Hi There,

Making mistakes early on your job search could lead to several setbacks during the search that could have been avoided easily. It could ever hamper you from getting the job without you knowing. Therefore, starting your job search on a good foundation, and building momentum for success can be achieved by doing the following:

#1: Know your Strength, Skills & Interests: Avoid focusing on the wrong things during your job search such as resumé writing, how to sound during your interview or what suit you would like to appear in at an interview. Rather, you should focus on your transferable skills that would be at an advantage to the company when you join them. This also includes your talents as well as your interests. You need to know who you are, before you decide what you can do. Once you have this figured out, sorting out the earlier mentioned ephemerals would be a piece of cake.

#2: Target Your Search: Don’t just bombard the servers nationwide with your resumé simply because you want A JOB. Rather, you should look for THE JOB for you. After knowing your strengths and interests, you should create a list of positions you believe you would be effective at, and then make sure your resume matches these positions. After shortlisting companies, you can then apply and track your applications efficiently.

#3: Clean Up Your Social Profiles: Usually, the hiring manager would carry out a quick Internet search to check out potential employers. Ensure you participate in what we term “Online Housekeeping” before you start your job search. You don’t want a misconstrued image of you to be conveyed to the hiring manager. So make sure your public social media profiles present an image you are comfortable with your future employer seeing.

#4: Make Sure Your Documents Are Perfect: Before you apply for a new job, make sure you update your CV or at least review it. Review your application documents carefully, to ensure that there are no typos and they are filled out properly without any omission. Do not submit documents that are not perfect. This only further reduces your chances in a labor market that is already tough enough as it is.

#5: Check In With References: Review your list of potential references and see if they are still relevant to the jobs you are considering. If they are, contact them to confirm if they are still willing to be references. Also confirm that what they have to say would only reflect on you positively. Otherwise review your work history and replace your references with equally competent individuals.

Regards,

PushCV Content Team.