If you are starting out the new year feeling discouraged by the dismal results of your job search efforts, don't be so hard on yourself.
There are several factors that directly determine whether you will have a short or lengthy job search cycle - of course, you have to keep in mind that our overall economic slowdown has added several months to the job search success of even the most qualified candidates.
A) Your skillset and qualifications
Whether you are looking to transition into a similar position in the same industry or completely change careers, your related skills, qualifications and education will impact how fast that transition is made.
-- Are you lacking any of the key skills that employers are looking for in a candidate?
-- Are your existing skills and areas of expertise above average or exceptional?
-- Are there new certifications, training programs or degrees that you need to make yourself more marketable?
B) Direct functional and industry experience
Your attractiveness and value to employers will be higher if you have a significant amount of experience in your target field. In addition, if the field that you are targeting is rapidly growing and expanding, your chances of finding a new position will dramatically increase with an aggressive job search plan.
-- Do you have the required numbers of years' experience that employers and recruiters are actively seeking?
-- Are you considered an expert in your field or have you helped to train or mentor others?
-- Did you conduct extensive research on your target companies to clearly understand what they are looking for?
-- Beyond your list of target companies, have you considered their competitors as possible employers?
C) Multifaceted job search strategy
No matter how experienced and effective you are, unless you have a plan with clear, measurable steps, you can keep going in circles with your job search efforts. Be specific about the type of role you want to play in an organization, decide on the size of the organization, narrow down on geographic location and even the corporate culture.
-- Have you identified key players in your target industry who can offer direction or a word of advice?
-- Does your job search strategy match your career situation? In other words, are you limited to your search efforts to online classifieds when hiring decisions are always made through recruiters?
-- Are you maximizing your time by only attending networking events or participating in activities that would benefit your job search efforts?
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