8 job search tips that work
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Everyone knows that the recession makes the job market much more competitive, but most college graduates are not doing all they can to make themselves stand out. Employers are flooded with resumes on a daily basis and as many of them are similar, hiring decisions are difficult to make. Here are some ways to stand out from the crowd during a job search.
1. Brand yourself online
As a job seeker you can create your own personal brand online by registering a domain using your full name (.com works best). Of course, most common names are taken already, so adding on an extra word or two will solve that problem. Using titles and/or abbreviations are excellent ways to create unique URLs. It is important to use your site to blog about the industry you’d like to get into – news, trends, and your related work or academic achievements should be covered here.
2. Lights, Camera, Interview!
A mock job interview is a fantastic way to learn in a short period of time because you can pick up on interview mistakes you make that are unique to you as a person, rather than learning about general interview mistakes that everyone makes.
You can get started on this by:
• Gathering ten commonly-asked interview questions and then preparing some answers for them
• Getting a friend or family member to be the interviewer and making sure you’re both dressed up. The interview should be done in a quiet, clean room, with no distractions (this will help recreate that typical tense interview environment)
• Setting up a camera to film the mock interview
• Watching the film and noting the mistakes made (body language is key here)
3. Where’s the evidence?
Networking events and job interviews are great opportunities for a college graduate to showcase their skills and background. The problem is that simply talking about your skills or accomplishments isn’t enough to make you stand out as a job seeker, you must somehow show them. Here are some examples:
• If you were an online marketing intern and increased a company’s website traffic substantially, bring some printed analytical data
• If you increased a retail store’s sales because you have great communication or sales skills, bring some weekly/monthly sales reports and your contribution
• Did you hold a position at a student organization? What are some key success points of that organization and how did you contribute? Be sure to bring proof regarding your work and how it contributed to the organization’s success.
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