Effective Job Search Planning Strategies Can
and Will Impact Your Ability to Accelerate the Job Search Process
Job searching in Las Vegas can be
a frustrating and complicated process. Many job-seekers assume there
are only a few ways to find a job, and often times they only try
one or two of these methods.
Many job-seekers are very ambitious
and will try every job search option imaginable, but may still have
unsuccessful results. Using only one job search strategy will severely
limit your options.
However, using four or five of them
simultaneously with a focused strategy can mean the difference between
getting interviews and being passed up for interviews.
Despite many futile attempts by persistent
job seekers to land a job, there are effective job search planning
strategies you can follow to significantly increase the probability
of landing meaningful employment in Las Vegas and throughout Southern
Nevada.
The solution is to use more than one
job search strategy. This way you cover many different means by
which you can position yourself for the interview, while still devoting
enough time to each strategy to get results.
Also, you should choose strategies
that have a higher probability of being successful.
Some strategies may seem easier to
implement, but if their chance of producing results is too low,
you'll be wasting your time.
With job search strategies, successful
results are directly proportional to your level of commitment, timing
and follow through.
It's a known fact that job-seekers
in Las Vegas who use more than one job search strategy and stick
with their job search longer are much more likely to land a job.
75% of job-seekers who use only one
method of job searching will usually abandon their search during
the second month.
20% fewer people abandon their search
that quickly when they use two to four strategies. Also, people
who use the most effective strategies are proven to have over an
80% success rate in finding jobs.
Here are simple steps you can use to accelerate the job search
process:
Choose your strategies.
Always choose multiple strategies
simultaneously. There are many to choose from and here are a few
we recommend:
- answering newspaper ads
- picking up the phone and contacting (non-gaming companies)
- tapping into the Las Vegas Job Resource Directory
Remember this; don't just answer
ads in the Las Vegas Review Journal. Look into ads in professional
trade journals that match your field.
You can also use the Internet to find
job sites on which you can post your resume. Use less traditional
methods, as well!
Inquire, in person, at any workplace
that interests you, or look through the yellow pages to find them
and call them up directly.
Don't forget to let the word out that
you're job searching to friends, family, former teachers and professors,
and former employers.
Ask questions and take good notes.
If there's a job you're interested
in, or a place you'd like to work, but you're not sure how to get
into the position you want, ask around.
Friends, family, former teachers and
co-workers can all be a wealth of information.
But don't stop there! Consider doing
face-to-face information-only interviews at the organizations you're
interested in.
Also ask around about hiring agencies
to find out which ones in Las Vegas have produced the most results
for people you know.
Email us for more information on our
strategic partners.
Make a plan and act on it.
Make yourself a day-by-day plan for
places you'll contact, resume posting websites you'll submit resumes
to and employment agencies you'll visit.
If you know of any places at which
you're interested in working or agencies that you've heard produce
good results, put them on the plan. Every time you discover a new
place to investigate, put it on the plan.
Far too many people become over-focused
on using the newspaper when there are companies in Las Vegas looking
for you.
The key is to not over-focus, but
to focus strategically on your plan and act on it consistently.
Budget your time and use it wisely everyday.
Once you have a plan, you can budget
your time to keep yourself on track and to make sure that you're
not devoting too much or too little time to any one thing.
If you only allow yourself so much
time to create a resume, so much time to do calls, you're much more
likely to stick to the task at hand and not let yourself become
distracted.
Always make sure that you prioritize
your tasks given the time constraints you're operating under. Far
too many people spend too much time in one area (i.e. reading employment
ads) and not looking elsewhere.
Take notes and use flash cards.
Whenever you call someone up, talk
to someone in person, or even see an interesting ad, take notes
on the important information.
Taking notes will help you keep track
of what to remember and what to follow up on.
A simple strategy you can follow
is to pick up a stack of 3 x 5 line- ruled cards and write the company
name on one side and then document important information chronologically
on the other.
If you have access to a computer,
use a contact manager program like ACT! or Goldmine to track contact
information on potential employers.
Change strategies if one isn't producing results.
Many people will put more effort
into strategies that have failed to produce results.
This is a waste of time and the very
definition of insanity! If you've spent two weeks on a set of strategies
and one or more of those strategies aren't showing any results,
switch those strategies to ones you haven't tried yet.
Some strategies may produce unacceptable
results and aren't worth your time. Also, some strategies work well
only in certain economic conditions.
Whatever the case, you'll get faster
results if you switch strategies when one is failing, rather than
trying to make the failing strategy work.
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