Job hunting can be exhausting, especially if students are unsure of how they should be approaching the process. The Globe and Mail recently outlined the best practices for finding and applying for positions, as well as going through interviews and meeting with prospective employers. Students who are currently considering entering the workforce or looking for a job can consider taking advantage of a few tips to help navigate the complicated world of choosing a career.
Before Starting the Job Hunt
Every job search is like a marketing campaign of a student's own skills and worth. A platform should focus on relevant experience and qualities a worker would like to use in their career, with each application framing those characteristics in the context of the job in question. A medical office assistant, for example, would want to highlight their organization and communication skills.
Workers also need to gain supporters for their efforts. Whereas a political campaign may be seeking voters, future employees should be looking for mentors, teachers and co-workers who can vouch for their work ethic and skills. The material that students come up with to support their job search, whether it be recommendations, resumes or examples of past work, should all be a part of one cohesive image they are trying to project. Deciding what this image is beforehand can help workers create their employee profile.
Managing the Search
The job search itself should be set up as if it was a career path. Candidates should wake up early and have a to-do list or goals for the day. Setting up a quota or goal for a certain number of resumes or applications they want to send is a good way of monitoring progress, and waking up early to make the most of the business day is an easy trick to get as much done as possible.
"I can tell you that I've called many candidates at 11 a.m., only to hear their sleepy voice at the other end of the line," recruiter Julie Labrie wrote in The Globe and Mail. "While there's nothing wrong with sleeping in per se, it doesn't project a professional profile to a prospective employer."
Finally, students should be constantly searching for ways to improve their job search. Interest from employers can be used to measure success, even if it doesn't result in a hire, and those results can help to revamp and grow a profile that can eventually begin a career in their chosen field.
Education is also useful on the job hunt. Career training programs like the Medical Office Assistant program at Reeves College use hands-on training to help students gain the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in their chose career fields. For more information on the program, fill out the form on the right.