Top 5 job hunting tips for landing the job position you want

Did you know that on average 118 people submit applications for every job opening?

It may come as a surprise, but according to a report on Forbes it’s true.

What this means is that each time you apply for a job, you’re competing with no less than 117 other applicants – some of whom may be more qualified than you, boast better connections in the organization, and even enter the race using the best job application strategies.

If you’re wondering why your job applications aren’t earning you any interviews, I guess you now know the reason.

But this doesn’t have to continue anymore.

Below are some of the best tips you can use to improve your job hunting process.

Ensure your resume is perfect

Remember, each time you’re sending out your resume for a job application, there are at least 117 more people doing the same. In order to beat these other guys, the first thing you need is for your resume to strike the hirer better than theirs.

And here is how you can do that:

Make sure your results are relatable: In most people’s resumes, what you commonly find are accomplishments and results that lack numbers. For example, someone might have in their resume “worked with the sales department to increase sales.” This sort of hook lacks uniqueness. For all we know, it’s normal for anyone working with a sales department to raise sales. A much better hook would be “worked with the sales department to increase sales from 75% to 120% in the space of six months.”
Create custom-tailored resumes: Every job position is unique in its own rights. As such, when you’re creating your resume, it should be tailored to the position you’re applying to. Never ever submit a generic resume. If you don’t know how to create custom-tailored resumes, you can check these premium quality resume templates for inspiration. Can’t afford those? Try these free resume templates instead!
ATS friendly: Most organizations these days now use the applicant tracking system (ATS) to scan resumes. This software weeds out any resume that’s not relevant to the information and keyword the company is targeting. To ensure your resume is ATS friendly, you can get a professional resume editor to format it for you.

Attach a cover letter

Even if the job advert you’re applying to didn’t ask you to send in a cover letter, put in an effort to create one.

Here are a few cover letter writing tips:

Highlight details missing from your resume
Be sure to find a contact person in the organization – someone to address your letter to.
Show your personality. That is, tell the hirer the kind of person that you are.
Showcase why you feel you’re a good fit for the job.
Highlight hat you feel you can bring to the table.
Use cover letter examples and templates

Network with people

Already by now, you most likely have a network of friends, family, and past colleagues from your high school and college days. If you don’t have any to talk to, go on platforms like LinkedIn and make new networks with people relevant to your industry niche.

These are the people you want to reach out to.

By simply drafting a message and sending it to your network, you’d be surprised at the number of opportunities you may likely find.

Remember that these people know people, and reaching out to just 10 of them could mean reaching out to a hundred.

Scour and search the internet

You can also get a job by scouring the internet. But when you do this, you really want to be smart about it.

Normally, where most people go to look for jobs are platforms like Ladder, CareerBuilder, Indeed, LinkedIn, LinkUp, etc.

The issue with platforms like these is that they’re often too crowded, and the chances of getting a job there are pretty slim.

However, you can boost your search by using the following tips:

Visit various government websites in your country
Look directly into the websites of businesses in your industry.
Check industry-specific websites (these are websites that publish updates relating to various industries). For example, for healthcare professionals, you can check sites like Nurse.com, HospitalCareers, MomMD, Health eCareers, etc.

Others include:

Double down on the quantity

One big mistake many job seekers make is getting discouraged and throwing in the towel on their job search once they apply for a couple of openings and fail to get a response.

I don’t think I need to remind you that the more jobs you apply to, the better your chances of landing an interview.

So, even though you may not be getting a response today, that’s no reason to give up. Instead, you want to double down on your job application efforts.

As a general rule of thumb, most experts advise applying to between 10 and 15 jobs weekly.

You may be interested in: “10 Top Tools for Revitalizing Your Job Search”