Do you wake up every morning dreading going into work? Do you dislike your boss, argue with your coworkers, and regret ever applying for your job? If, like many other workers in the world, you answer these questions with a hard “yes”, then a change may be in order.
Contrary to popular belief, working isn’t supposed to be so hard. In fact, if you find a career you love, it should and can be both fun and rewarding. The only issue is that, in today’s job climate, securing any position can be difficult. With that in mind, here are seven tips to help you land your dream job.
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Put Yourself Out There
Knowing the right people can be a major benefit when it comes to landing a job. It’s one of the best ways to learn about specific companies, as well as get your foot in the door. Because of this, it’s crucial that you put yourself out there at industry events and conferences, as well as online. Networking can definitely be awkward at first, but as long as you’re honest and friendly, you should have no trouble. It also helps to bring a friend or other connection along for support.
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Earn The Necessary Credentials
No new employee walks into a new job knowing everything they must to fulfill their role. However, the best ones do possess the skills and experience they need to help them along the way. You must ensure that you have the right credentials or higher, if possible. If the job requirements ask for a bachelor’s in nursing, for example, then you should take an online MSN in Leadership from Baylor University. This will help you to stand out among the many other competing applicants.
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Work On Your Resume
There’s no point in improving your hiring prospects if you’re going to apply for positions using the same resume you have done for years. This document is the first opportunity that you have to impress your potential future employers, so you must make sure that it shows you off as much as possible. Include details of any relevant skills, experience, and qualifications and remember to proofread your resume before you send it. You can get someone you trust to look over it too.
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Apply Directly To Companies
Online job boards and employment sites can make a job hunt a lot easier by providing details on open positions and hiring companies right away. Many of them also allow you to apply for positions too. The only issue with this is that, because the process is so quick and simple, many people apply for jobs this way, making it incredibly likely that you’ll get lost among the crowd. To prevent this from happening, you should get in touch with hiring managers and apply directly.
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Build An Online Presence
Although it doesn’t happen every time, almost all interviewers look up candidates online before their interview. For this reason, you must take proactive steps to ensure that your online presence shows you in a professional and overall positive light. You social media activity will be taken as an indication of the type of employee you will be, so you should keep all public profiles clean, and ensure that those for personal use, like your Facebook profile, are kept private.
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Prepare For The Interview
A job interview is a stressful and exhausting experience but is one that, unfortunately, won’t be going away any time soon. Because of this, it’s crucial that you properly prepare for yours. Since your interviewer is going to be looking you up, you should do the same to them. You should also look further into the company to ensure that you dress the right way and ask the right questions. Always aim to arrive early, but, if you think you may be late, then always give the office a call. If you’re trying to find a tech job in San Francisco, but lives a bit far from the company you’re eyeing on, make sure to give extra allowance on your travel time to avoid coming late for your interview. Remember that first impressions last.
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Remember To Follow Up
Your interviewer will have conducted many interviews over a short period of time, so anything that you can do to stick in their minds is beneficial. Sending a thank-you note a day or two after your meeting is an effective way to do this. It also helps to reiterate why you are applying for the position available and the value that you would bring to the company and role. Any evidence that you have to back this up, like a portfolio or proof of qualifications, can all help to seal the deal.
Finding a job you love is difficult, but landing one is even harder. That being said, with the tips above, you will be in with a much better chance.
