Emurse

So you’ve quit your job. What do you do next? Hopefully you have another job lined up, but that’s not always the case. If you’re about to gear up for a job hunt, we’ve prepared a short guide to help offer up some advice and a few things to think about.

Begin with an evaluation of your values, interests, skills, accomplishments, experience, and goals. This will help mold your resume to get a job that is satisfying and fun. In addition, if your values, skills, accomplishments, experience and goals are broad but could be grouped together, create more than one resume tailored to each group/industry or for specific job(s). Values make up things such as job security, working as part of a team, working independently, making a contribution, etc. Interests make up areas that arouse your attention or enthusiasm, they’re closely related to values and frequently trigger skill development. Skills are things you do well, including handling problems or tasks. Recognize your skills verbally and in writing, while keeping in mind that transferable skills are key ingredients (these are skills which are marketable to a wide variety of work). Describe these skills in concise, unambiguous terms. Also, behavioral traits are how you handle work assignments. Employers sometime like to ask how you handle stress or work under pressure. Be prepared with these behavioral traits for potential employers (usually just verbally).

Next, research employers and career options that match your values, interests and skills. Determine some career options you are most passionate about. To help narrow your career options, review job postings and see what interests you. Another way to determine your options and objectives is to figure out what job titles you want to pursue, what kind of employer you want to pursue, and a geographical location you want to work. You can also ask other people about their careers or jobs this is called Informational Interviewing. Information interviewing is a way to investigate a specific career field, assist in narrowing options, obtaining advice, learning the jargon, and broadening your network of contacts for future reference. It can also create a strategy for entering your field of interest. When researching employers use resources such as annual reports, directories, trade associations, newspapers, fellow professionals, competitors, public documents, and research executives. Also, attending career fairs is a great way to research employers and career options. What you’ll gain from career fairs is hiring trends, skills necessary for different jobs, current/future openings, salary, benefits, training, and other information about the organization, and who to contact for follow-up discussions.

Once you’ve determined your career options, target those related employers and job listings with a resume tailored to each employer or job listing. Emurse is a tool designed to help you create and maintain multiple resumes and will make the task super easy. In addition, include a cover letter tailored to these employers or job listings, briefly highlighting your skills, values, and interests related to the job and employer. Contact the employer directly by email or mail with your resume and cover letter, followed by a phone call.

Continue job searching online and in print (newspapers, newsletters, etc.). As far as online job searching, jobs.emurse.com is a good start. The hidden job market is another great place to pursue (these are positions that are not advertised). This is done by contacting companies that match your values, interests, and skills. Contact them by sending your cover letter and resume to the human resource department, managers and through your network. Your cover letter and resume again should be tailored to the employer and your related career/interest. The other hidden job market is through networking with friends, family, classmates, professors, business associates, neighbors, etc. These individuals are people that can give you an inside edge to your interested industry. Stress that their job is not to find you employment, but to help you collect information or carry out certain tasks.

Apply for employment and send your resume and cover letter to the person who has the power to hire you. Document all the job listings and employers you contact. Be detailed with what you send, when, to whom, any notes related to the employer, and the job listing you replied to. This helps when a potential employer contacts you, you will have reference material you can look back on. Emurse has a great documentation feature (it’s under Resume >> Distribution function).

Hopefully with the combination from above you will be contacted by an employer for an interview. Be prepared to ask questions yourself about the position, ask how you would carry out responsibilities of the position, and discuss how you have been of value to other employers. Inquire about the qualifications for the position and then discuss how you can meet those criteria. After having enough information about the position, determine what your salary requirements are (employers sometimes ask to be sure you’re in the same ball park). After your interview send a thank you letter, and follow up with a phone call if you have not heard back within a week.

If things went well with the job interview then you may be offered the position, take your time to decide if this is the right fit for you (no more than a week usually). There may be situations where you want to be sure the salary is up to industry standards, or your own standards (don’t forget to include benefits). Also, while you’re thinking about accepting, another job offer may come in. On the other hand, if you were rejected from a position, send a polite thank you letter, and let them know you would like to be considered for future positions (include a brief statement of your employment value and how it can be of use to the employer).

Save all your receipts from things like employment and outplacement agency fees, resume services, printing and mailing costs of search letters, want-ad placement fees, telephone calls, travel expenses, including out-of-tow job-hunting trips, because these are all tax-deductible.

Be persistent! Finding a job is a full time job, so don’t get discouraged, and just keep at it! Don’t cut corners; spend adequate time on each job listing or employer. Have goals, be flexible and be prepared to pursue alternate options. Remember, employers are only looking out for themselves and specifically how the company can prosper as a business. Begin this process immediately, and don’t wait; getting hired takes some time!