Thank you, Fifth Third Bank for sponsoring this post!
There’s no doubt about it -it’s a tough job market out there. Currently, more than half of all recent college graduates don’t have fulltime jobs. For every job listed, employers received over 200 applications. On top of that, only 2% of applicants actually get an interview*. Those can be discouraging facts for anyone who is in the job market, but do not despair. There is hope! With persistence, a killer professional profile, and some job coaching and mentorship, you can be on your way to landing the job you want. Here are a few essential steps to landing that coveted position.
*Robert Meier, President of Job Market Experts
Network
Networking is a tried and true way of gaining work contacts and getting a leg up on finding a job. It’s always better to have a referral for a job than to apply with no contact. In fact, 50% of jobs aren’t even posted online**, and in that case knowing someone or having a recruiter contact you is the only way to apply. So, always get out and meet people -no matter how introverted you are. It’s vital to your success! Join Facebook groups, reach out to people online, and sign up on sites like meetup.com to find relevant networking events. **Nextjob.com
Know Your Goals
Write down a list of your goals and your ultimate outcome. Even though we often learn as we go, it’s good to have a vision of where you want to be and what type of job you want. Make a list of your ultimate job, followed by plans b and c, so that you can cast a wider net. Most of all, keep your mind open! Life has a way of taking you on an unknown path that actually brings you to exactly where you want to be.
Get The Experience
Obviously having a degree that is relevant to the job you’re applying for is helpful, but having real experience is even better. This is where freelancing and internships come in. Internships help you get the necessary experience to make you viable for a job, while freelancing can help jump start your career. It’s definitely easier to get a freelancing job to gain experience than it is to land a fulltime position. So, even if you have to keep your current job and can’t take an internship, try freelancing on the side to help prepare you for your desired career.
Build Your Professional Image
This includes an excellent error-free resume, a catchy cover letter (if necessary), and a fully developed LinkedIn profile. Also, do not discount the power of social media. HR people heavily scout on LinkedIn, so having a great profile will definitely help your chances of a recruiter finding you. As far as your resume and cover letter, it may sound obvious, but always have someone give both documents a second look to make sure there are no errors. Some people think cover letters are over, but I disagree. When hiring, a short, relevant, personalized cover letter has always caught my attention over just a resume. It’s nice to see that people have actually taken the time to check out StyleFox and know what it’s about before applying.
Hire A Job Coach
Having a mentor or job coach will put you leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. Companies like NextJob help prepare you for success and are proven to help job seekers improve their chances of landing a job. NextJob coaches help job seekers build their social media profiles, polish their resumes and prepare for interviews. They can even help you uncover jobs that aren’t posted online. In fact, according to their data, job seekers are nearly three times more likely to get a job with a NextJob coach than without one.
Luckily, our friends at Fifth Third Bank are giving away one-on-one job coaching from expert coaches at NextJob (worth $1,000 each).
Every week, 80 winners will be matched with a professional NextJob coach to help them get the job they want faster and more effectively than going it alone.
Coaching is all virtual, making it easy to meet on your own terms. It includes:
- Interview prep/coaching
- Help finding the 50% of jobs not listed online
- Personalized resume editing
- Career testing & personality testing to help identify even more opportunities
- Creations of enhanced LinkedIn and Twitter Profiles
- Flexible scheduling
Plus, everyone who enters gets access to NextJob’s proprietary online training toolkit.
Want to win?
Tweet why you deserve free one-on-one job coaching from NextJob. Use #BrandofYou and #53enter. You can enter 1 time per day. Up to 80 winners will be selected per week until July 20.
Fifth Third Bank is also hosting a Twitter event where NextJob coaches will provide real time feedback on resumes and interview question responses. On the Twitter event date, Fifth Third Bank will award up to 50 job coaching opportunities. Event details are here.
- 7/8- TwitterResumes
Thank you, Fifth Third Bank for sponsoring this post!
