As a job seeker, it can be challenging to land your dream job because of how ruthless the job market is. New college graduates enter the workforce every year to create more competition for your ideal employment opportunity. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and technological advancements have brought about new types of jobs and better ways to discover lucrative career opportunities. Business owners now offer the option of remote work, hybrid employment, full-time freelancing, and traditional on-site work experience. Some of these options were not massively available before 2020.

These days, to land a comfortable job, you have to stand out in the job market because you risk being drowned out by people who are more prepared and ambitious than you. We now live in an attention economy where a qualified candidate who markets themselves will get the job over you if you are not efficient in your job search.

Many young jobseekers facing this reality turn to LinkedIn to build profiles and hope that a business owner will find them. While some people get jobs this way, the vast majority do not. Instead, their profile ends up as one of the many million undiscovered pages on the platform. To avoid situations like this, you can sign up on one of the LinkedIn alternatives to stand a better chance of securing your dream job. One of these alternatives, Lensa, is a job search platform that uses artificial intelligence to pair career professionals with business owners that need their services. The following tips can help you improve your performance in the job market.

Upgrade your skillset

Business owners are always looking for the most qualified candidate they can find. It would be best if you always strive to improve your skill set. You can do this by attending training and workshops, taking online courses and certification exams, and participating in other relevant activities that can boost your credentials.

You should always update your resume so employers can find out about your new and improved skills. Whenever you submit a job application, your resume is the document that will speak about your career experience and job suitability, so ensure it is prepared to a high standard.

Be specific about the job positions you want

Even though you have a diverse skill set, decide the exact job position(s) you want to apply for before entering the job market. This will narrow your job search to firms that specifically need what you are prepared to offer.

Without this preparation, you might be tempted to apply to every job you have the skill for. This might seem like a wise decision at first, but it will make your applications appear generic as you will spread yourself too thin. Stay focused on a particular set of job positions and craft your applications to suit the job responsibilities of those positions.

Look for variations in job titles

Certain jobs have different titles, and inexperienced job seekers might unknowingly pass on their dream job because the job vacancy ads they see do not have the exact job title they are looking for. You should research the other names your target job position goes by to know the keywords to use to look for it. This will help you discover more job openings than you thought were available.

Filter your job search results

While you search for job vacancies on LinkedIn, Lensa, and other career-centric platforms, use search filters to your advantage. Streamline your search results to show jobs with specific criteria. For example, if you want a job for lazy people, you should only select the filter for remote jobs. This will display only the jobs that you can do from your home.

Filtering by job location is also important, as getting a new job causes significant changes in your life. Unless you are willing to relocate, it would be best if you narrow your job search to places close to your home.

Identify specific companies you want to work with

While preparing to enter the job market, make a list of companies you want to work for. Visit the websites of these companies to see all the vacancies they have. Note that some companies recruit on social media. Visit the social media profiles of the companies on your shortlist to see if they are actively hiring.

Some companies outsource their recruitment campaigns to agencies. Therefore, you should search job boards for the names of your shortlisted companies and explore the opportunities there.

To know what it is like to work for these companies, research them on websites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn. During this research, you will find out their values, pay ranges, and what past employees have to say about their working conditions. This information will let you know if working for them is a good idea.

Always check your email

Make it a habit to check your email at least twice daily while actively applying for jobs. If not, there is a chance you will miss an interview invitation or a request for further information on your credentials or availability to resume work. Communication is vital, and since you are likely not the only qualified applicant, quickly responding to business owners’ emails might make you stand out from the other applicants they are interested.

Ensure business owners can find you

If you have valuable skills, business owners might reach out to you first. Make yourself more marketable by putting your credentials where they can be found easily. Many business owners use LinkedIn to search for industry professionals, so you can create an account there to show what to have to offer. This is particularly useful if you have passed the entry-level stage of your career.

Take time to create a complete LinkedIn profile. List the companies you previously worked for, and outline your job responsibilities in detail. You should also list your certifications and get your industry contacts to provide LinkedIn recommendations. All these will pique a business owner’s interest and make them approach you to discuss the prospect of a job offer.

Endnote

Getting a new job is not easy, but you can increase your chances of quickly leaving the job market with the above-mentioned tips. You will get the job your skills deserve if you are qualified, diligent, and hardworking. Lastly, prepare and conduct yourself properly in front of business owners when you are invited to interviews. Not doing so can nullify all the efforts you have put into trying to get a new job.