1) Get your CV up to date
The basics are the most important! Ensure your CV is up to date with your correct contact details, job experiences and qualifications and make sure all your dates line up.
2) Set up a job application spreadsheet/table
Ever had a hiring manager or recruiter ring you about a job and you immediately get flustered as you have no idea what job they are referring to due to the sheer amount of applications you’ve been putting out there? Well, this is where you can take control of the conversation by having everything laid out showing everything you could possible need to know about your applications.
Upload this document to a cloud service (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive) so you can access it wherever you are whenever you get a call.
Use simple headings such as:
- Company
- Job Title
- Date Applied
- Interview Date
- Interview Notes
- Followed Up
- Heard Back
3) Cover sheets
Each job you apply for should have a bespoke cover sheet/letter to let the employer know what key personal attributes align to the key job specification points. Make sure you keep a folder on your computer with all your cover sheets in, these will be great reference points before an interview that you can bring up and reiterate to your interviewer about why you are perfect for you job.
As you are more than likely applying for similar roles, you can copy and paste short sections out of some of the other cover sheets too to save yourself time in your job process.
4) Simplify Your Search
You more than likely know; your skillset, the location you’d like to work, an idea about what salary/day-rate you’d like and when you can start but now, to find the job that fits all of the above.
Focus on quality job applications, not quantity of job applications, apply to job positions that you’re actually qualified for and you would actually want to be in long term. If you’re going to spend time writing a personalised cover letter, make sure it’s for a reason!
5) Set up Email job alerts
One of the most time consuming tasks of the job search is the actual searching. There are plenty of automated services available to you to enhance your job search process and actually expedite it. Signing up to job alerts on Jobsite, Monster, Indeed, Reed etc. with all your saved preferences will save you hours upon hours of searching time with jobs perfect for you being delivered to your inbox.
6) Use Social Media
If you are not using social media for your job search, you are missing out on a whole portal of jobs, direct interactions with companies and job tips.
Posting jobs on job boards are expensive so some organisations now use social media or their own websites as the sole way of advertising any job opportunities. Alongside job opportunities posted by employers, you can get a great variety of tips for topics such as interview advice and how to improve your online presence.
There are some great tools at your disposal for keeping tracks of social media, such as utilising IFTTT (IF This Then That) for searching hashtags, which searches tweets from the day for a specific hashtag, which subsequently updates a spreadsheet. This can be set up for a hashtag of your choice such as #HRBP which a company may use for a HR Business Partner role.
7) Calendar
Alongside your job application spreadsheet/table, your calendar should be your bible of ensuring you’re not missing application deadlines and especially not missing interviews.
If you find 2 job advert that you want to apply for, 1 that closes today and 1 that closes in 4 days, focus on the one with the closest deadline obviously but ensure you have set yourself a calendar notification to put priority towards the other job advert before you miss the application deadline.
8) Find a routine
The process of ‘job hunting’ is one that requires some serious dedication. If it isn’t the endless searching for the perfect job or the ongoing writing of the cover letter, it’s the rejection after going through 3 interview stages, as ‘you didn’t have enough experience’.
If you work more productively in the mornings, set aside an hour to dedicate to the process then maybe set aside another hour later on in the evening where you can review applications and reply to emails. Try not to jump in and out of the job process throughout the day, you’ll find yourself replying to job adverts in a rush and not putting enough effort in.
9) Sign up to the Annapurna website
The Annapurna website has an area dedicated to ensuring you get the best information, personalised to you. Register/Login to the site at the top of the page and then choose ‘Email Alert Settings’, then ‘HR’, ‘IT’ or ‘Change’ as your area of focus and a few keywords with regards to your skills.
You will now receive email updates for Annapurna jobs whenever a job is uploaded that meet your personal preferences.
