Today’s Job Search Process

Almost everyone will do a job search at some point in the career. The reasons to change jobs are many, ranging from dissatisfaction to the need for a new challenge to the desire to make more money. Whatever the reason, the process of looking for a job is very similar. Most people focus on advertised jobs, but unfortunately that accounts for only 20% of jobs that exist. Every advertised job is flooded with applications, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, so the odds are not in your favor. Today most jobs are found through working your professional network.

You build your professional network from people you know from work, school, social functions, etc. It is important to include friends and neighbors on this list because you never know who they know. That is the real power of your network – getting discovered by people who don’t already know you. LinkedIn is the social network for professionals and it has become a critical piece of every job search effort just in the last five years. Today more people find jobs on LinkedIn than any other source. It works equally well for job seekers (e.g., research companies, identify key hiring managers, etc.) and hiring companies. The key is to grow your network to include between 250 and 500 people, increasing your chances of being found. After that, it’s important to have a great profile that shows up when people search for your skill set. On LinkedIn you can find employers and they can find you. It works for everyone in accelerating the job search process.

The job market today has rebounded from the recession of 2008, but it is a different market than it was before. There are jobs, but there are generally fewer opportunities for promotion and raises, and bonuses are harder to come by. In many cases, the best opportunity to get a higher salary is to switch jobs within your industry. If you are considering or in the middle of a job search please contact us at info@careersolutionsgroup.net. We offer free initial consultations that will help you understand the job search process in greater detail.

By: Bryan Dennis, Career Solutions Group

Reference: Joyce, Susan P. “The Five New Rules for Landing a Job in Today’s Market.” The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-p-joyce/job-search-tips_b_4777598.html