5 Job Search Basics So Simple, We Sometimes Forget

There is a small irony with job search tips and advice. There is plenty of it that we anxiously want to act on that we sometimes forget some of the more fundamental steps we need to take when considering career opportunities.

In this advanced digital era, a quick online search can lead you to a plethora of advice about how to find a job and get successfully hired.

Be it the “words of wisdom” posted by career “influencers” on social media, the various articles (yes, like those published here on Kalibrr) detailing what to do to get successfully hired in a specific industry, or even the advice we get online or in-person from our peers and mentors, there is never a lack of information that we can use in our pursuit of new career opportunities.

However, acting on multiple pieces of advice can be overwhelming, and at times confusing, as some advice completely contradict others. More often than not, in our anxiousness to find a great job and get successfully hired, we eventually neglect some of the more fundamental aspects of the job search.

Going back to basics can help you streamline your approach so that you can fly through the process… and limit the stress and time wasted trying to do too much throughout your job search and application.

Make yourself the obvious choice

Indeed, finding and applying to as many job opportunities as you can has become easier in the past several years due to the emergence of online job portals. What we tend to forget, however, is that this advantage is afforded to almost everyone else. Applying may indeed be as easy as a click of a button, but we now also have to contend with hundreds of other applicants who’ve done the same.

It’s best to remember that as you submit your applications online, these will more likely be screened first by a system. In the case of Kalibrr, Artificial Intelligence is used to match your skills and qualifications with that which employers have listed on their job posts. Afterward, the first actual eyes who view your resume will then be HR executives who, despite their own expertise, may not understand all of the nuances of the role which you’re applying for.

It is then advisable to make it simple for both man and machine to align their “this is who we need” with your “this is who I am and what I can do”. Be mindful of the job descriptions and other available information on the roles you want to apply for. Are you mirroring the words and phrases the recruiter/s use? Do you highlight your strengths which are paramount to the jobs they offer? Line it up. Then line it up again. And line it up some more.

Your resume, or job search account info, aren’t tattoos

In line with making yourself the obvious choice,  it’s also important to remember that your application information or documents are not tattoos. In no way are these permanent, and you should always consider adjusting your information so that you are better positioned as a direct match for a particular role/ you apply for.

Treat your resume, together with your Kalibrr and LinkedIn accounts, as live documents that are always subject to change. As you gain more skills and experience, you’ll be changing and updating your career information anyway. Feel free to modify wording, switch around key terms, and swap bullet points in and out, changing as much as you need as you apply for different opportunities, without falsifying any information.

If you happen to be already employed but are actively looking for new opportunities, be mindful of your different accounts’ privacy settings. Make sure it’s not set to broadcast the constant changes to your profiles that you will make unless you are okay with colleagues or bosses getting an inkling that you are looking for new opportunities elsewhere.

Your clothing impacts your thinking

As you eventually get invited to a job interview, surely one of the things that will come to mind is what you’ll wear. Conventional wisdom says you should dress up for that meeting, but keep in mind that you are not just doing this to send a message to your potential employers, but also to yourself.

Dressing well is important for your confidence and sense of self-empowerment. One study found that clothing style influences cognitive style, and that professional attires increase abstract thinking and give people a broader perspective. So that coat you want to wear but feel like it might look a little overbearing? It might also be what switches your creativity on, which if in a creative field, would be great to have at a job interview.

With that, you do not need to wear a suit or corporate dress each time. Like with how you present yourself online and on your resume, you can adjust this to better position yourself as the ideal hire. Have you ever noticed how U.S. President Barack Obama addressed working-class Americans with no coat and his sleeves rolled up? It was to silently imply that he knows how to work hard like they do. With potential employers, research their work-culture, and mirror this by not just dressing up, but dressing well.

Don’t limit yourself to online applications

As effective as a platform like Kalibrr is in connecting professionals to meaningful employment opportunities and making the application process the easiest to do from anywhere with internet access, your career won’t move forward as quickly as you’d like if you limit your making job applications online. To accelerate the process, consider meeting recruiters in your industry of interest, as well as professionals within companies you want to be in.

Don’t know where to start? There are a variety of avenues where you can establish professional connections. Among the most overlooked are training sessions and upskilling classes. As you work towards increasing your capabilities and earning certifications, remember that those in the program with you are also professionals, with the likelihood of being in an industry which you can have a career in. Make the most of the opportunity you have by not only gaining new skills, but also new connections.

For a more direct line to new opportunities, you can also go the more tried and tested route of going to career events. Sure, while many of these feel transactional with mostly just an exchange of CV happening, there are also better ones where you not only get access to new job opportunities, but also get to meet and learn from leaders of different companies and industries.

Kalibrr and Future Proof will hold such an event called CareerCon. Scheduled for July 20, 2019 at Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, CareerCon is an event not simply for job-seekers, but for growth seekers. Leaders from various industries will speak at a number of conferences and workshops at the event, which will also feature a career mixer, all of which are ways for you to be in contact with many recruiters and professionals.

‘Thank you’s’ always matter

The job market is rather competitive, and every little thing you do while looking for new job opportunities can be the difference between failure and success. This includes thanking the people you’ve interviewed with or met at the previously mentioned skills training or hiring events.

Applying for work online is now easy, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to send thank you emails as well. As soon as you are able to access the internet after an interview or meeting, make sure you send your new professional contacts an email. Thank them for the time they spent speaking with you, whether it was in a job interview or a networking scenario.

Doing this allows you to stand out and be top of mind with recruiters, as you are showing how serious you are about your career or profession, and how you appreciate each career opportunity or connection that comes your way. In the instance that you are competing for a role with other applicants that have the same skills and credentials as you, the way you sincerely thank your interviewers may be what turns the tide to your favor.

Ready to find that dream job? Sign up at Kalibrr and be connected to thousands of employers, today!

Want to attend Career Con as a delegate? Click here to register.

Kalibrr is a technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, the company continues to attract the best talent from all over, with over 2 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients, and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

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