The foundation of a successful job search starts with traditional Job search skills. These are all the skills that existed prior to the Internet, instant messaging, and even online profiles. They include: walking into stores with your two feet, scanning newspapers, having an easy-nose sense of purpose, and generally having a very hard-nose sense of direction to get a job. If you don’t have these foundational skills, then you really need to relearn them if you want a job today.
Traditional job search skills included a well-written resume, a well-developed cover letter, and an interview. The cover letter and resume are especially important because they introduce you as a person to your prospective employer. Even employers who have considered a candidate may not call or visit an organization until the cover letter and resume to make that particular employer aware of the candidate.
Nowadays, employers also look at resumes and interviews as a “weed” in a garden. A recruiter may not be able to pull out one particular candidate from among thousands of other candidates. As such, it is necessary to develop a broad range of job search skills in order to gather a large number of viable options. Achieving a broad range of skills does not require you to invest heavily in any one skill. In fact, it is much better to have many skills than to have only one or two.
Traditional job search skills include the ability to construct a clear, concise, and professional resume. If a hiring manager finds your resume to be “adequate” – meaning that it properly lists and displays all of your employment opportunities, offers you reasonable compensation, and presents you in a favorable manner – your application will most likely be placed in the “back seat” where it will most likely remain unnoticed. To create an excellent resume, spend considerable time researching general employment opportunities, job market trends, what companies are looking for, the skills needed in the position you are applying for, the salary ranges that are typically associated with those jobs, and the most attractive selling points to companies.
It is also important to develop a comprehensive list of interview questions. Although the interview is primarily a two-way communication process, you must ensure that you thoroughly understand how to properly present yourself and answer the questions asked. To that end, consider asking questions pertaining to the types of interviewing that you are most familiar with such as: how did you get your job, how long have you worked for this company, what are your leadership skills, how do you dress, how do you conduct yourself? With respect to these interview questions, remember that your answers should be honest and true. Always anticipate potential questions about why you left the previous position. If you were let go because of poor performance, always answer with complete honesty.
Job search skills are an integral part of being successful in the current economic climate. If you are in need of additional information on the best ways to improve your chances for success, review the above resources. With the right information at your fingertips, you can develop effective techniques for enhancing your interview performance. And, the rest is up to you.