Best practices for finding a new job change rapidly. However, the advice about hunting for a job seems to be the same dated suggestions you’ve heard for years. If you are considering exploring new opportunities, learn the latest trends for a successful job hunt and avoid these outdated tips:
A great resume (alone) equals a great job.
Your resume has to be clear, thorough and concise, but it is only a small part of your overall job search strategy. You need to utilize other job-hunting techniques like networking, using a recruiter, and creating a LinkedIn account – that you actually fill out.
Related Content: How to Write an Effective Resume for Manufacturing Jobs
Skip Networking, it’s too awkward.
Networking has a bad rep, but it can be much more natural than forced meetings and cold calls. Maintaining a network of people you admire professionally is much easier and more laid-back now with LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Tapping into a job recruiter can also help you build a network more easily.
Don’t even look at a position not in your primary education field.
Experience can be as valuable as education on your resume and hobbies or passions will keep you satisfied in your work. For example, experience in free form welding may be valuable in metal forming work because of the knowledge you gained in the position. If you find a job outside of your primary education field, it doesn’t hurt to apply – if your skills aren’t applicable to the position, an employer won’t reach out, but if you never apply you’ll never have the chance.
Send out as many applications as you can, you’re bound to find something.
Often considered resume spamming, generic applications or resumes are often moved immediately to the no pile by recruiters or hiring managers. It is better to use your time crafting a personalized message for a position or company you are actually interested in. Take time to reach out to the hiring manager or do some research on their website to better understand not only the role, but the culture and environment you might be working in.
Make sure to end your resume with a call to action.
Saying you’ll call at a specific day or time reads more like overconfidence or aggression than confidence. Signaling that you will be aggressive in the workplace isn’t a great first impression. Instead, allow companies to reach out to you or follow-up with an unscheduled email or phone call.
Hard skills are the most important.
It is as important to have a degree or certificate as it is to be able to effectively lead a team or show you care about the work you are doing. Many companies need employees that can demonstrate people skills, not just execute tasks. Your hard skills, the can you do the work or not skills, are typically what get you in the door, but the interview process is often looking for those soft skills that are much harder to uncover in just a resume.
Don’t submit your resume for a job that isn’t posted yet.
This is where your networking will pay off! If you hear about a great position that will be posted soon, go for it. You may get the opportunity to make a great impression ahead of the line. It’s also not a bad idea to share your resume or interest in working for a specific company even if they have no current openings. Working to maintain that relationship could pay off in the long run.
Fill your resume with the all the latest buzzwords.
This usually shows you don’t know as much as you say. Phrases like “thinks outside the box” don’t have any direct correlation to work performance. Instead include specifics of your accomplishments that are more meaningful than buzzwords, with not only the what of your work but the results of your involvement. Think of including things like “Increased production by X% by improving Y process”.
Related Content: What NOT to Do on a Job Application
Just take the job with the highest pay.
Studies consistently show that job satisfaction is more important than wage. While of course pay is important, you shouldn’t undervalue your work either, the company you are working for, the people you will be working with, and the long-term growth potential offered by the role are all very important factors to consider.
Job recruiters are a dime a dozen.
Use a recruiter that specializes in your area so you know that they understand not just the industry, but also the parameters and requirements of those positions. Strom Minnesota does just that, focusing on manufacturing, technical and engineering careers.
Want more job-searching tips? Working with an experienced engineering recruiter like Strom Minnesota can help you prepare for any job interview and take the hard work out of finding positions. Don’t waste your time scouring the internet for job postings or waste time applying with multiple individual employers. Strom Minnesota takes all the hard work out of the job search, so you can find a new position faster.
Strom Minnesota is an engineering and technical recruitment agency that specializes in high-skilled job candidates for highly technical positions. We facilitate contract employment, project staffing, temp-to-perm and direct hire opportunities. Industries served include IT, engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing. We are affiliated with Strom Engineering, a national staffing and recruitment agency.
