Applying to jobs you’re not
qualified for (which 50% of job seekers reportedly do!) is
counter-productive to your job search. Competition is too fierce. Even
qualified applicants aren’t getting callbacks.
1. Volunteer
Volunteering can increase your
chances of being hired if you’re strategic about it. Unemployed teacher? Help
out with after school programs or volunteer to be a coach’s assistant. Web
designer? Find a local non-profit in desperate need of a re-design and offer
your services for free. By volunteering somewhere relevant, you’ll keep your
skills fresh while enhancing your resume.
2. Keep Your Skills Current
If you lack a skill commonly
required for jobs you’re seeking, spend time each day building that skill. Take
advantage of numerous free resources online, including tutorials, e-books, and
how-to videos. If you’d rather have more of a class setup, then look for free
or affordable adult education classes in your area. Alternatively, if you
already possess the necessary
skills but haven’t been practicing, then do so. Skill atrophy is a huge concern
for hiring managers, so practice and get yourself ready for pre-employment
skills tests.
3. Network
There are two parts to
networking: reconnecting with your old
contacts and forming new ones. Depending on where you are in your career, reconnecting might mean contacting professors,
college advisers, and internship supervisors, or it might mean getting in touch
with old colleagues, bosses, and business acquaintances.
Find them, e-mail them, call
them. Ask them to coffee. Ask how they are (networking is social, after all)
and let them know the specifics of your job search (industry, location, etc.).
See if they know of anything or anyone.
Most importantly, follow up!
At a temporary dead-end with
your current contacts? Make new ones. Go to networking events sponsored by your
university, industry, city, and so on. And look beyond traditional networking
events. Consider going to lectures, neighborhood council meetings, even
community bar crawls (go easy on the sauce). Each of these provides an
opportunity to meet people with similar interests, and you can
have fun in the process.
Again, follow up!
4. Freelance
Some job seekers are opposed to
anything that’s not a full-time job. If this sounds like you, it’s time to
change your mindset. Freelancing is a great way to boost your skills, resume,
portfolio, professional network, income, and confidence. Search for freelance
openings here.
5. Build An Online Presence
Get found online. Start a blog,
spruce up your social network profiles, create an online portfolio to showcase
your work. Find companies you’re interested in working for, subscribe to their
blogs, and follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Find decision-makers
at those companies and follow them as well. Learn what they’re talking about,
do a little research, and then engage with them online. Impress them with your
interest and insights.
Worst case scenario —
you’ll learn what’s important to them and use this information to customize
your application when a job opens up.
Better case scenario —
you’ll establish a rapport with someone who will recommend you for a position
and/or tell you about unpublished openings.
Best case scenario —
you’ll impress someone so much over time that they’ll create a job for you or
bring you in for an exploratory interview.
What are you doing to become
more hireable?
