This is going to sound counter intuitive. The best way to land a job quicker is to stop looking for a job. I know right. Sounds crazy. The logic behind this madness is that while you are so focused on searching for the perfect role, your eyes are blind to hundreds of other opportunities. Through self-imposed roadblocks you are passing by opportunities to strengthen your network, increase your visibility and present yourself as a problem solver – rather than a problem looking for a solution – and slowing down your job search success.. It’s like waiting for a bus, the minute you stop looking 3 come along at ones.
Change the way you think about the job hunting process. An interview is no longer the result of a hiring manager reading your resume and calling you. For proactive job seekers any conversation with an industry expert about their profession, experience and knowledge is an ‘interview’. Whether a simple exchange or an in-depth conversation, these ‘interviews’ are a fantastic way to gather and share information and here’s some of the key points to concentrate on:
Information on your desired profession:
Proactive jobseekers looking to land a job faster gather current information on trends in your profession? This includes insight into specific skills, training or education employers are looking for, a realistic wage and any variations geographically, for example if demand for your role in a particular city is higher than others. Adzuna is a great source for this type of information using our real-time job market stats.
The inside scoop on your industry
Who are the key players and how has this changed or is predicted to change. Has there been a growth in employment or a flurry of redundancies? What is driving change in the industry, is it globalisation, technology, sustainability, or more?
Information on your dream employer
To land a job faster you need to know everything you can about your dream employer, their products or services, competitors, strengths, weaknesses, struggles, challenges, expertise and more. What is it like to work there and the type of people that fits well with their culture. How is their company structured and could you see yourself in it. What is the expected salary and how do they conduct their hiring process.
Information on your to market yourself
The key to landing a job faster is to accurately market yourself, what you can offer and why they would be mad not to hire you. You need to gather information on what you want from a rewarding career. Is it just a job you are looking for? Unlikely. You want the whole dream career that satisfies your personal interests, abilities, and values.
The more information you gather via these ‘interview conversations’ the wider you spread your seeds of opportunity. Stop waiting for interviews and find people to you can talk to. More often than not, the dream job was never really an ‘opening’ advertised to everyone. They materialise because of proactive jobseekers gathering the right information and creating their dream job.