Combination of skills should be part of job-search strategy
Q: I have been in an active job search for a couple of weeks and have tried numerous ways to seek employment. I change my resume for different job descriptions, call my network and follow up with leads. I feel as though I am doing all the right things but am still not getting attention from employers. What could I be doing wrong?
A: Job searching at times can feel like you are going nowhere compared to the efforts you spend in going after job openings. It sounds like you are paying attention to changing your resume as needed and that’s a good strategy to highlight your skills mentioned in the job positing.
Continuing your networking activities often helps you discover potential companies you might have overlooked. Keeping in contact with who you know as well as expanding your circle to include new people is a good habit to keep throughout your career.
Networking often takes more time than you might expect but it still reigns as the best way to land job opportunities. The key is to be consistent with networking even when you start a new job.
Following up is also an effective way of keeping your name in front of hiring decision makers or those who are part of the hiring process. On more than one occasion, I have heard recruiters talk about the importance of following up and showing interest for the position.
All of the search activities you mentioned are good ones and you should keep doing them. The most important job-search strategy of all could be one that you might take for granted — your unique combination of skills.
Being able to differentiate yourself will make the rest of your job search activities more memorable and keep you standing out from others who are going after the same jobs. When you define what makes you unique, you instantly set yourself apart from those who share similar skill sets with you.
For example, let’s say you are a distribution manager and you are applying for the same jobs as other managers. Your resume will probably list the same skills however the real key to standing out is defining the results you produce with your unique combination of skills.
Personal branding helps you differentiate your background, accomplishments and contributions by highlighting your consistent value throughout your career. This helps with your applications as well as your resume.