Creative Ways to Enhance Your Job Search

Even with the countless options out there to assist you in your job search, it can sometimes feel like no progress is being made. Perhaps you’ve been hit with a streak of bad luck, or your resume needs to be fine-tuned a bit more. Whatever the case may be, it can help to try adding a few of the more unorthodox job search tactics into the mix. Today we are going to talk about some creative ways to search for a job that you may have overlooked.

Self-Promotion

Depending on your field, this could be a critical step towards finding the job you really want. If you’re trying to break into the field of your choice as a professional, but you’ve been practicing your trade on your own or you gained hands-on experience in college, you’re ready to start self-promoting.

Share your accomplishments on your social media accounts, start joining groups in your industry, and follow the companies you want to work for. Stay connected with your industry and share helpful tips or articles, regularly engage with other companies and professionals, and show your stuff. You never know who’s watching, and this sort of self-promotion is nearly essential if you’re in programming or software engineering, or if you’re trying to break into the creative field.

Lastly, a bit of advice on this one. Make sure your social media accounts are “safe” for professionals and companies to view. In other words, don’t engage in hot button topics or post anything that you think might paint you in a negative light. Have fun, but remain level-headed. Try to think of self-promotion as one component to your job search; it works best when combined with other tactics.

Build a Network

This is somewhat obvious, but there are aspects of building a network that many people may overlook. While it is important to establish connections with your colleagues, coworkers, and peers, networking is more than just clicking a “follow” button on your phone or device.

When networking, try to get creative. Seek out industry events to attend, go to local job fairs, and if possible, volunteer at such events. This will give you numerous opportunities to meet people in your industry and make new connections on a face to face basis. One might also be inclined to say that taking on an internship, whether paid or not, can provide opportunities to network, and in this case, one should be so inclined because…well, you know, for the purposes of this article.

Networking and self-promotion go hand in hand, and you could land a great new job just by simply asking around and meeting new people. In fact, this is one of the “old ways” of the job search, and despite what many may think, it is still as relevant and effective as ever.

Find a Mentor

This one can be a bit tricky in the beginning, especially if you have little to no professional experience; however, in time you will meet more seasoned professionals who can be an incredibly valuable resource for your job search. A good mentor is someone you can learn from, and who possesses their own vast network that they may allow you to tap into.

It’s important to make connections with people who are more experienced than you are, but you should also always trust your own instincts, as they will sharpen in time. More often than not, it is relatively easy to spot the people who truly want to help you in your career, as they will always be on the lookout for new opportunities for you. Your mentor just might have a lead for your next great job!

Industry-Specific Job Boards

There are many industry-specific job boards available on the internet, and they seem to get buried by the countless Indeed clones that are out there. These boards are where companies post openings for specific roles, and the competition is often more intense than what you’ll find on other online job search platforms; however, the reward of attaining a job in your field by using one of these boards is quite a thrilling prospect, to be sure.

A quick search can point you in the right direction. Examples of industry-specific job boards are Mediabistro and JournalismJobs for designers, writers, reporters, marketing types, or business development, and Dice and Gun.io for tech jobs such as programming, software engineering, and web design. Keep in mind that some industry-specific job boards will require you to take skill assessments, so don’t go in all guns-a-blazin’; have a plan and be deliberate about it.

It can be disheartening when your job search feels sluggish or stale. If you’re not getting the amount of responses you want quickly enough, try adding some of these new tactics into your job search arsenal. Not only will it provide a fresh perspective and a bit of variety for your search, but it will greatly increase the probability of getting a really great job.