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.