Your job search crash course this year.
Photo credit: Jay Huang
How to use this list
A job search tip a day keeps the recruiters away closer…
This isn’t a checklist.
Some of the tips only apply to job seekers of certain kinds, such as graduates, older job seekers and employed job seekers.
Put differently, no one should try to apply all the tips in one job search.
Instead, use it to create your own job search checklist:
- read through the list completely
- as you go, note the tips that inspire you most
- where necessary, click the links for in-depth explanations from some of the best job search bloggers and experts in the world
Free bonus: Download a categorized version of this list for easy reference, where I've highlighted effective tips that job seekers tend to not know.
So many job search tips…
- Don’t put off your job search
- Better to job search while you have an income
- Don’t get distracted
- Be a giver before a taker, you never know where it can lead
- The best networks really are built before needed
- Start by auditing your situation
- First decide what you’re looking for
- Focus on the right things
- Leaving options open makes you lazy
- Internal moves are smarter than job hopping
- Review which job search websites can help
- Find 10 people who have the job you want and model your job search on theirs
- Get career path inspiration by researching people on LinkedIn with your credentials
- Get career ideas by taking personality tests
- Get career ideas by job shadowing
- Get career ideas by interning
- Showing your skills grows self-confidence
- If you don’t qualify, don’t apply
- Note one thing you’re grateful for happening today
- Gather career materials before leaving a job
- Only approach recruiters when it’s relevant
- Don’t refer to yourself in the 3rd person online
- Have a daily routine
- Prepare stories for your job interview
- Ask 5 people who trust and know you about career path
- If you attract the wrong recruiters, your resume has the wrong content
- Bad Facebook and Twitter comments can haunt you
- Know how to correctly pronounce your interviewer’s name in advance
- Know when to talk salary first
- Use fewer pronouns (I,my,me) in your cover letter
- Make sure your resume is focused on your direction
- Aim for companies who hire by audition, not resume
- Don’t lie on your resume
- It’s ok to omit resume information that doesn’t help you
- React well to job rejection
- Reject recruiters well too
- Say the salary you’re seeking, not the one you’re making
- Your resume should not be a PDF, unless it’s required to be
- Before job interviews, practice walking into the room
- List credentials (PhD, MBA, etc.) at resume top
- Group barter hack to get a job with your friends
- Know how to find a hiring manager’s contact info
- Beware of suspicious companies
- Use personal business cards
- Relax more
- Learn to negotiate
- Older job seeker? Find a younger mentor
- Don’t make yourself look older than you are
- Pay attention to what you envy to discover work that you love
- Have a job? Always be prepared to leave
- Always be on time
- Learn how to strike up a conversation
- Use rejection-response letters
- Don’t spam hiring managers
- Highlight job duties instead of job titles
- Remember names, not just faces
- Call your alma mater’s career services
- Get attention with a personal job search website
- Search for recruiters before jobs
- Use Wordle to focus your resume
- Find leads via forum networking
- Follow job listing instructions perfectly
- Get a job search buddy
- Follow-up with your own contacts
- Know your competitive advantages
- Learn to think like a recruiter
- Aim for hidden jobs first
- Job fairs aren’t a waste of time
- Not every job fair is for you
- Talk job search at parties
- Avoid looking jobless
- Research companies on LinkedIn
- Leverage contacts’ contacts
- Being flexible opens you to more jobs
- Don’t print your resume at work
- Online resumes are trusted more
- Follow up post-rejection to learn from mistakes
- Keep a plain-text version of your resume handy
- Be a better listener
- Learn how to be creative
- Use guest posting to get exposure
- Blog your expertise
- Don’t look for a job, look for a company
- Impress employers by demonstrating skills they need
- Don’t make employers download your CV
- Be authentic
- Make eye contact often
- Don’t wait for job ads to appear
- Avoid job postings that look too good
- Use LinkedIn events to find networking opportunities
- Stand during phone interviews
- Use external recommendations in cover letters
- Add video to your LinkedIn profile
- Know the right way to email people for requests
- Address being overqualified before they ask
- Being first runner-up can mean being next in line
- Follow up later on recently-closed job openings
- Use a resume benefit statement if you have too much to list
- Talk to insiders before taking a job
- Stay in touch with ex-bosses
- Never say you’re perfect for the job
- Interviews are for you to show you’re perfect for the job
- If an interviewer tries to sell you on a job, let them
- Use positive words when making salary objections
- Prepare a cover story if you want to change careers
- Avoid recruiters that won’t forward job descriptions
- Prepare a “why hire me” story for interviews
- Don’t use your work email address
- Help other people find jobs too
- Look for ways to increase your perceived value
- Prepare a references list in advance
- Choose references who are ok to be contacted
- Prepare reference letters in advance
- Arriving too early is as bad as arriving late for interviews
- Use video to improve your interviewing
- Always bring a good mood
- Drive interviews to questions for which you have great answers
- Scan your resume files for computer viruses
- Show you have a proven success record
- The older you are, the more you need to be up-to-date
- In a recession, don’t read the newspaper
- At interview end, ask for the next steps
- Roles may take months to fill, so apply to older ads too
- Fully understand the contract before you sign
- Summer job search doesn’t end when summer starts
- Get your resume as close as possible to the hiring decision maker
- Only send updated resumes
- Bring resume copies to job interviews
- Bring resumes to job fairs
- Bring resumes to networking events
- Never badmouth anyone in interviews
- Less popular job boards mean fewer competitors
- Check resume links aren’t broken
- Use popular job boards to gauge demand
- Schedule interviews for time of day when you’re best
- Quantify your achievements as much as you can
- Be prepared to back up your resume claims
- Never say you’re “willing to do any job”
- Failing interviews doesn’t mean you’re a failure
- Job search doesn’t end with your interview
- Job search doesn’t end when you get an offer
- Always give companies the impression you’re interviewing elsewhere too
- If you blog about work, include it in your resume
- Move where there’s the most demand
- Put your LinkedIn url on your resume
- Job listings specify salary to filter out candidates
- Dress for success with colors you look good in
- Spend half your day looking, half your day improving your skills
- Choose references who have great things to say about you
- Aim to be referred internally
- Be gracious
- Know your compensation priorities besides salary
- Let companies bring up salary numbers first
- Tell friends about your job search
- Tell ex-colleagues about your job search
- Tell ex-clients about your job search
- Tell family about your job search
- Stay in touch with updates until you stop looking
- Volunteer your work skills to get experience
- Don’t flirt in interviews
- Keep your job search secret if you’re employed
- Use a dedicated job search email address
- Don’t use your personal email address for job search
- Respond to job ads with point-by-point cover letters
- Know your market value before talking salary
- Aim for multiple job offers
- Don’t send out more resumes than you can track
- Connect with targeted companies on social media
- Spellcheck your resume
- Get someone else to proofread your resume
- Get someone else to proofread your LinkedIn profile
- Only apply to companies you’ve researched
- Only apply to companies where you have the recruiter’s contact information
- Email recruiters with attention-getting subject lines
- Keep work jargon to a minimum for HR
- Remember names by using them out loud repeatedly
- Freelance consult on the side while looking
- Be ready to justify resume gaps
- Ignore spam titled “I would like to offer you a job!”
- Date your resume in the footer
- Treat job interviews like company consults
- Check if past bosses want you back
- Say you’ll follow up and do it
- Make a work portfolio
- Resumes should include language proficiency
- Mention having other offers when it’s true
- Ask for interviews in cover letters
- If you’re not a good fit, give the job lead to someone who is
- Ask recruiters for resume feedback
- Prepare interview questions in advance
- Practice with questions they’re likely to ask
- Follow online job search forums where experts hang out
- Include relevant keywords in resumes
- Answer one work-related question online per day
- Know your weaknesses
- Know your strengths
- Follow forums where industry recruiters hang out
- Don’t blast resumes
- Don’t use resume distribution services
- Use a job search organizer
- Don’t spam recruiters
- Ask people how they found the job you want
- One page resumes are best
- Exercise regularly
- Sleep well
- Chase stress with a good laugh everyday
- A cover letter’s goal is to get your resumes read
- A resume’s goal is to get interview invites
- The more targeted a message, the more likely to be heard
- Every time of year is job search time of year
- Job listing language is the one to communicate in
- Newly-funded startups tend to hire
- Venture capitalists can recommend you for their portfolio companies
- Don’t do free work as part of the interview process
- Job interviews are about how you can help the employer, not vice-versa
- Be careful when copying other people’s resume templates
- Do what you need to stay positive
- Only apply to companies you’re passionate about joining
- Keep track of your successes with numbers
- Include your best LinkedIn recommendation on your resume
- Know the signs of job search depression to avoid it
- Resumes should have no more than 3 font sizes
- The biggest text on your resume should be your name
- Google yourself before companies do
- How your name appears on your resume is how companies will google it
- Create social media profiles to improve Google results
- Use LinkedIn as your online CV
- Use Twitter to network and share advice
- Use Facebook to reach out to people after-hours
- Use Reddit to answer work-related questions
- Use Pinterest to pin images of your best work-related tips
- Use Instagram to show pictures of yourself in action
- Use YouTube to show yourself in action
- Use SlideShare to post presentations given in action
- Use Google+ if it’s popular in your industry
- Always follow up after interviews
- Always send thanks after interviews
- Follow up again later, such as when you have an offer
- Learn to recognize bad employers before applying
- Never include ‘references available upon request’ in your resume
- Sharing expertise online attracts jobs
- Don’t only job search online
- Don’t only job search offline
- Your resume filename should be Firstname_Lastname_resume.docx
- Store resumes online where they can be easily shared
- Keep resume copies on your smartphone
- Ask an ex-boss for a practice interview
- Never assume it was discrimination
- Use LinkedIn to prove if companies hire people like you
- Only apply to companies that have hired people like you
- Propose creation of a role by showing how much revenue you would generate
- Propose creation of a role by showing how much money you would save employers
- Be wary of signing anything that isn’t a contract
- Get help if you’re depressed
- Research companies by talking to ex-employees
- Keep in mind industry resume standards
- Talk with your partner before accepting anything
- Unemployment is not a good time to start a company
- Make your job search viral with a bounty
- Get inspired by guerilla job search tactics
- Free-to-post job boards are mostly worthless
- Persistence does pay off
- Don’t wait for recruiters to respond
- Get recommendation letters before your last day of work
- The best time to research companies is before applying
- Track resume views with tools like Yesware
- Interview dress should be one level above what employees wear in company photos online
- The moment you feel comfortable in a job is the moment to start thinking about your next one
- Mention your full-time availability in your email signature
- Mention your full-time availability on your social media profiles
- Never accept the first offer (really)
- If a company rejects you, ask them if they can refer you to partners or clients
- Resume testimonial > summary > objective
- Check company news headlines before applying
- Target no more than 5 companies at a time
- Join a job search club
- Your LinkedIn profile can include everything your resume couldn’t
- Optimize your LinkedIn headline to get more views
- Optimize your LinkedIn profile for referrals
- Take advantage of free job search consults for second opinions
- The more you target a company, the more likely you are to get their attention
- Do as many information interviews as you can
- Speak at industry meetups to gain exposure
- Speak at startup conferences to position yourself as someone to hire
- Treat recruiters as you’d like to be treated
- Plan to be in a quiet place for phone interviews
- Record phone interviews on your smartphone for analysis later
- Test your computer setup before video interviews
- Model your resume on a targeted company’s employees’
- Learn at least one new work skill for which demand is growing
- Volunteer your skills for organizations that might be able to hire you
- Aim to apply to as few companies as possible
- Use positive action verbs in resumes
- Show promotions on resumes
- Resumes should focus on achievements, not responsibilities
- Use Facebook Ads to target people directly
- Use Google AdWords to target people directly
- Manage your job search like a marketing campaign
- Look for ways to get around gatekeepers
- Ask your alumni association for help
- Ask chambers of commerce which companies are arriving and need to hire
- Replacing employees on maternity or sick leave gets your foot in the door
- Gauge skill trends with industry job boards
- Be polite unless being rude will help more
- Be someone people want to work with
- A resume hobbies section makes you relatable
- Prepare a 30-60 second elevator pitch
- Fax machines are barely used anymore but still checked
- Dumbing down your resume will make you bitter
- Consider adjacent roles if they’re more in demand
- Propose trial-by-freelance as an audition for both sides
- Target employees at companies that reward them for referring candidates
- Contribute content to a company blog or social profile
- Keep in mind teleworking and remote jobs
- Career changes are easier when employer-driven
- Ask for leads in non-work settings
- Ask recent hires what worked for them
- Ask recent ex-employees why they left
- Better to reschedule than be late
- If you’re going to be late, call ahead asap
- Keep video testimonials on your smartphone
- Warn references when you think they’ll be contacted
- Don’t answer when a recruiter calls unless prepared
- Always give supporting examples in interviews
- Only apply to companies you can legally work for
- Rehearse your interview stories to make them as compelling as possible
- Post videos of yourself in action
- Volunteer online by joining an active open-source project
- A good excuse to follow up is to confirm resume reception
- A good excuse to call a company is to check if an ad is still open
- Practice a winning handshake
- Be polite when you can’t shake hands
- Accept all interview invites so you can get practice
- The more leads you have, the less nervous you’ll be
- Quality of boss is most likely to determine quality of work life
- It’s ok to walk into a company and ask point blank about openings
- Look for ways to help a company before applying there directly
- Attracting job offers leads to better results than searching for them
- Do NOT vent online after a bad interview
- Use a creative resume as a way to demonstrate relevant skills
- Your personal website should showcase achievements while providing downloadable resumes and full contact information
- Never pay to submit your resume
- Managing an industry job board is a great way to hear of openings first
- Use Google’s Advanced Search to find job listings that have been buried
- Post a job wanted listing on Craigslist
- LinkedIn job listings signal if you’re connected to anyone at the company
- Stock screeners can tell which companies are growing
- Reply asap to any inquiries about your resume and status
- The interview starts when you arrive on site
- Use social media to teach recruiters how to hire people like you
- Network with industry recruiters online
- Network with industry influencers online
- Be someone that industry recruiters want to follow online
- Get a smartphone with a data connection so you can react quickly
- When asking for recommendations, provide a template to make responding easier
- The more placeable a candidate, the more likely a placement agency will help you
- Get a recruiter’s attention by helping them
- Ask friends to bring along relevant contacts for coffee
- Attend events to meet specific people
- Always personalize messages when contacting strangers online
- Send a recruiter a memorable gift
- Know your industry’s biases
- Ask random industry people out for drinks
- When thanking, gift > phone call > handwritten letter > email > social media message
- Learning to code is a hot skill in any industry
- Don’t give up
Free bonus
Download this list so you can print it out to keep it handy.
This free download contains:- All 366 job search tips listed above
- The tips have been categorized for easier reference
- In every category, I've highlighted effective tips that job seekers tend to not know
JobMob Insiders can get this free bonus and other exclusive content in the JobMob Insider Bonuses area. Join now, it's free!
Question of the article
Which tip surprised you most? Tell us in the comments.
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