Sometimes the best place to start is getting back to the basics. It can be tempting to dive right into the job search and apply for every job remotely connected to your skill set but it’s important to pause and take a moment to assess what you want from a job. Here are 5 checklist items to help you get a great job for you.
1. Develop the job description for the job you want:
Take some time when you begin your job search to discover what exactly you’d like to be doing. Which technologies do you want to use and how do you want to use them? A great way to do this is to look at previous jobs and pinpoint what you liked and didn’t like about each of these jobs. This will give you a starting point to understand where your passions are in your industry.
2. Determine your ideal company culture:
The culture of a company affects how much you like a job more than you might think. Discover if you are a person who wants a structured organization or if you are more interested in a job that has flex time and unique work spaces. This can also be a time to consider which incentives are important to you from your workplace. Save yourself some trouble by figuring out what kind of work culture you fit into best. Use what you’ve learned about yourself to craft questions to ask in your interview.
3. Compile your Certifications and skills:
Do you have specific IT Certifications? What skills have you developed over the years? Compile a list, separate from your resume, of your certifications and skills. Use this list to reduce the amount of content in your resume to what is relevant. This will free up space to show how your skills and experience make you a great candidate for the job. Have you noticed your ideal jobs are always asking for a certification you don’t have or a skill that needs improvement? Take this opportunity to become certified or master needed skills.
4. Tailor your resume:
You’ve started the process of tailoring your resume with skills and certifications. Take your resume one step further and customize your job summaries as well. Create a few different templates of your resume to save yourself time in your search. With each template, direct your recruiter’s or future employer’s eyes to what you want them to see. Use keywords, remove the fluff that can distract from your true talents, and think about adding information about side projects you’ve worked on that could be applicable to the job at hand.
5. Work your network:
Now that you’ve set yourself up to communicate exactly what you’re looking for and why you could be a good fit for a company, use your network. Share this information with your professional network and they can help connect you to a great fit. One of your connections may already be looking for someone just like you.
The basics may seem a little dull or even unimportant but starting off with the right foundation in your job search can make your search faster and more seamless. Not only will the preparation pay off in the search itself, but having an understanding of what you know and want can help you in the interview and could even propel you to look for jobs to build a great career.
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