Your Job Search Strategy (What It Is and How To Use It)

Apr 15

A job search strategy is made up of various elements.

If you haven’t noticed, there’s a new buzzword flying around and it’s called job-search-strategy.

It sounds sophisticated and very businessy, doesn’t it? But as with a lot of buzzwords, people use it without actually knowing what it is.

But here’s the thing – there’s a reason (or a few) that it’s being used so much. It is actually important to your career, whether you’re currently looking for a new job or not. Yes, whether you’re currently job hunting or not, you should have a job search strategy! Why? Because while it might sound like it’s for a short-term period of time – when you’re actively looking for a job - this is actually a long-term game.

What is a job search strategy?

It’s not one thing, but a collection of steps and actions that you take to get a job. As I mentioned before, I know it sounds like it’s something for an active job search that you can forget about once you get a job until you’re ready to break it out again to get your next job, but it will be the most impactful for you if you use it as a long-term tool.

Don’t get me wrong – your job search strategy is incredibly important for those times when there is an immediacy in your job search – maybe you’ve recently been laid off or maybe you have a new boss making the job that you once loved something that you hate – where your strategy pivots and becomes more urgent. These things happen.

But it’s much easier to pivot or rev up a job search strategy that you’ve already established and have been working on than it is when you’re in immediate need. It’s hard to create, think, and strategize the best steps to take when you’re in a panic and under immense stress. Not to mention, a job search can take a while but it will go more smoothly if you can think through it calmly and confidently because you already have one in progress.

If you still need convincing that you should always have a job search strategy, then think about this. Let’s say you currently like your job and have no immediate plans to leave. Why spend time building a job search strategy? Well, are you still going to be happy where you’re currently at in five years? Or are you going to want to grow your career? If you want to grow your career, will you be able to do that on your current team or at your current employer? Some companies, no matter how great they are to work for, don’t offer enough career growth opportunities for their employees, meaning that in order to move up, employees have no choice but to leave. And even if you work for a huge company that has plenty of career advancement pathways, because you’re competing against hundreds of other employees, your chances of moving up heavily depend on your ability to network and to make yourself stand out amongst a sea of other employees.

When you have an active job search strategy with no intention of looking for a new job, I’m not saying that you should be looking for a job anyway. What this means is that while you’re in a good place, you build your network, you think ahead to where you’re going and research how to get there, you keep your resume and LinkedIn profile updated, etc. so that those supports are already in place by the time you need to use them.

So, if you’re NOT currently looking for a job, now is the perfect time to build your job search strategy! And if you don’t currently have a job search strategy but are in immediate need of a new job, then there’s no time like the present!

The Make-Up of Your Job Search Strategy

There are multiple things that make up a job search strategy. While everyone should do a variation of these things, some of them are going to look different based on your personality and your values. And that’s okay! A job search strategy is not a one-size-fits-all deal. It’s personal and will only work if aligned with your brand, style, and vision.

For instance, joining a professional networking group that hosts happy hours at a bar is something that can be part of a job search strategy. But if you’re an introvert and the thought of going to a crowded bar to talk to a bunch of strangers once every two months gives you anxiety, then that’s not the right thing for you. Or maybe you are interested in that but because you have kids, it’s really not a feasible option for you to find childcare for that time. Then it’s really not going to be helpful to you either. Conversely, if you’re a highly social person who thrives in that environment, then I would encourage that as a viable option to include in your strategy.

As you develop your job search strategy, you need to be in the mindset of “What will I actually do”. You know yourself better than anyone. If you come across a suggestion for finding a new job or growing your career, you know immediately if you’re going to do it or not. If you think something sounds like a good idea but realistically you know that you won’t do it, then move on to the next thing.

I’m going to go over different ways to build your job search strategy, what long-term actions you can take while you’re not currently looking for a new role, as well as what immediate actions you can take if you need a new job ASAP.

Upskill/Reskill/Certifications

Upskilling is growing and expanding on your current knowledge. For instance, if you already have basic Excel skills, but you want to learn how to do more advanced formulas within Excel, that would be upskilling.

Reskilling is relearning abilities you once had but are no longer relevant because they’re outdated and there have been major advancements in that area. Former IT professionals commonly deal with having to reskill. The world of IT advances so quickly that even being out of the workforce for a short amount of time can cause professionals to be behind when they are ready to reenter the workforce.

Long-term: Taking the time to strengthen your current skills, learn new skills, or relearn skills that you know you’ll need as you try to progress your career will be more manageable if you take courses and trainings over time. It’ll also ensure that you’re better prepared to apply for a job you’re interested in if an opportunity pops up unexpectedly.

If you have professional certifications that aren’t necessary for your current job, it’s still a good idea to maintain them instead of letting them expire. You never know when you’ll need it again and it’s easier to take trainings that give you educational credits towards renewing your certification than it is to retake the certification exam.

Right now: This is a step that people who are in immediate need of a new job often overlook because they think they don’t have time. But there are plenty of free or low-cost trainings online that can be completed within a short amount of time (a few hours or a few days).

LinkedIn and Coursera both offer great trainings that will give you meaningful skills (and certifications) that you can add to your resume. This is particularly useful for people who’ve been out of the workforce for a while and may have not used certain skills in a while. For instance, if you aren’t familiar with using Microsoft Excel and you’re applying for a job that requires an intermediate skill level in Excel, you can take a course through Coursera. Once you complete that course, you can confidently put “Excel” under your skills list on your resume! And for any courses you take through LinkedIn, you’ll receive a digital certification that you can display on your LinkedIn profile.

Resume Development

Long-term: It’s easier to provide an updated resume to a hiring manager when you’ve kept it up-to-date throughout the years. Even if you’re not anticipating looking for a new job soon, make sure that your resume has your most recent employment and skills on it. This is a great time to reference your Treat Yo’ Self List!

Right now: Whether you’re creating a new resume from scratch or updating your resume, make sure it includes relevant skills to the jobs you’re applying for. Check out the Work Tote page for free resume layout and content resources.

If you need more help than that, I offer a Resume Writing How-To Guide as well as a Resume Kit (resume and cover letter template, and a resume checklist). Both are crafted by me – a Human Resources professional and someone who used to do recruitment for my job. They lay everything out in a user-friendly way, showing you how to maximize the impact of your resume and cover letter while keeping it easy for you!

Networking

I do a deep dive on networking in my blog post, Networking for Moms, so if you don’t know how to network or are intimidated by the thought of it, then you should definitely read it! I give you simple ways to up your networking game that avoid awkward social situations and only takes a few minutes of your time. Trust me - I’m an introvert and the thought of stereotypical networking is a major turn-off for me too! So when I say that I give you simple and effective ways to network, I’m not kidding!

Long-term: Whether you realize it or not, you’re always networking. The key is to be intentional in maintaining relationships and telling people what your career goals are because you never know when your next opportunity is going to pop up.

Right now: Once you determine what kind of job, field, industry, etc. that you’re looking for (which I cover below), make a list of people you know from past jobs, college, high school, your mom-friend group, church, other parents whose kids are in your child’s class or extracurricular activities, etc. that you think may have connections that can help you. Then reach out to them and ask if they know of any companies that are hiring or if they know anyone else in that field to who they can introduce you.

If you have a LinkedIn profile, update it and make it known that you are job searching. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, create one. Besides LinkedIn, if you have other social media accounts, post about what you’re looking for. Some people don’t have LinkedIn, but they have a fantastic network that they would likely be willing to connect you with if they knew you were looking.

And last but not least, if your field has a professional group, consider becoming a member. Employers usually post relevant jobs with professional groups. For example, I often receive e-mails from my local chapter of the HR professional group that has lists of open HR jobs. These jobs and employers have already been vetted and it’s much easier to find the specific positions you’re looking for than it is searching for them on your own.

Job Identification

Long-term: Put some thought into where you are now and where you want to be. It’s completely normal to change your mind over time. As we gain experience, we get more information about what a certain job or field actually does, and that can either turn us off and redirect us to another career path, or it can solidify for us that we want to pursue our current path. But make sure as time goes on, you’re checking in with yourself to see if you’re still content with the road you’re traveling. If not, use this time while you have a steady paycheck to explore other careers or see what other options your current field offers.

Right now: If you needed a job yesterday – maybe you were fired, laid off, or maybe your situation as a stay-at-home mom has abruptly changed – you still need to put thought into what job you’re looking for.

In your panic and stress, your instinct will probably be to apply for every and any job you see. Don’t do this! I completely understand the panic that financial insecurity can lead to and the need to pay bills. But, applying for every and any job is not likely to give you the results you think it will. When your job search is unfocused and scattered, those are the results you can expect. There’s a big difference between a generic resume and a resume that has been tailored to a specific position. But while it might not take much time to mass-apply to 100 different jobs with the same resume, it does take a lot of time if you tailor your resume, so it’s not sustainable.

Instead, get clear on the field, the industry, the level of position (entry level, senior, management, etc.), the type of job (full-time, part-time, on-site, remote), pay, benefits, and schedule flexibility you need. Then dedicate time to researching companies that are hiring for those types of positions. As you identify those companies, edit your resume and cover letter to connect why you’re a good fit for that employer, and then apply. It’s better to submit 10 tailored resumes and cover letters for jobs that you are excited about and are genuinely interested in than it is to submit 20 generic resumes for employers and positions you could care less about.

Job Hunt

Long-term: As I’ve mentioned before in this post, you never know when your next career opportunity will come along. And if you’re not aggressively looking for a job, but you’re occasionally perusing job postings to see what’s out there or are open to considering another position, you’re still job hunting. It’s low-key job hunting, but still one nonetheless.

If you have the benefit of still having an income and job security while you’re searching, this is a great time to do a quick assessment of what you like about your current job, what you don’t like, and what the next opportunity would need to offer in order for you to make the switch. Reach out to your contacts, mentors, etc. to let them know what you’re looking for, but be careful in being too public about your willingness to leave your current employer in case it backfires. You’ll need to gauge how supportive your current manager and employer are to determine how open you can be in talking about your search and career goals.

If you do have a supportive manager, talk to them about what your career goals are. There may be an opportunity for them to help you achieve your goals while staying with your current employer. An awesome manager will help you grow your career even if they know that means you’ll have to work for another company.

Right now: Once you have all the previously mentioned areas in order, you’re ready to tackle your job search head-on. Go back to the job identification work you did in determining what industry, field, position, and type of employment you’re looking for. Then only apply to those jobs that match. No mass-applying here! Quality over quantity is going to produce better results for you.

Then after you’ve applied, see if you have any connections at the companies you’re applying to. If so, reach out to them to let them know. For example, my husband applied for a job and noticed that he and the recruiter had a LinkedIn connection in common. My husband reached out to his connection (his friend) and found out that he was the recruiter’s sister! He let his friend know that he applied for a job his sister posted, so his friend put in a good word for my husband.

If you don’t have any connections at an employer, try to find out the contact information for the recruiter or for the employer’s HR department, and then send a message explaining that you applied for a job, and why you’re interested. This is an extra step that people don’t usually take, so it’ll help your application stand out. Just remember – politeness and friendliness are key; being rude will get your resume sent to the “no” pile.

Let’s wrap this up…

Your job search strategy is not one thing, but a collection of actions geared toward getting you a job! Do what works for you. Get clear with yourself about what you’re looking for and what will work for your family, and then go all in on those jobs. You’ll apply to fewer jobs, but you’ll submit higher-quality applications which will get you more results!

Gayle Guthrie