Are you just entering the workforce or looking to change careers, and you don't know where to begin? Whenever you're looking for a job, there are a lot of things you can do to help put your best foot forward. By putting in the effort beforehand, you will be able to present yourself in the best possible way to a prospective employer. We'll start with some easy changes you can make online and move on to tips to help you find your next career!
[Edit]Steps
[Edit]Set your social media to private.
- You don’t want the things you post online to affect job opportunities. If you have something on public accounts, go into the settings of every last one of your existing accounts and profiles, and customize the privacy. If you want to keep accounts entirely public, such as a Tumblr blog, make sure that your full name is not listed anywhere on the blog or page.[1]
- On Facebook, find the Privacy menu and click “See more settings.” Next to the phrase “Limit the audience for posts you've shared with friends of friends or Public?” click on the option that says “Limit Past Posts.” This will make all your past posts friends-only.[2]
- For Twitter, open up “Settings” and click “Security and Privacy.” Under Privacy, check the box next to “Tweet Privacy” to make your Tweets private and viewable only to your followers.
- Even if you make your social media private, go back and delete any posts or pictures that could be inappropriate so they aren’t uncovered later on.
[Edit]Create a LinkedIn profile.
- Listing your information on LinkedIn helps other professionals find you. When you make a LinkedIn profile, fill in all of your personal information and upload a headshot for the profile picture. List all of your skills and work history on the site so people on your profile can easily see your experience. Connect with your coworkers and friends on the site so you can stay up to date with them.[3]
- Share professional achievements, such as training courses, awards, or large projects you worked on, on your profile.
- Avoid using buzzwords such as “focused,” “strategic,” “passionate,” or “creative,” on your profile since they’re really overused.
[Edit]Make a website or portfolio.
- For people in creative professions, this provides an easily-accessible, visual overview of their work. For those in other professions, it's an easy way to control your online presence and impress a potential employer should they search for you online. There are many online portfolio services that are free or charge a low fee, including Behance, Squarespace, Wordpress, Weebly, and others.[4]
- If you’re an artist or designer, post images of personal work and things you’ve made for clients.
- Include any research, publications, and reports you’ve been involved with. This can be anything from academic papers to work-related reports.
[Edit]Check the search results for your name.
- Potential employers will look you up online and see all of the top results. You probably don’t want an employer stumbling on an old blog or social media page you made. Search for your name with keywords such as your location and your profession. If you find links to things that you don’t want associated with you, either remove the content yourself or contact the website owner to see if they’ll take it down.[5]
- Anything that might be embarrassing, inappropriate, or illegal are "red flags" to employers.
- Google can remove the content from their search engines, but it can still be found through the direct URL, or through other search engines.
[Edit]Use a professional email address.
- Employers may not consider you if you have an old email. Use a reliable email service, such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook, since it will make your address look more legitimate. Try and use a version of your name for your email address so it’s easy to read and understand.[6]
- For example, use something like john.j.smith@gmail.com rather than one like soccerfan2938@yahoo.com.
[Edit]Record a simple and concise voicemail.
- You don’t want an employer to hear a jokey voicemail when you miss a call. Rather than singing or telling jokes in your greeting, communicate your information clearly. State your name and ask the person to leave a message so you can call back as soon as you can.[7]
- A good professional voicemail could be something like, “Hi, you have reached John Smith. Please leave your name and number, and I will return your call as soon as possible. Thanks.”
[Edit]Decide on your career goals.
- Think about what you want to achieve so you can find a job you’ll like. Whether you’re changing positions or just entering the workforce, take some time to really consider what you want to do as your career. Give yourself a real goal to work towards so you can find jobs that will help you achieve your dreams.[8]
- For example, if you wanted to be a florist, you may look for positions at a plant nursery or at a local flower shop.
[Edit]Make or update your resume.
- List your work experience and skills in a document to give to employers. There are a lot of different styles you can use for your resume, so try out a few layouts to see what works best. List your most current contact information at the top of the page. If you’ve just started working, you’ll mainly focus on your education and skills. If you’ve been in the workforce for a while, list more of your employment history.[9]
- While there aren’t any official guidelines, try to keep your resume on 1–2 pages and use an easy-to-read font.
- Tailor your resume for each individual job you apply for since all of your work history won’t be relevant to every job.
[Edit]Think of experiences that highlight your skills.
- Interviewers will ask for examples of how you handled previous issues. Think of a few engaging stories from your previous jobs about how you handled a problem. Use the STAR system to name the Situation that arose and the Task that had to be done. Then, state the Action you took and the Result that occurred.[10]
- For example, if you wanted to showcase you’re good with customer service, you might explain how you worked with an angry customer through a problem.
- You can use these examples in cover letters, interviews, and at networking opportunities.
[Edit]Practice your elevator pitch.
- Selling yourself helps you make introductions and meet new connections. Your elevator pitch is a chance to talk about yourself and what you work on in a short amount of time. Share personal information about who you are, what you do for work, and some places you worked. Highlight a couple of the big projects you’ve worked on at work or in your free time so the person you’re talking to gets to know you better.[11]
- For example, you could say, “Hi, my name is Joan Smith, I recently graduated from NYU and I’m currently working as a production assistant. I’m working on becoming a screenwriter. A short film I wrote in college and helped make in college went on to win awards at a few film festivals, and I’ve spent the past few months working on a feature film.”
[Edit]Network with other professionals.
- People in your industry might know of open opportunities. Attend events, communicate with your existing network, and actively seek to make new connections, especially in the field you work in or would like to work in. This will give you greater visibility in your field and your area.[12]
- Look for networking events through sites such as meetup.com and LinkedIn Events. You could also consider attending trade shows, conferences, and alumni events.
- Check if there are any professional organizations or associations in your area where you could become a member.
[Edit]Tips
- Job-hunting can take a while and be a little exhausting. As long as you’re persistent and keep looking, you’ll find a job that you’re a perfect fit for!
[Edit]Warnings
- Never lie on your resume or LinkedIn profile since you may get questioned about it by a potential employer.[13]
[Edit]Related wikiHows
[Edit]References
__LIST__
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2021/03/24/how-to-use-social-media-to-job-search/?sh=27b53f083cfd
- ↑ http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-manage-your-online-reputation-for-free/
- ↑ https://business.linkedin.com/en-uk/marketing-solutions/blog/posts/content-marketing/2017/17-steps-to-a-better-LinkedIn-profile-in-2017
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/04/26/why-every-job-seeker-should-have-a-personal-website-and-what-it-should-include/?sh=6fd9d13c119e
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2021/03/24/how-to-use-social-media-to-job-search/?sh=27b53f083cfd
- ↑ https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-prep-for-your-first-job-search-a-two-day-boot-camp-11619798399
- ↑ https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-prep-for-your-first-job-search-a-two-day-boot-camp-11619798399
- ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/job-hunting-tips
- ↑ https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-write-a-resume-that-will-get-you-noticed/
- ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/job-hunting-tips
- ↑ https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-prep-for-your-first-job-search-a-two-day-boot-camp-11619798399
- ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/job-hunting-tips
- ↑ https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/19/how-many-job-seekers-lie-on-their-job-application.html
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