If you’re hoping to find your dream job quickly, you need to be prepared.
If you jump into your job search without doing a bit of preparation, you risk wasting a lot of time. Searching, applying, researching companies, and tailoring CVs takes a lot longer if you’re going in without having thought about each step of the process first.
Finding a good job is rarely easy – be prepared to treat the search like any other nine to five. This means scheduling breaks, putting Netflix on the backburner and staying off the mid-week booze. As they say, the harder you work, the luckier you become.
Write a detailed list of everything you want in a job: a title (and variants, to assist you when you start your searches later), ideal salary, preferred location/s and the types of employer benefits you’re looking for. This will guide your job search and help you compare opportunities.
Make one for your resume and cover letter, so you can be as time efficient as possible. You’ll find your applications use much of the same wording, so do your best to nut of your general phrasing and formatting first.
Just remember to adjust your applications for each role later on. And this doesn’t just mean changing the company name and job title!
Start listing all your key industry contacts in a spreadsheet. Note their name, business and contact details. This will ensure you’re organised when you start targeting these people later. Then, take a look at all the employers in the industry and make note of their key contacts too.
We’ve written a lot about personal branding at Scout, and for good reason. It’s just that important.
As advised here, make sure that all information on you, both online and offline, is consistent; that you have removed any unflattering social media content; and that you have utilised all applicable communication channels.
Every week we send out the latest job opportunities, and we’re always posting articles to increase your chances of landing that dream job.
Photography: Graham Alderton
