What is the Best Way to Find a Job?

I am currently in what could be considered a waist or neck deep ocean of a job search, in which there are sometimes a couple opportunities that come in waves to possibly bring me to the shore of having a plan for after graduation. Now this metaphor may or may not work, but I definitely feel the water rising a little bit as graduation is drawing near.

Although, I am not having a ton of success at this moment on finding a job, I thought I could share what I am doing to look for and find a job.

I am a marketing major and am currently looking to stay in the area where I went to school. There are some jobs , but the market for them is not completely saturated and a lot of places already have people in mind when they even go to post the job. So when you see something you have to go for it!

These are the current things I am doing to find a job…

Looking on LinkedIn, Google Jobs, Indeed, etc.

This may be the most obvious way to look for a job, at least to anyone searching for one or posting one in this current day and age. I spend a good two hours everyday scanning through new job postings and applying to something relevant to me that I may be interested in. Now I for sure apply to anything that I have the qualifications for, but I also apply to something even if I don’t meet one or two of their qualifications, or if I can work on a couple of the qualifications I am missing before I am possibly contacted for an interview.

I take any meeting with any network connection

I will meet with any successful business person, in any area of business and ask them questions, ask for advice, or ask for so called “set-ups” for meetings with their connections. Although it might not always lead to a job, it does lead to a stronger network, more people in your corner, and more opportunities for jobs when they do come up.

Also when you go to these meetings, one have a resume and two take LOTS of notes. I can’t emphasize this enough.

Secondly, this is one way LinkedIn is very important. You may have 200+ connections but do they actually know you, will they help you find a job, will they go to bat for you? There is no harm in reaching out in a polite and concise way to see if they can meet up for coffee or something so that you can ask them for advice and wisdom for the real world. This is even more important to do the geographical locations that you are wanting to work in.

I am continuously learning, especially in my free time

What are you doing in your free time? Is it helpful to your job search or are you just sitting around watching Netflix or Disney+ and just clicking to the next episode. I think that in the last month I have maybe watched max 20 hours of TV and most of that was with other people. Now I am not saying this to tell you not to watch TV, but are you utilizing your time well?

Currently, instead of spending hours mindlessly doing nothing really, I take online classes for certifications, I practice writing, I read a book, or I do something to engage my brain. I am currently paying for Premium on LinkedIn so that I can have access to their learning feature where I can take tons of classes, gain skills for jobs I want, and gain certifications that I can put on my resume to stand out.

I also try to read about one book a week, now that isn’t possible for everyone, but just reading in general can increase your vocabulary , help you gain new perspectives, and give you new things to talk about in interviews and those meetings with connections. Also if you read books within your area of study those can come in handy for interviews as well to better know the techniques up and coming in your areas. I am currently reading “Story Brand” by Donald Miller.

Also try and stay up to date on relevant information affecting the highest level of executive in your area of study, and just on general business news in general. For me, since I am studying marketing I try and read the CMO section of the Wall Street Journal everyday.

The main point of this is that your most relevant knowledge, might not come from school work.

**To add on to that experience is everything and make sure even if your experience isn’t directly related to the position you want make sure to give the right details, the right story and information for your audience on your resume. Always be looking to add something new to help you stand out, and show off experiences that speak to your soft skills too.

I am going old school

Lastly, the main category of things I am doing is going old school. Some of you are probably asking what that means. It means that I am sending personalized cover letters and resumes to all the places that I want to work, and I am mailing the paper copies through the actual US Postal Service. Maybe I am a grandma, but someone can delete my email in a second versus they will open an envelope that is hand addressed to them.

A couple of other thoughts with this idea…1) Try and find an actual physical person to address your letter to, whether that be the head of HR or the head of the department that you would want to work in. 2) Handwrite their name and sign your actual signature on the cover letter, this adds a personal touch. 3) I usually send my expanded resume to these contacts to show them all of my experiences, and because they might be more invested in the fact that I took the time to right them a persona letter. 4) Make the letter personal, let it include details of how you would relate to their company or how the projects that their company does stand out to you.

Another way I also go very old school is with Thank you’s. I do always send an email thank you after most things, because snail mail is slow. But, anyone can send an email in a minute and copy and paste a Thank You. So, I usually always send a physical Thank You after an interview or meeting, depending on who it is with. It shows that you took the time to show them that their time mattered to you. This has sometimes even gotten me a second in-person interview after I got cut after the first round.

 

Now these aren’t all the things I am currently doing to find a job, but these are a lot of the main ones. I encourage you to try a couple of these out if you are currently looking for a job, and I am hoping to post more around this topic soon! But, even in all these things is the fact that I am still searching mean that there is still a better way to get a job?

Good Luck Job Hunting!

 

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