How to Land a Job Fast

It’s September and for most people, the feeling of a new beginning.  But if you are one those people who hate their jobs, are sick of a long commute or struggling in a job search this time of year can suck.

You want a change and you want it now.
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It doesn’t always work like that.  But there is some work you can do today that is like pressing fast forward on achieving that change.  Which is why I’ve compiled ALL of my top tips, tricks and resources to try and make that happen for you.

Step 1: Know what you want.

You know you want a change.  But do you know what that change actually looks like?  If you are struggling to define a specific career, job or industry it can have you flailing around and going nowhere.

Instead, if you are laser focused and know exactly what it is you are looking for that allows you to customize everything to achieve that one thing.

Need help?  My favourite exercise is the Interests, Motivations and Skills and it focuses on what career fits in with your life, your skill set AND what will bring you joy.  I wrote a whole article about it and how this exercise helped me figure out that this was MY dream career.

Cheap Resource: Find Career Happiness Course, only $4.95

Step 2: Write a Stand Out Resume

This is your primary marketing document.  You are now a product and your resume is your pamphlet selling you to companies.  So make sure that it is telling a cohesive story, one that is relevant to the job and company you are applying for. 

And since Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are taking over the world, make sure it is optimized, such as having the right key words in the right format.

I've written a ton on resumes, like the Modern Day rules, how to optimize and writing a winning one.  

Free Resource: The Ultimate Resume Checklist

Step 3: Don’t Just Hit Apply

You see an amazing job.  You spend hours customizing and optimizing your resume.  You hit apply and then you wait. Sound familiar?

I liken applying on job boards to a black hole, you send resumes out only to hear nothing in return. 

If you want a job fast, you need to make sure that your resume isn’t getting lost with the rest of them (an average of 250!).  So do something about it.  Find the key decision maker or who may be the key decision maker and follow up that application with an email to them stating your interest and your differentiating factor.

Step 4: Outsource Your Job Search

Make sure you have has many people out there helping you out in your job search.  That includes engaging your current network.  A coffee with an old manager, or maybe a lunch with a colleague who works at company you want to work at.  These are your strongest advocates, making sure they know what you want and are looking for will help them determine appropriate opportunities for you to consider.

That also includes optimizing your LinkedIn to be found.  Found by recruiters.  Having an “all-star” LinkedIn profile that is full of great information and keywords, getting as close to the magic number of connections and logging in each and every day will increase your likelihood of showing up in a recruiter’s search.

Cheap Resource: Purposeful Networking Course - $14.95

Step 5: Get Help

Outplacement services (those provided by employers to employees they are laying off) are very similar to Career Coaching services.  I should know because I do both!

The great thing about outplacement is that they provide services to a large number of clients which yields great data.

And that data is very promising.

A person engaged in the process with a Career Coach lands a job 50-63% faster than the national average.  Crazy right?

So maybe the biggest factor in speeding up your search could be as simple as hiring a coach.

Investment Resource: Career Coaching Packages or Job Search Rescue Plan
Free Resource: Strategy Call with Me

Step 6: Create a Plan

A lot of job searches are chaotic.  They begin and end with job boards. 

The problem with that is the math.  Each job gets on average 250 applications and only 4-6 are selected for an interview.  Of that 4-6, not all come from the 250, so only about 10% of applications get an interview (some stats say as little as 2%, eek!). 

That means the majority of the time you send out a resume for a posted job, you will never hear anything. 

So you need to do more than just applying for jobs but with our natural inclination to centre our search around them you need to create a plan so that you can make sure you do more.

Create a plan that encompasses all the key aspects of a job search, including networking, volunteering, research and preparation and social media.
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Free Resource: Dream Career Planner
 
If you follow these 6 steps, I’m positive you’ll see incredible results.  By Christmas, you can be in that dream job.  Wouldn’t that be amazing?