As someone who spent 8 months looking for a job career, and the headache that was – I thought it would be appropriate to share the things that worked best for me.
- LinkedIN – I didn’t really ‘use’ LinkedIN til July, which was 5 months after my career search began. Prior I was focusing mainly on Craig’sList, Monster, CareerSearcher, etc. In 5 months, I had a handful of interviews – and not a single one was in the field I wanted to be in. LinkedIN helped me network with others in the field I desired to be in. Creating a strong profile on LinkedIN ended up getting me more interviews in a week than the previous 5 months combined. Additionally, I was having people find ME and contact ME with opportunities. I strongly urge anyone who does not have a LinkedIN profile to go make one – immediately, and to utilize their job search board!
- Personal Branding – Let me give a heads up that I wish someone (ANYONE) would have given me a year ago. Go online. Own your name. Youtube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, LinkedIN, Pinterest, your personal domain, etc. There are websites built to track your name as an username, tell you what websites you have signed up with that as an username and what websites you have not – and then direct you where to go. Own your name before someone else does. Because as soon as 1 NEGATIVE thing goes up in RE: to your name, regardless if it has anything to do with your ability or career, it will haunt you. Own your name and brand it well! If you google ‘Blair Pettrey’, immediately my marketing job search comes up. I’ve created and built a strong brand; however you also notice the #1 looming thing that has no reflection upon my character, integrity, or ability – but has truly hindered my search, because before I built my brand online, this person’s website was the only thing people were clicking on when they searched my name. Prevent this!
- Define YOU on your Résumé– Recruiters spend less than 6 seconds on average looking at résumé’s. (Assuming your résumé is even being looked at by a human, and not an automated keyword searching resume software.) I was looking for a marketing position; thus I knew I could not have the typical résumé. I had to stand out, not only so I could make it past those 6 key seconds, but so I could define ‘Blair’ without being their in person to share my dynamic and innovative personality. You can click here to see an example of one of my past résumé’s.
- Update your Résumé Often! – If you’re not receiving interviews or contacts with your current résumé, change it! I set a goal of reviewing & changing my résumé at least once a month. I don’t mean huge changes, but looking for ways of improvement. Did I forget to include an accomplishment or something I know how to do? I also asked different friends & contacts to review my résumé at different times. Asking different people from different fields allowed feedback that I may not have typically received had I only asked fellow marketing friends.
- Stay Positive! – The key is, no matter what, to stay positive. Focus on this time on how you can improve yourself. If interviewing or speaking is not your strong suit, consider joining a local toastmasters club. Learn to be comfortable stepping out of your comfort zone. Join a local networking group. Engage with others. Do not be afraid to say you are looking for a job! However no matter what you do, no matter how many interviews you go to and ‘bomb’ or aren’t offered the job, no matter what, STAY POSITIVE! Sign up for a daily positive email. Get up every morning, get dressed as if you were going to work (Even if you have no where to go!).No storm lasts forever. You will find your dream job if you continue to work hard and not give up. I can not stress that enough!
I hope these tips helped you.
Make sure to leave a comment with any tips you have found to be successful!
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- If You Don’t Have a LinkedIn Page, Make one NOW! (Seriously) (roomscapeblog.wordpress.com)
Blair Pettrey - Inbound Marketing Frederick, Maryland 
Really glad I found this great information, thanks