How to Increase Your Appeal for Employers to Succeed in Your Job Search  

Are you half-heartedly looking for a job or truly dedicating yourself to the search? You can passively scroll through job boards and submit a generic resume for each vacancy you find, but then you’re effectively just wasting your time. Instead, you could take matters into your hands by evaluating yourself as a professional and enhancing your job search as you continuously advance in your career development. This takes a lot more effort, but the results are very much worth it. 

If you’re struggling to find your niche, reach out to a career coach for help pinpointing areas that need improvement. While you increase your value as a professional, you’ll also greatly enhance the quality of your job search. Here are some essential steps to take. 

1. Build an online presence

Many employers often recruit through online platforms such as LinkedIn. If you want to be a strong candidate, establish an online presence that showcases your value as a professional. However, you have to be careful with social media; for example, you’ll want to make sure hiring managers can’t find anything objectionable on your Twitter or Facebook profile. If you handle your social media right, it can provide a boon to your job search. Here are some ways you can achieve that:

• Connect with fellow professionals on platforms such as LinkedIn. The more connections you make, the more career opportunities will open up for you. You can also connect with employers online. They’re always looking for high-quality professionals, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them. In fact, they’ll likely appreciate your passion and assertiveness. Take the initiative!
• Depending on your field, it may be beneficial to create your own website to showcase your work. It could be in the form of blog posts, digital media designs, or whatever works for your niche. This is a particularly good idea if you’re in a creative field or any other career where you can exhibit projects online. Make sure to post the link to your website on your social media accounts.
• If you find a job that interests you, browse the employer’s website. You want to be fully invested in the company and its values. When you visit the site, you may be able to chat with someone who can answer your questions or even contact the HR department. If the hiring manager sees that you’ve reached out to them via the corporate website, they will note your sincere interest in the company. This small gesture could go further than you realize.

2. Update your resume constantly

One of the main reasons people can’t land a job is failing to tailor their resume to the advertised position. They keep submitting a generic resume and hoping for the best, but that’s a fast track to rejection, so don’t do it! After all, hiring managers aren’t interested in mediocre candidates—they want the cream of the crop. 

Here are some things to remember about updating your resume: 

• Tailor your resume to each job that you apply for. This means reading every job description carefully and highlighting any keywords and requirements (they’ll generally stand out in some way—bolded, italicized, underlined, etc.). Then, tweak your resume to include all keywords and requirements that apply to you. Tailoring your resume goes a long way in getting hired; in fact, since many companies today use applicant tracking systems (ATSs) to filter resumes, a generic one will likely never even land on the hiring manager’s desk.
• Update your skills as needed. As your skills improve or you acquire new ones, update your resume accordingly. Employers want to see your most valuable skills, so make sure you include them. In general, it’s a good idea to update your resume once a month or so, even when you’re not looking for a job.
• Evaluate your qualifications carefully. Do your work experience and educational background sufficiently support your qualifications? You want to make sure that you not only list your qualifications but also prove them. Remember to include important accomplishments from previous jobs that show your value.
• Hire a professional resume writer. This will save you tons of time, and you can focus on other aspects of the job search while the professionals polish your resume.

3. Market yourself 

When you’re in the middle of a job search, you need to develop a marketing mindset, meaning you have to view each interaction as an opportunity to get a new job. What exactly does this look like?

• Attend job fairs. This is a great way to start putting yourself out there in the professional world. Of course, you can also make online connections, but engaging in face-to-face interactions enhances your chances even more. You can connect better with people in person, and the way you dress and comport yourself can offer valuable information about you.
• Join networking communities as they allow you to meet people in your line of work and establish professional relationships. You’ll be surprised at what these communities can do for your job search. Having strong professional relationships will greatly advance your own development as a professional.
• Create a brand that conveys your professional image. You’ll want to identify with a specific skill or accomplishment since this helps people associate you with a certain profession. Marketing yourself with a personal brand will highlight your true value. To do this, you need to be consistent in how you present yourself.
• Treat each conversation as a potential job interview, whether you’re having it at a job fair or engaging in a casual chat with an employer. 

4. Broaden your experience

Even while searching for a job, you should continue gaining experience in your chosen field since this increases your chances of getting a job. Here’s how you can broaden your experience:

• Find volunteer work, be it an internship, involvement in a charity event, or something else. Work experience isn’t limited to paid positions. If you’re passionate about your career and want more experience, start volunteering.
• Learn a new skill. This may mean learning something completely new or adding to what you already know. Obviously, you want to pick up skills your ideal job requires, but some skills—say, language or computer skills—can be useful in any job.  
• Improve your professional knowledge, and never stop learning. Read books, do some hands-on work, and take online courses—whatever it may be, the point is to keep expanding your knowledge!

5. Focus your search

Whether you’ve been at your job search for two days or two months, you need to have a strong focus and a clear goal. Without a goal, you can easily find yourself wandering aimlessly through job boards, never finding something that matches your skill set. Here’s how you can focus your search:

• Establish clear career goals. What are you trying to accomplish as a professional? You should be able to answer this question before you start searching for jobs. Tailor your job search to your career goals, not the other way around. If you don’t define your goals, you’ll end up somewhere, but it certainly won’t be where you want to go.
• Explore more than just the job posting titles. The title is usually the first thing you see, but don’t judge a job based solely on it. Instead, read the entire job description, then make your decision. Different companies use different titles for the same job, and after reading the description, you may find that the listed job is quite different from what you initially thought.
• Remain consistent. Set aside time each day to search for jobs. Building the search into your daily schedule helps you avoid procrastination. 
• Be prepared. Always be ready to submit your resume. Finding a job generally means submitting your resume as soon as possible—after all, there are a lot of other candidates out there vying for the same position. If you’re not yet ready to submit your resume, you may miss out on the opportunity.

6. Refine your professional manners

Once you get called for an interview, you need to consider your interview etiquette and make sure it adequately conveys who you are. An interview is usually the first time the hiring manager interacts with you, and you want to make a good first impression. After all, if you mess it up, you won’t have a chance to make a second impression. Here’s how you can succeed the first time:

• Dress appropriately. Make sure that what you wear befits a true professional. The outfit you choose should take into account the company’s culture, but when in doubt, go more formal. 
• Work on your communication skills. Practice discussing your work experience and skills. Learning how to communicate effectively is crucial for a successful interview. If you are constantly stuttering or evidently lack confidence, it will put off the hiring manager.
• Prepare questions. Research the company and prepare questions that show your interest in it. Asking questions during the interview demonstrates your engagement.
• After the interview, send a thank-you note expressing your gratitude for the opportunity. Whether you get the job or not, letting the hiring manager know that you are thankful for being considered speaks highly of you as a person. Also, some hiring managers won’t even consider candidates who don’t follow up with a thank-you note, so don’t skip this step.

Everyone wants to land their dream job, but a successful job search takes time and effort. To increase your value as a professional, work on your personal and career development as you look for a new job. Never settle for anything less than what you’re worth! Do you need help with your online presence or resume? Contact our career coaches and resume experts for assistance.