12 Tips to Help You Land that New Job

Ellyn Enisman is the author of “Job Interview Skills 101

If your resolution is to find a job and you want to be the candidate that stands out and gets the job offer, then here are 12 tips to follow.


1. Become An Expert at Interviewing.
Nobody gets a job without going through the interview process. This takes a lot of preparation and planning. It starts with knowing yourself and your experiences and learning how to convey to the interviewer that you have the knowledge, skills, experience, and attributes that make you the best fit for the job. Learn the secrets of acing telephone interviews, panel interviews, decoding a job description to know what questions to expect, learn what questions to ask, learn how to answer “What salary are you looking for? and learn to use the art and skill of storytelling to help the interviewer hire you. The book, "Job Interview Skills 101, the course you forgot to take", provides a method and strategy that can help you succeed in successfully preparing for the interview process. Make the investment in yourself and prepare so that you can beat out the competition.

2. Gear Up To Network.
About 80% of jobs are filled through referrals. When I am recruiting, I always reach out to the people I know to ask if they might know someone who could fill my open positions. Make a list of everyone you know, which includes friends, relatives, former co-workers, managers, classmates, teachers, etc. Include people who have been your advocates and mentors in the past and also the present. Include people you haven’t seen in years so you can get back in touch with them. Create a spreadsheet that includes names, contact info, company where they work, date of contact, how contact was made, what you discussed, outcome of the conversation, and follow up date.

3. Help Your Network Help You.
It’s great to have a long list of people to connect with, but it’s important to know what you want them to help you with and give them the tools they need to help you. Have your resume ready to send to them with a summary of all the attributes and qualifications that you have. Make sure you send it to them in an email so they can forward it to anyone they might know who would be interested in meeting you. Your summary of qualifications and list of attributes allows them to advocate for you. It also makes it easy for them. Even the best of your advocates will be too busy to write something on your behalf. Having it in an email allows them to email others and say, “ I know you are searching for a Public Relations Professional, here is info on someone who I think would be a great fit. Here is a list of their qualifications and their resume.”

4. Work Your Network.
A network is only as good as the contact you make with them. Remember networking isn’t always about asking for something. It’s about learning about your contact and sharing info about yourself. Networking is also about helping your contact or adding value to them. So listen carefully to what your network tells you because it will give you clues on how you can help them. Once you find out, take action. But what if you haven’t spoken to a few people in years or what if you there are people you want to connect with who you have never met? This leads to the next tip.

5. Get Social and Grow Your Network.
If you are not tech savvy, you need to get tech savvy. This includes social media. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, are three of the most important. There are others such as Quora and Google+. Anyone who is looking for a job needs a solid LinkedIn profile. There are tutorials on LinkedIn that can teach you how to do it. Facebook and Twitter have tutorials as well. When I am recruiting, I go to LinkedIn and I search for people using keywords. I have identified qualified candidates for open positions this way. When I look at a resume, the first place I go is to LinkedIn, Face book, and Twitter to see what I can learn about that person. This is before contacting them. That being said if you have these profiles already, ask yourself: “Would I be interested in interviewing me if I saw and read my profile?” That includes photos and postings on your wall. If the answers are maybe or no, then build up your profile to include information about you that a recruiter should know, post only professional photos, and privatize information you only want your close friends to see. Learn about the aspects of these social media sites such as joining groups and discussions on LinkedIn, how to reach out to people you don’t know, how to ask for introductions, tweeting and following on Twitter, and connecting through Facebook. Follow people in your industry on Twitter. Research people on LinkedIn who have the type of job you want and look at their profiles. Does yours measure up? If not make some changes. Make sure your profiles have the keywords that recruiters would search on when looking for someone with the skills of the job that you want. Remember always be truthful about yourself and your experience. Besides tutorials there are tools out there to help. “Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies” by Joshua Waldman is a great source of info.

6. Get Visual.
Get out there on the Internet for all to see. Create an online multimedia resume to give a complete picture of you as a professional. Check out www.visualcv.com. It allows you to add video clips of your work, audio, letters of recommendation, images, awards, writing samples, and qualifications. You can put the link on your resume in your heading, on your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles and in your cover letter.

7. New Year… New You…Look The Part.
First impressions are everything. In fact most employers will make an assessment about you the minute they see you. Revisit your interview wardrobe and make sure your can dress the part. You don’t have to buy expensive clothes to look professional. When you are in a job search be aware of how you look all the time. Although you do not have to wear a suit all of the time, be aware of grooming. You can meet that important contact at the gym, at the supermarket or while at the dental office. Remember, when you look good, you feel good and feel confident.

8. Give Back While Your Searching. While your searching for that new job, help others by giving to your community. Find a local organization that resonates with you. Volunteer and participate. Making others happy can help you feel good about yourself. Job searching can be a daunting experience and there is nothing better to lift your spirits then hearing thank you from someone who needed your help.

9. Go To Industry Conferences.
Going to industry conferences are a great way to keep current on what’s happening in your industry of choice and provide the opportunity to meet contacts in your field. Check the agenda before you go and sign up for classes or sessions of interest. Don’t worry; the people you want to meet will be there. Conferences can be expensive so if you cannot afford the price, call and offer to volunteer to work the conference. Often you can do that without paying the registration fee. It’s a great way to get to know people.

10. Job Boards Are A Small Part.
Job boards can be overwhelming. People always tell me how they apply to so many jobs on the job boards and never get a response. I can tell you from my experience as a recruiter that when I would post a job online, I would get over 100 responses in the first 30 minutes. It is as overwhelming to the recruiter as it is to you. While you need to keep applying, don’t rely on the job boards as your only source for your job search.

11. Call Even When It Says Don’t.
Most online job postings say no calls or don’t give any information on how to reach the recruiter by phone. When recruiting, my online postings always said no calls please. Always, however, several people found me and called me. I would be annoyed that they didn’t follow my request, but if they had something compelling to say about how they fit the position and why they were interested in the company, I would speak to them. If they had what I was looking for, I invited them in for an interview. My advice, plan what you are going to say before you call. Make it short and compelling. Ask for the interview.

12. Don’t Give Up. Be Strategic.
Job-hunting can be exasperating and you may have to accept a lot of rejection. But just remember that your job search is like a funnel. The more you put in the more that comes out. The more quality you put in the more quality comes out. You put in quality by being strategic. Using the tips above is key.

In closing, keep in mind that you need to find your new job because it won't find you!

About the Author

Ellyn Enisman is the author of “Job Interview Skills 101, the course you forgot to take” and has over 27 years of experience in interview coaching, career counseling, corporate recruiting, employer relationship development, human capital management, human resource consulting, job placement, job search strategy coaching, interview skill workshops and more. Ellyn has held senior executive management positions in the staffing, corporate recruiting, and manufacturing industries. She has recruited, interviewed, hired, and has been instrumental in helping new college grads and college students succeed in their job search. Ellyn has coached students from leading colleges and universities, and is the founder of a professional coaching firm with a unique and successful approach to empowering college students and recent college grads to prepare for the job market. Ellyn is a Huffington Post forum contributor and is interviewed regularly on Fox, CNN, Payscale and other leading business and recruiting websites.

For more information go to http://www.jobinterviewskills101.com/, and http://www.collegetocareercoaching.com/