Job Search Tips and Lessons

Job Search Tips and Lessons

I've learned a lot about job searching the past 6 years from FGB, hiring managers I've met, and organizations in my industry. Here's 5 lessons I've learned:

1.Keywords are your best friend. Look at the job posting to see what keywords are used in the descriptions and qualifications. These are what you'll use in your resume and cover letter.

2.Skills and experience are important. When I was in college, the career services always focused on the importance education has on a resume so to put down the schools I went to and GPA I got. However, I've learned throughout the job search that skills and experience actually hold more weight than where I went to school and what grades I got. So when I apply for jobs, I make sure my skills and experiences are front and center.

3.Mental health is so important during the job search. Finding a job definitely feels like a job itself and it can take an emotional toll. So be kind to yourself and take of yourself. Don't be afraid to take a break if you need it.

4.Talk to people in your industry. Finding a job is tough because there are so many people with different opinions on how to find a job that it is hard to know what direction to take. While family and friends giving job search advice can have good intentions, lots of job search advice isn't going to be a match for every industry.

A lot of lessons and advice I'd been given about job searching from family and friends are not best practices anymore. One family member told me that I constantly needed to message and talk to the hiring manager every day to get an interview. I later learned from a hiring manager that this wasn't the best technique anymore and actually backfires on candidates when they do that.

Every industry is going to have some different expectations they expect from candidates. So definitely network and talk to people in your industry about getting hired. If you are able to, talk to hiring managers, listen to podcasts, or attend webinars where hiring managers and recruiters are speaking at to see what they look for when they hire candidates in your industry.

5.Do job search challenges. I am a big fan of challenges since it means having access to the best career resources to help me get hired, communities with members that can support each other, and more. Job search challenges can pop up this month so keep an eye out for some to join. FGB did a 21 Day Jumpstart Your Job Search challenge last year so maybe they will do it again this year. In the tech industry, Code Newbie announced they are starting up the CNC2022 challenge and have different tracks to help developers. One is Get a Job.