Are you tired of your same old boring job? Are you the person who anxiously waits for the weekend just to get a break from your daily job? Do you go to your job every day with zero motivation or interest?
If you’re any one of the above, this blog is for you! Having a job that you like is very important. It boosts your productivity, creativity, and generally makes you happy. Most of the people around us forcefully do their jobs just to earn bread. And you might think to yourself, that isn’t earning money the main goal? Well yeah, sort of but No! Why not do both?
In this blog post, we go over some of the tips and tricks to help you get out of your comfort zone, realize your true potential, and land a better job that you actually enjoy. We believe that everyone has the potential to achieve their goals, but we all need a little push. So go through our well-thought steps for the next few minutes and change your life!
Step 1: Assess Your Skills and Expertise
In the process of finding a new job, the first step is to evaluate your skills and competencies. By evaluating your expertise, you can match your skills with the job descriptions of positions that are more suitable for your current skills and for the expansion of those skills. Experience also matters a lot in this because most job descriptions have a strong demand for the experience.
Once you assess your skills and experience you can determine how your current qualifications and abilities align with your desired job role. The skills, education, and other qualifications needed for a job can be learned or improved to qualify for that job. To make yourself a stronger candidate you can take online courses to earn a certificate or go back to college to earn the degree that is needed for a specific job role. These days it has become very easy to learn various skills through online courses. Many platforms offer these online courses and certifications for example Udemy, Coursera, and Udacity.
Step 2: Build a Concise but Smart Resume
The second and most important step is building or updating your resume with respect to the job role you are aiming for. You can start by creating a nonspecific resume listing your summary, work experience, education, skills, and certifications. If your previous resume already has relevant skills and experience listed, add your most recent job role and the skills you’ve obtained since you last updated it. You can mention how you have added value to your position and achievements.
After making a resume, look at the job descriptions that you are interested in and find keywords used throughout the document. For example, if the job description states proficiency in Microsoft Excel, add this in your resume, mention it in your skills section, and explain how you used Microsoft Excel in your former job roles. Explain how a certain skill set allowed you to achieve goals within your previous job role.
Step 3: Make a Portfolio of Your Work
Any piece of your work that demonstrates your skills and accomplishments should go into your portfolio. Portfolios are a great way to demonstrate your skills and capabilities you would list on a resume or talk about in an interview. By creating a portfolio, you not only stand out from other candidates because most people don’t put in the effort to make a portfolio but also portfolios give you the opportunity to show and not just tell. During a job search, the portfolio showcases your skills and abilities to potential employers. It shows evidence of your relevant competencies.
Step 4: Update Your LinkedIn Profile and Social Media Presence
Nowadays people are mostly finding jobs on LinkedIn. Most employers use LinkedIn during the recruitment process, especially while examining candidates. Your LinkedIn profile should be aligned with your current resume, along with links to projects, videos, and other content you have worked on.
A professional LinkedIn profile photo also helps recruiters put a face to the name, while a list of accomplishments using keywords can enhance your credibility. Moreover, posting on LinkedIn can get you noticed by potential employers if you regularly share pictures and summaries of the projects you have worked on or articles demonstrating your industrial skills.
Furthermore, your social media presence should demonstrate the kind of person you are. It should convince the employer that you will be a strong asset to the company and a good team player.
Step 5: Think About Your Ideal Job role
To find your ideal job, you need to list out the possible things that you are looking for in your next job role. It could be that you want to look for an executive position now or it could be that you are looking for the same job role but with the opportunity of learning new skills that will help you in your career growth. By listing out these things you will have a clear idea of what to look for while searching for a specific job role.
Step 6: Think About Your Dream Company
After deciding on your ideal job role, you need to evaluate the type of company you want to be a part of which aligns with your values. It is important that you notice the things that you enjoy at your current company and the kind of work environment that you want to have and then based on that you should search for companies that you would most likely be able to become a part of. Search for companies with attributes that interest you like team-building opportunities, a strong culture, or outstanding benefits.
Step 7: Search for Potential Industries and Job Roles
Once you have a strong idea of what you want in an organization and the kind of job role you are looking for you need to start researching for companies with these ideal traits and look for open positions.
Keep track of the jobs that stand out to you most and send your resume to them. Habitually search for new jobs several times throughout the week to have a better chance of getting selected for your desired job role.
When you find a job role you like and want to know the kind of work environment that a specific organization has, this can be done by reading reviews from previous employees.
Step 8: Write a Customized Cover Letter
A customized cover letter leaves a good impression on the potential employer. This does not mean you have to write an entirely new cover letter for each job application. However, each cover letter you submit should exude your enthusiasm for the specific job you’re applying for. You can create a simple and general cover letter template for each type of job, and then tailor it according to the jobs you will apply to.
For example, if you are applying to two types of jobs in two different organizations, you can create two separate cover letter templates. In each template, list out specific competencies and experiences relevant to each job type. Then customize your cover letter for the desired job and show your interest in that company by talking about something good they are known for, for example, work culture.
Step 9: Prepare Well for Your Job Interview
Job Interview is the most important part of the recruitment process. It is always a good practice to prepare well for a job interview. List potential questions that they may ask you or research common interview questions or questions specific to your role so that you can practice them before going for an interview.
Once you have an idea of the questions they may ask, you can practice answering them but make sure your questions still sound natural in the interview and not rehearsed. Be confident, and professional, and show proper etiquette during the interview.
Interviews are not only conducted for employers to ask questions, but it is also a good way for you to get more knowledge regarding your job role as well as the organization itself. You can also ask about the organization’s culture, values, and environment during an interview.
Step 10: Close the Deal and Leave Your Former Company on A Good Note
After getting selected for a job position, it’s time to negotiate your salary and benefits. Once the employer or human resources employee offers you the job and asks for your expected salary, provide them with a well-researched number by conducting a short market survey or figuring out the range for that opening. If you believe the offer, they provide you doesn’t satisfy you, professionally negotiate higher pay with them.
These days, it is culturally acceptable and expected that employees will negotiate their salary. When you both reach a salary agreement you’re satisfied with, show your gratitude by thanking the employer for the opportunity.
Determine what date you will start. Request to start in two weeks or a month to give your current workplace plenty of time to handle your upcoming departure. Leave your company on good terms and maintain strong connections with people at the company because this allows you to use them as references in the future. Make sure when you break the news of your departure, you remain professional throughout the conversation and express gratitude for the role and opportunity.
