Spend time wisely to manage a successful job search
The job-search process can be tedious and time-consuming, and that means organizing your search is important. Knowing how to maximize your time and focusing your efforts where you have the best chance to succeed are paramount. The time you spend researching each day should provide exposure to the largest amount of fresh opportunities available in the marketplace.
It’s very helpful to know something about the job listings in your area. Publishing cycles of job-listing sources vary. Print publications update their listings according to their publishing cycle. For instance, daily newspapers add and delete job ads daily, while weekly employment guides would do so only once a week. The job-posting service on your newspaper’s website may update in “real time,” meaning that at any moment, someone may add to or subtract from the job announcements.
Pay attention to the updating practices of your employment-listing resources. If you’re on a serious search and you need a job right away, the frequency of your research habits require you to check for new listings on a regular basis. It’s to your advantage to follow the motto, “The sooner I get my well-written resume to a potential employer who has a job opening I’m qualified for, the better.”
Time well spent is very important to you. The best time period to make phone calls, drop off resumes, attend interviews and follow up on potential job opportunities is usually from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To that end, you should search the help-wanted ads either before or after regular business hours. Early in the morning and in the evening are also the best times to brush up your resume.
Circling ads in a print publication, searching online sites and reaching out to contacts such as family members, friends and acquaintances are all ways to help you land the right job.
Don’t be confused by a large selection of opportunities; you’re only interested in a select few. Eliminate the job categories and positions that aren’t a good fit for you. Identify and match the jobs that best fit your interests and skill sets. Be smart with your time, and utilize your job-ad selection process wisely.
— Gary Moore is the president of Insight Edge. He has more than 30 years of business experience and specializes in the Personality Priority hiring process, sales and leadership training. Visit Moore’s website, www.insightedge.com, or send email to garymoore@insightedge.com.