Knowing how to find a meaningful job – and the best way to conduct a job search – can be stressful. Job searches involve pitching ourselves, and that’s a pretty uncomfortable process for most of us. And if you’ve been forced into the job search process as the result of a layoff or other event not of your choosing, you’re likely worrying about how long you’ll need to find a job and how to make ends meet while you don’t have an income, on top of the usual stresses that the process involves.
And, let’s face it, job searches often aren’t easy. The process appears deceptively straightforward, a linear path from application to interview to employment. However, the reality is far more intricate, involving multiple interconnected steps and continuous adaptation as potential paths fall away and your thinking about ‘what next’ evolves. To conduct a successful job search, you need to embark on a journey with the following phases.
How To Find A Meaningful Job
Looking Inward
Before starting your job search, crafting resumes and cover letters, or completing job applications, engaging in an upfront self-assessment process is essential to understand your career objectives and current standing clearly. This phase requires thoroughly examining your strengths, motivators and interests, values and personality, and desired work environment. Our PathWise colleague Heather Wilkerson calls this step “honoring where you are.”
- Begin by assessing your strengths, which encompass your accumulated knowledge and experience. Evaluate your skills, which represent the competencies you have developed over time. Additionally, scrutinize your innate abilities, those attributes at which you excel naturally. Various frameworks, like Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Framework, can be helpful in this evaluation.
- Identifying your motivators and interests is equally important. Reflect on the people you enjoy being around and what energizes you, both in and outside of work. Delve into your preferred activities, hobbies, goal-setting tendencies, and the individuals who inspire you.
- It’s also a good idea to pinpoint your core values. Rather than listing numerous values, consider selecting two, as recommended by expert Brené Brown, to serve as guiding principles for decision-making.
- Conducting personality tests, such as the DiSC or MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), can offer valuable insights into your unique qualities that significantly impact your suitability for different job roles.
- Lastly, determine the work environment that aligns with your preferences. Consider factors like working indoors or outdoors, company stage and size, the need for collaboration in groups vs. working independently, and your comfort level with routine and structure vs. ambiguity and change.
These self-assessment components serve as a crucial filter to guide your job search and exclude opportunities and companies that don’t align with your strengths, motivators and interests, values, personality, and work environment preferences. However, it’s essential to note that, as Herminia Ibarra suggests, finding the perfect job or career is not solely determined by predetermined traits and introspective analyses. Instead, it involves self-discovery through active engagement in various experiences and exploration of diverse possibilities in the real world.
Starting the Job Search
Now you’re ready to start your job search, and the initial phase is all about laying the groundwork. Make sure you’re clear on what you’re seeking, honing in on critical factors such as the specific role, industry, company, and geographical preferences. Beyond that, delve deeper into your other needs, like culture fit and career advancement opportunities.
- Needs: Determine your salary expectations, benefits, and preferred work schedule.
- Culture: Ensure your values, mission, work pace, and style will be aligned with those of prospective employers.
- Goals: Define your career growth and learning objectives, as well as the types of challenges that you’re seeking.
The Art of Outreach
Contrary to popular belief, job searching isn’t primarily about filling out online applications. Networking and referrals will play a pivotal role in helping you land your ideal job. Hence, you should allocate 80% of your time to targeted outreach and 20% to online applications.
- Targeted Outreach: Compile a list of companies that resonate with your goals and needs, and subsequently select your top ten. Connect with individuals at these companies through LinkedIn, alumni networks, or even cold outreach. Remember that making connections is vital, and people generally enjoy assisting those in pursuit of new opportunities.
- Tapping into the Hidden Job Market: Realize that most job openings never appear on public job boards. Be proactive in making potential employers and search firms aware of your profile, thus minimizing your reliance on reactive job searches.
- Streamline Your Online Applications: Make use of job search alerts on the various job platforms, and maintain a well-prepared resume and cover letter to expedite the application process.
Activating Your Network
It’s essential to leverage your network to secure introductions and interviews.
A key strategy is performing informational interviews (or just call them ‘catch-ups’ if you prefer). Arrange meetings with professionals who can provide insights about your target company, role, or industry. Come prepared with thoughtful questions, demonstrating your genuine interest and curiosity. Be sure to have a brief, compelling pitch about yourself and your unique brand.
After these meetings, send a personalized thank-you email. Keep the conversation alive by including calls to action and follow-up questions.
In the meantime, spend time on resume and cover letter preparation. Tailor your resume and cover letter to align with your personal brand and the specific company to which you’re applying.
Preparing for Interviews
When you reach the interview stage, preparation is critical to success. The following are some steps to help you prepare for interviews.
- Research: Investigate the company thoroughly, examining its website, press releases, reviews, and financial reports. Get current on their latest products and services.
- Learn About Your Interviewers: Familiarize yourself with the individuals conducting the interviews or those you would work for.
- Craft a Winning Pitch: Construct a concise pitch highlighting your top three attributes, supported by a relevant story showcasing your strengths and accomplishments. Explain why you are well-suited to the company and the role, and focus on what you bring to the company and not vice versa.
- SOAR Stories: Structure your stories using the SOAR framework (Situation, Obstacle, Action, Result). Provide context, describe the problem you faced, detail the actions you took, explain your thought process, and conclude with the end result and impact you had.
- Salary expectations. Be ready to discuss your salary expectations and other needs, such as schedule flexibility, benefits, and educational support. Too many people wait until late in the interview process to communicate these factors, but it’s better to do so early to avoid wasting time if there is no chance for alignment. Also, communicate your needs and wants with confidence. By doing so, you increase the likelihood that the company will accommodate you.
- Practice: Prepare responses to common interview questions, and compile a list of your own questions to ask. Use your own questions to demonstrate the research that you have done to learn about the company and your thoughts on the role and what would be required for success
- Follow-Up: Once the interview concludes, send a well-crafted thank-you note to your interviewer, expressing your appreciation, restating why you are well-positioned, and reaffirming your interest.
A successful job search is a multi-faceted process that demands a strategic approach. By taking the time to look inward, clearly defining your objectives, engaging in targeted outreach, leveraging your network, and nailing the interview process, you can confidently secure your dream job. Remember that the job search process isn’t linear, and flexibility and adaptability are your greatest allies. Embrace these steps, and your next career opportunity will be within reach.
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