9 Job Search Experiences I have gathered over the years

I gained tremendous job search experiences in my entire career, because I have never been satisfied with the jobs i get. I always strive for a better one.

Searching for a job is really is really an experience and I would love to share my experience with you.

Here are 10 important job search experiences I have gained and can help you also:

1.) Searching for a job needs to be a focused and daily task.

If you are sitting at work saying “Man, I hate this place” and you truly know that you should be working elsewhere, you need to make finding a job a top priority.…job hunt into a job in and of itself.”

Here’s the job search experiences I wanna share with you: You have NO idea what a company really wants when they see an application. You know what the job posting said and you know you tailored your cover letter to the qualifications listed, but you really don’t know what they want to see.

This means you need to get as many listings as possible as well as getting in touch with as many recruiters as possible and asking if there are positions open.

2.) Internet job search works but be careful:

Realize that no employer will bother going through that many applications by hand to find an applicant. The ones that do use it tend to employ a program that filters cover letters and resumes looking for very specific skills and educational backgrounds. My recommendation is to avoid them altogether, as your time can be better spent targeting more realistic postings/companies.

3.) The single MOST IMPORTANT job search experiences is getting a contact at a company.

I cannot stress this enough. Your odds of being interviewed go up tremendously if you have the name/address/phone number of the recruiter in charge of bringing in interviewees. Keep a personal Rolodex with business cards you’ve accumulated at these events and you’ll have a plethora of contacts at your fingertips.

4.) Work on your cover letter!

Read through a bunch of sample cover letters online, write and rewrite your “shell,” and then tailor that shell to each specific posting. Never, ever send a resume without a cover letter. Try and make sure the letter doesn’t sound too “canned,” but keep it professional.

Also, have someone help you construct your resume. Make sure it is someone that is familiar with what you do/have done at your current/former job(s). Then, if possible, have an experienced resume writer look it over.

5.) If you don’t hear from a company after submitting your cover letter and resume within a week or so you can write them to follow up.

In my experience this almost never helps and at this point the company can be “written off mentally.” Just move on to the next company.

If you hear back from someone asking you in for an interview try and schedule the interview as soon to the date of contact as possible. You’d be surprised how often a company will interview someone they get enamored with and then essentially write off (unfairly) all of the interviewees that follow. You want to have the best chance at getting the job. It also shows you are interested.

6.) Research the company you target.

Read as much as you can about the company’s background. Check finance sites if it is a publicly traded firm and read the “News” section. Did this company recently merge with another firm? Are they developing some new drug that is soon to hit the market? Being armed with this sort of knowledge isKEY.

One interviewer told me “did someone give you a cheat sheet on our company? You know more about it than I do! That’s impressive.” The “tell me what you know about ABC Company” is one of the most common interview questions, I think, and being able to knock it out of the park is a surefire way to be remembered, it's a valuable job search experiences that you will revered.

Remember: If an interviewer can save five or ten minutes by not having to go over the basic background of what a firm does (because you did your homework), he or she can spend five to ten more minutes talking about the position and about how well you’d fit that position.

7.) Read sample answers to commonly asked interview questions.

I’d say 90% of interview questions are the same no matter where you go. Get those down cold and you’ll have a much better chance at acing the interview. You want solid, rehearsed answers. Practicing with someone will help smooth the rehearsed “sound” of your answers and they will seem natural to the interviewer.

8.) After the interview, follow up with an email to everyone you interviewed with and with the recruiter that got you the interview (if applicable). The email should thank them for their time, reiterate some of your positive attributes that were mentioned during the interview, and reiterate your desire for the position.

9.) Write things off mentally.

You need to have a short memory when it comes to interviewing, especially if you were turned down by a firm. Few things hurt more than rejection, but being able to put it behind you as quickly as possible is critical.

It’s not easy and it will never just “shrug off” right away, but if one job, including that job you were sure was in the bag, is lost you need to keep the process moving. All dwelling will do is hurt your future chances.

I hope this job search experiences helps someone in the future!

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