If you have been looking for a job and have had minimal desired results, September might be different for you. Make more applications and increase the cold emails or messages you send on LinkedIn. You are probably wondering, "Why now? Why September?" We are in the last quarter of the year. Many companies are rushing to utilize what is left in their budget before it resets in January. Some are under pressure to fill various roles before they break for the December holidays. Others want to take advantage of the new talent entering the job market after graduating. Whatever the case, companies are hiring more aggressively this month, and this is your chance to finally get a job. Read more to learn more about how you can take advantage of this opportunity.
Ensure Your LinkedIn Is Optimized
Recruiters often search LinkedIn to find talent that aligns with their needs and requirements. If you have a LinkedIn that only has basic information, you will definitely miss this opportunity. Start by defining your job hunting goals clearly to optimize your LinkedIn profile. Think of the exact role you want to apply for and identify your top five target companies. Afterwards, conduct thorough research about the skills and experience needed for that particular role in those five companies. Once you are done, edit your LinkedIn profile to showcase your skills and experience based on your research findings.
Imagine you have been invited for an interview. During the interview, you need to show the interviewer why they should hire you. Your LinkedIn profile should be able to answer this question to the best of your ability. This increases the chances of recruiters noticing you and inviting you for an interview directly. Consequently, it will significantly reduce your job application workload and make job hunting easier.
Explore Other People's Profiles On LinkedIn
Exploring LinkedIn profiles of people working for your ideal company in a role you want to apply for can be very beneficial. This exploration will offer insight into their education level, any certifications they have, years of experience, and skills. Think of it as a "cheat code". Once you have this information, you can assess your own profile, identify strengths that you can capitalize on when applying for your ideal job, and gaps that you might need to fill before applying. As beneficial as it is, this is an untapped area that most job seekers ignore when job hunting.
Proofread Your CV and Cover Letter For Mistakes
Let us be real. Job hunting can be exhausting and demoralizing when you keep applying for jobs, but never get invited for interviews. Consequently, many job seekers prefer to create one CV and cover letter that they just edit each time they make a new job application. Is this strategy ideal? No. But does it work? For some, yes.
A common mistake that most people make is making the new edits, quickly saving the document, and sending it without proofreading and checking that all the information they provide aligns with the new job position they are applying for. For instance, they might miss indicating a title that aligns with the latest job. If they had applied for a customer support agent role, they might retain that while editing their CV for a customer service agent position. As you can see, this is a minor mistake that can have dire consequences. If the company is using an ATS tool, it may filter out your CV, which will negatively affect your chances of getting the job.
Set SMART goals
Even when job hunting, you need to set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals. When you set SMART goals, you will have a clear direction in your job hunting. This will help you avoid wasting too much time applying for jobs that you probably do not qualify for. The job market is quite competitive. Applying for jobs that you qualify for will increase your chances of getting invited for an interview. Now, this does not mean you should limit yourself. It just depends on your goals and personality. If you get demotivated easily, it may not be ideal for you to apply to every job you come across. Getting too many rejections or zero interview invitations may make the job hunting process quite emotionally draining for you.
Conclusion
Job hunting does not have to be an exhausting process. You just need the right information to help you set yourself up for success. You should avoid mistakes at all costs, as they may have dire repercussions. These four tips are crucial, especially in September when many companies are actively hiring. Explore the following article if you want to advance your CV and cover letter writing: https://jobnestkenya.co.ke/how-to-leverage-ai-in-your-job-search/
