Searching for work is a full-time job, especially if you are invested in finding not just a job, but the right job. Further, effective job search involves using multiple strategies concurrently, focusing the bulk of your efforts on what is most effective.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.
There are thousands of job boards and job search engines, making it easy to believe that responding to online job postings is the best approach. However, it is estimated that up to 65% of jobs are never advertised, so you should spend no more than 35% of your time responding to publicly posted job ads. The bulk of your efforts should be spent cultivating relationships with important contacts, using your network to gain access to what is commonly known as the hidden job market. All the jobs that are available, and filled, without ever being posted. Employers prefer to leverage their networks using grass-roots methods like word-of-mouth to find candidates; not only is this more direct and less costly, it also reduces risk.
Accessing this hidden job market means approaching your job search differently. It is building and maintaining a network of meaningful contacts, showcasing your talents and optimizing your profile on LinkedIn and other relevant sites, using professional associations and even volunteer opportunities effectively, and engaging in informational interviews/discussions to learn more about the work you are hoping to find, and to further expand your network.
This section of the Yorkville University Career Portal offers resources and strategies and outlines the services we provide to help students find work in their field.
Searching for work is a full-time job, especially if you are invested in finding not just a job, but the right job. Further, effective job search involves using multiple strategies concurrently, focusing the bulk of your efforts on what is most effective.
