fastest way to get a job. I still feel strongly that this is true.If youve been sending out your resume to random job postings on job boards, or applying on LinkedIn or other large job sites, take a break and start networking.Ask everyone in your network if they know of any companies hiring in your field.People cannot help you in your job search if they dont know youre looking. So make sure people know.Also expan d your network by building genuine connections with new people (this does NOT mean asking people if their company is hiring, or attaching your resume to a LinkedIn message)Heres a script you can use to connect with someone new on LinkedIn:Hi Name, I noticed youre involved in Job Function/Team Name over at Company. Im job searching and its one of the top companies I was considering applying to.Have you enjoyed the company culture and work environment over there?I always find it better to ask someone in the company, rather than reading reviews online. Anything youre willing to share would be great!Cheers,Your NameWhat the script would look like filled in/completed:Hi Sandra, I noticed youre involved in finance over at IBM. Im job searching and its one of the top companies I was considering applying to.Have you enjoyed the company culture and work environment over there?I always find it better to ask someone in the company, rather than reading reviews online. Anything youre willing to share would be great!Cheers,BironYou can adapt this and make it fit your tone and personality, but that should give you the general idea of how to start networking to find a job.And this will actually do better than directly asking for a big favor upfront. In fact, that will get you ignored almost every time.After this, thank them and ask a follow-up question.Keep the conversation going, and eventually youll have a new friend, and they may offer to introduce you to the hiring manager for their group (or you can ask very casually if not, but do not ask on the first day you talk).4. Improve Your Interview SkillsYour resume has one mission: to get you the interview.Once youre in the interview, it comes down to your interview skills.So if you got a few interviews (even phone interviews), but they didnt turn into job offers, its a sign your interviews are going badly.As a former Executive Recruiter, I am 100% sure of this.So here are some interview resources to help you build up this ski ll. It will pay off now and in every job search, so Id encourage you to take a week and just focus on this. Think of it as an investment in your future.Job interview question and answer examplesTips and strategies for giving the best answer possible to any questionInterview preparation checklist to make sure youre ready5. Consider Part-Time or Temporary WorkIf youre thinking of giving up your job search, consider taking a part-time job or a temporary position while you continue to look for full-time work.Its usually easier to find a job when you have a job (because of your mental state/confidence, and because employers are more attracted to someone whos currently working).And this will also take some of the financial pressure off.When employers see that youre working part-time, theyll know youre motivated and committed to keeping your skills current, and theyll be more likely to hire you.If youre wondering whether its time to give up your job search but havent considered this option , its worth thinking about. Its a lot better than giving up completely.Try All 5 Steps Above Before Deciding to Quit or Give Up Your Job SearchIf youre nearing the point of thinking whether its time to give up your job search, the tips above can help turn your job search around.Its okay to take a break, but dont quit. And when youre ready to keep trying, make big changes and use the tips above to get better results from your job applications and interviews.