Ten Steps to Job Search Success

In order to ensure that your job search is a success and that you find the dream role you are looking for, you need to create your own Personal Marketing Plan and Toolkit.

Don't know where to start?

Here are the key steps to help you get started:

Ideally you should try to complete or start each step before you start actively looking for a new role.

Much of what you need to do, you may already have done, such as preparing your CV and deciding what you want to do, but it a good idea to get most of these in place before you begin your job search in earnest.

Step One: Know your skills, strengths and weaknesses 

Skills = something we are good at. Otherwise known as abilities, talents, competencies or just plain experience.

Are your skills transferable? What can you add to a new role? What are you naturally good at? Where are your skills gaps – do you need to upskill?

What role-career can you move to with your skill set and talents?

Step Two: Decide what you want to do, who with and where

What is your future career plan and strategy? Where do you want to be in the future?

Will a new career meet your vision of the future? Do you have a plan or strategy?

Step Three: Develop your Toolkit and keep it up to date

Just like any other toolkit, your Job Search Toolkit contains all the tools and resources you will need to find and apply for role.

It should include your CV, copies of any blogs, articles, books and presentations you have done, documents highlighting your recent achievements and a list of the CPD you have done.

Step Four: Optimise your LinkedIn Profile

Your Profile can be a shop window to the world with great reach. Recruiters (and their AI bots) use it to find candidates so make sure your Profile is optimised to show the skills and experience you have for the roles you are seeking.

Step Five: Sort your networking strategy and programme

Your networks can provide you with a great deal of help and support in your job search so make sure you update all those that you belong to and start being active within them.

Step Six: Prepare your CV

Ensure it is up to date and reflects the role and career you are seeking with the right keywords and phrases to ensure the Hiring Manager (and AI) can see you are a suitable match.

Step Seven: Go find the vacancies

You can find vacancies everywhere including online, through your networks, being headhunted, through LinkedIn - it is all down to marketing yourself.

Step Eight: Prepare for Interview

Get yourself interview ready by anticipating questions you will be asked - and your answers, what to wear and what to say and navigating those tricky questions that you dread. 

Step Nine: Track, monitor, review and refine your job search

Set targets but be realistic as it may easily take 3 to 9 months to secure your next role. Track your applications and follow them up. Keep going!

Step Ten: Futureproof your career

Automation is here and will keep coming but there are some tasks that they can't do so make sure you are good at those. Upskill. Move to AI proof sectors. Develop your career portfolio.

The above is an excerpt from our latest book - Your Next Career: Developing Your Job Search Strategy & Toolkit available now on Amazon