6 Job Hunting Skills You Must Have to Get a Job

 

by Alex A. Kecskes

 

Let’s face it: these are tough times for job seekers. You need to hone your job-hunting skills to perfection if you expect to rise above the crowd of qualified job candidates. At the very least, you’ll need these 6 job hunting skills to succeed in your job search:

 

Make Job Hunting a Full Time Job. If you're only spending an hour or so a day looking for a job, you’re “under-employed” as a job seeker. Understandably, if you’re still in college or working full time at a job that just “pays the rent,” you may not have a full day at your disposal. Still, every hour you can spare should be devoted to job networking and setting up interviews.

 

Focus, Don’t “Scatter-Gun” Your Resumes. Don’t apply for jobs you’re under-qualified for, especially in these hypercompetitive times. Realize that far more qualified candidates will be applying for those positions, so you’re just setting yourself up for failure and wasting your time. Instead, target your searches, cover letters and resumes to only those jobs for which you are fully qualified for and skip the rest. HR managers get a ton of resumes every day and they quickly weed out marginally qualified candidates.

 

Go “Deep,” Beyond the Job Boards and Want Ads. These notices are okay for finding out what the job briefly entails and who they are looking for in a general sense. Instead, you should visit the company's website and do some due diligence in their human-resources section. Pore over these sites and look for job application procedures, career paths/tracks, corporate culture, etc.

 

Network to Get Work. No, you’re not using people; you’re connecting with them, as they would with you if they were in your shoes. You’re asking business acquaintances for advice, suggestions and referrals. You need them to keep “their ears to the ground” to any positions that fit your job search criteria. You want to establish long-term relationships where you may be able to reciprocate and help them some day.

 

Refine Your Resume for Each Job. Most hiring managers prefer a resume that addresses the specific needs of the position they need to fill. That means putting what they need up front—in your Goals or Objective section and fine turning the rest. The days of the “one resume fits all” are long gone. Most companies now have resume evaluation software that scans resumes looking for keywords and phrases. Make sure your resume passes these types of tests.

 

Research and Rehearse for the Interview. Dig deep into the company, its products, services and history. Pore over the job description. Practice answering question after question about what you bring to the job. And don't forget to be ready for the all-important question: “Tell me about yourself.”

 

For an added perspective, check out this video:

 

Got any thoughts on job-hunting skills? Feel free to share them in the comments section.

 

 

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Nexxt.