Career Search Steps - Land your next job quickly with these practical actions

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Career Search Steps

Land quickly by taking control

© Jason Fry September, 2013

Style: keep it simple and clean

Step 1: Update Your Resume

Content: keep it accurate and concise

Length: two pages generally, up to 4-5 pages for technical positions


Header: Name, city, state, email address, phone number, and personalized LinkedIn URL

Update Your Resume

Unnecessary: street or mailing address, additional phone numbers, frilly fonts


Professional Headline: Use key words to categorize your skills

Note: you can tweak the key words in your headline for each job description

Update Your Resume


Work History: be accurate, but highlight the skills that are relevant to your targeted job

Ten years of work history is the norm, go further if necessary to show additional relevant experience

Update Your Resume

Adapt your resume by restating your accomplishments using the terminology in the targeted job description


Education: be accurate, highlight qualifications that make you a strong candidate

Note: add in-school accomplishments such as GPA, summa cum laude, honor society, etc., only if you graduated recently.

Update Your Resume


Technical Skills SummaryList computer applications, platforms, operating systems, programming languages, etc.

Update Your Resume

Optional Resume Sections:

Useful when applying for technical positions, but be sure you spell out how you used these tools in your work history section.


Education - Special ProjectsFor recent graduates, listing and describing your contribution to research projects highlights experience that could substitute for work history.

Update Your Resume


Several research projects or teaching assistant positions relevant to a targeted position could substitute for one year of work experience.


Associations or Volunteer ActivityThese activities show an ongoing interest in the field, and show that you aren’t just looking for a day job.

Update Your Resume


Choose carefully which associations and which volunteer activities you list, because you want this section to increase your likelihood of getting invited to interview, not shut the door to being hired.

Religious and political affiliations should be kept off the resume unless they are extremely relevant to the job in question; most hiring managers will avoid candidates who seem likely to foment arguments.


96% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates, 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to contact candidates, and 92% use LinkedIn to vet candidates.*

Step 2: Promote Yourself on the Web

65% of recruiters use Facebook to find candidates* 55% of recruiters use Twitter to find candidates* Using social media websites opens doors to new jobs

Not using social media, or appearing to use it poorly, decreases your chances of landing new positions

*source: JobVite Social Recruiting Survey 2013, http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting2013.pdf


Go to www.linkedin.com and create a new account

Promote Yourself on LinkedIn

LinkedIn walks you through a step-by-step process so that you can complete your profile

Use your resume as a starting point for entering all of your past positions and education

Send connection requests to anyone you’ve ever met, with a personalized message:

“Cynthia, it was great to meet you at the Project Management Institute networking event on Tuesday. Let’s connect on LinkedIn and keep in touch. Regards, Joe Applicant”

Personalize your LinkedIn URL and put it everywhere: your business cards, resume, etc.


Take it offline: watch for networking events being promoted by your contacts or in your groups, and go meet people in person

Promote Yourself on LinkedIn

Join LinkedIn Groups that are relevant to your professional objectives

Contribute to discussions in groups and in your newsfeed

Share interesting news articles or your own content in groups and on your own profile


Promote Yourself on Facebook

Go to www.facebook.com and sign up for an account if you haven’t already

Ensure your photographs and profile present an image consistent with your career aspirations

Share an article on career transition once or twice a week to remind your contacts that you’re still searching

Facebook is meant for personal connections, but recruiters and hiring managers still may be able to see what you share, so play it safe

Only say things that add to, rather than detract from, your professional image


Promote Yourself on Twitter

Go to www.twitter.com and sign up for an account if you haven’t already

Choose a profile picture that looks like you and describe yourself briefly but professionally

Choose a “handle” (Twitter username) that people can find easily and that is consistent with your professional image

Include your LinkedIn profile URL on your Twitter profile


Promote Yourself on Twitter

Search for people you find interesting, including celebrities, academics, authors, activists, and people you know, and “follow” them

Multitask with Twitter – login on your phone while you’re watching TV, in a waiting room, etc.

Look through the list of people that your influencers follow, and follow anyone new who looks interesting

“Retweet” what others say if it is of interest to your growing audience, and “tweet” fresh content that you find elsewhere or make yourself, e.g., pictures and news articles

“Hashtags” are searchable terms; use them to find job postings or topic-centered discussions, e.g., #jobs, #java, #stl, #scifi


Promote Yourself on the Web

Going furtherBe interesting: pinterest.comBe an expert: blogspot.com or wordpress.comBe useful: github.comBe present: foursquare.com or yelp.comBe flashy: instagram.com or flickr.comBe helpful: yelp.com, answers.com, ask.com, or answers.yahoo.comBe resourceful: wikipedia.orgBe entrepreneurial: etsy.com, cafepress.com


In 2012, 5% of newly hired people landed by applying online only

Step 3: Network, network, network!

The other 95% of people who found jobs in 2012 had to know somebody


Knowing people has always been the best way to find a new job, but now you’re in the race against 50-100 other applicants for each position

Network, network, network!

Getting an employee referral is often what gets you from the stack of resumes to the interview

Employee referrals could be from a good friend or former coworker, but could also be from your neighbor’s cousin – it doesn’t matter how closely they know you, they just have to say you’re worth interviewing


Find Networking Opportunities


Search eventbrite.com and meetup.com for events, seminars, workshops, and programs that are up your alley

Industry and alumni associations publish newsletters and websites with calendars of upcoming functions

Nonprofit organizations have volunteer opportunities as well as fundraising and awareness events

Ask the local career center for a list of events


A Balanced Schedule


“Finding a job is a full-time job” – you will spend at least 40 hours a week on career transition activities

Set measurable goals, e.g., in one week, attend five networking events, submit seven job applications, initiate at least two one-on-one follow-up meetings, and share at least three articles on LinkedIn and Twitter

Balance your schedule between job searching and your other responsibilities, like family and existing relationships


Choose Events Carefully


ROI: you won’t know until you land which contacts helped you the most, but make an educated guess as to which events will have contacts who can open more doors for you – it’s not about the number of new contacts, it’s about the quality of contacts when evaluated according to your career objectives

Cost-effective: the people who can open the most doors for you may be at a $1000 per person fundraiser, but can you afford it on your current budget? Choose the events with the highest ROI in your price range.

Choose networking events based on cost-effectiveness and forecasted Return On Investment


Networking Events


Bring business cards with your name, professional headline, contact information, and personalized LinkedIn URL – you can print them at home or go to vistaprint.com

Bring a pen and jot notes on the back of other people’s business cards – something you want to send them, a topic you want to discuss with them, a common connection

Show up early and be among the last to leave

Most importantly, come ready to help others: make connections for the people you meet, point them towards helpful resources, and ask them good questions about their interests – not only will you feel energized and positive about helping others, you will reap what you sow when grateful people help you in return


Networking Events


Ask other people what they do, then ask follow-up questions

Have your “elevator pitch” ready – 30 seconds of what makes you unique and what you’re looking for in your next position

Walk up to people standing alone, offer a handshake, say hi, tell them your name, and ask their name

If you’re in a conversation and you notice someone standing alone, wave them into the conversation and introduce the person you were talking to first, so that he/she can then ask the newcomer their name and what they do

Give business cards to people after you’ve conversed with them, so that when they look at the card later they will remember who you are


Follow-up with New Contacts


Follow-through – if you told someone you would make an introduction for them or you would send an interesting resource to them, then do so within a day or two of the event

If someone said they would like to meet with you one-on-one, then invite them to have coffee to discuss their idea

Send a personalized LinkedIn connection request to everyone you met within one day of the event

If someone seemed to be a good connection for you in your career search, then invite them to have coffee to discuss how they got to where they are in their career and to get their advice


Assume that any given job posting will have 50-100 candidates respond except for extremely niche skill sets

Step 4: Apply and Follow-up

Recruiters are under pressure – they must find viable candidates for 10-20 job openings per week

To increase your chance of getting to the interview stage, you have to set yourself apart


Going Through the Front Door

Apply and Follow-up

Plan to spend an average of 30 minutes per day searching for job listings and 1-2 hours on each job application

Before you click “apply,” record the company name, job title, and job number; if possible, copy/paste the entire job description into a document and save it

Find job listings: the #1 job listing website currently is indeed.com, other useful sites are monster.com, careerbuilder.com, and linkedin.com/jobs

Before you apply, adapt your resume to the job description by rephrasing work history using the job descriptions terminology; highlight skills and experience that are mentioned in the job description


Going Through the Front Door

Apply and Follow-up

Before you apply, write a cover letter that describes your fit for the job, mentioning the key qualifications

After you begin filling out the online application, save your work often! You can usually take a break and come back to the application later if necessary

If required to provide your target salary, assume this is the beginning negotiation number and shoot slightly high; research salaries for your target position on indeed.com and glassdoor.com

Remember that you are willing to relocate and travel – if the company makes it worth your while


Contact Your Connections

Apply and Follow-up

After you apply, you should contact:

Current and former employees of the target company whom you are already know well

LinkedIn first-level connections who are current or former employees of the company

Mutual connections of your LinkedIn second-level connections who are former or current employees of the company

Tell your friends, neighbors, and other personal connections about your recent job applications whenever you talk to them – you never know which of your contacts might know a decision-maker at your target company!



Apply and Follow-up

If you know the person well, say something like:



Apply and Follow-up

If you don’t know the person well, say something like:


Follow the Career Search Steps

1. Update Your Resume

2. Promote Yourself on the Web

3. Network, Network, Network!

4. Apply and Follow Up

…and land your next job quickly.

For more information, contact Jason Fry, LinkedIn.com/in/fryjason


Career Search Steps - Land your next job quickly with these practical actions

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