Job Search Motivation Tips

Introduction

Maintaining a constant level of motivation is the deciding factor to achieve success in the job market. It’s very easy to feel discouraged when a job application doesn’t work out, which is why I want to share these 7 steps to help you win your job search battle!

Step 1: Create a to-do list and not-right-now list

To-do list

Just because you are “unemployed” doesn’t mean you don’t have a job. Your job search has now become your full-time role. Divide your time up by setting achievable tasks day-by-day, or even hour-by-hour. Split your time between applying for jobs and promoting yourself, through blogging and networking. Becoming unmotivated starts with the feeling that you are not accomplishing anything. Start accomplishing small things today to sustain your motivation levels.

Not-right-now list

Your to-do list should be reserved for day-to-day activities. To avoid your to-do list becoming cluttered, place any longer-term items in a not-right-now wish list . List any opportunities you discover along your job search. Now is the perfect time to dream of where you want to take your career.

Step 2: Develop your self-brand

Personal branding starts with developing a self-marketing plan. This consists of:

• Defining your target audience – e.g. hiring managers, CEO’s, etc.
• Conducting a competitor analysis for inspiration – e.g. other job seekers, research job search tactics, etc.
• Developing a plan of action – e.g. blog, create a promotional website, create a video resume, etc.

If you are looking for a marketing position, show employers how well you can market yourself. If you do this well, you are effectively showing them how well you will market their company.

Start reading branding blogs, such as the Branding Strategy Insider, to gain inspiration and branding knowledge. Download e-books intended for a business and apply it to your own job search, as if you are a company. The main point here is to think and act like a company and you will stand out.

Develop a 2-3 line elevator pitch that best describes what you’re interested in and where you want to take your career. You can use this pitch at networking events. This is a great article on TechCrunch that describes how to develop a pitch. Just replace the word “company” with your name.

Step 3: Network

As well as establishing an online presence, connect offline with professionals in your industry. Networking events are a great way to meet top level CEO’s and hiring managers, that may be inaccessible otherwise. There are tons of free events in most major cities – check out Meetup.com or Eventbrite.com. Not only will this keep you motivated, but you will learn how to perfect your pitch. And don’t forget to bring business cards!

Step 4: Create a resume that stands out

It’s worth investing time into this. Recruiting managers like to be excited about passionate candidates they can bring on-board. Your resume should scream “please share me” to a hiring manager.

Step 5: Make your search inbound

Help employers find you through Google search results. There may be several hundred candidates applying for the same position, so you need to get noticed. The best way to get found is to build an SEO plan around your job search. Employers generally look to their own network, when they need to fill a role. If you are easily found through Google and social media and have effectively displayed your skills, employers may actually reach out to you before they advertise an available position. Companies have began to see the benefits of using inbound marketing. Just as marketing has evolved into inbound, so has the job process.

Where to start?

• Create a WordPress blog and start blogging about your industry to build your online presence.
• Do some keyword research and start registering for keywords.
• Sign up for a BrandYourself.com profile, to improve your search engine ranking. This website will teach you to manage your personal SEO.
• Read this blog post for ways to use inbound tactics to stand out in the job market.

Step 6: Be persistent

Always follow-up with jobs that genuinely excite you. Send a gentle reminder to the hiring manager asking for an update on the status of your application. Learn how to use LinkedIn in your job search.

The bottom line is to never give up trying. Yes, looking for a job is tough, and at times you may feel like it’s going nowhere, but you may be one step away from success.

Step 7: Balance between inbound and outbound

Although an inbound process is a better way to get noticed and is the future of job seeking, you still need to dedicate time to applying to jobs through job search websites. Balance your time between attracting people organically and applying for jobs.

Conclusion – Measuring your success

Be open minded when it comes to feedback. Use both negative and positive feedback to adjust your plans. Don’t measure your success by the amount of resumes you blast out there. Success doesn’t come from aimlessly sending out dozens of resumes, since most recruiting managers don’t have the time to read through the hundreds of resumes they receive daily. Once you know what type of position you desire, target your search to reach the eyes of people who can help you achieve this goal.

What’s next?

Do you need help with inbound marketing for your company?

Are you looking for the next addition to your marketing team? I can help bring your company up-to-date with SEO and social media. If my knowledge and blogging skills have impressed you, click here to schedule an interview with me. If you would like to learn more about me, click here.

Apart from my own job search experience, I gained some inspiration to write this post from this video by Brian Halligan:

4 Inbound Tactics to Help You Stand Out in the Job Market

Introductory

I have been in the U.S. for over 10 months now and have spent a significant amount of that time searching for jobs. I’m practically an
expert at being a prospective employee. One thing I’ve learned throughout this job hunting journey is that the traditional job application methods are no longer effective. Repetitively sending out a resume to dozens of potential employers is not only daunting, but also yields few results. It makes no sense to approach such an evolved job market in a boring, traditional manner.

From these experiences, I have discovered how to successfully navigate this competitive job market through these 4 steps:

1. Self-Analysis & Creating a Self-Brand

Start by identifying your core strengths through self-analysis. This could entail contemplating your past work experiences, asking peers what they think you do best, or even merely writing down your skills and passions on a piece of paper. It may take several months for you to be able to define yourself by a short pitch or a couple of adjectives, but by knowing exactly what you have to offer a company will make you a far more employable person. Defining yourself allows you to narrow in on your target job and prevents you from wasting time with companies that aren’t a proper fit for you. If you want to conduct this exercise more thoroughly, you may want to write up a marketing plan about yourself. To see an example of my rhyming pitch, click here to see my video.

After this analysis, take your pitch and descriptive adjectives that you’ve used to define yourself and turn them into your key messages for your promotional campaigns. This will become your self-branding broadcast through tools in the online and offline world.

2. Broadcast Yourself – Online and Offline Networking

We are entering into a new era where job applicants must now launch themselves into the job market in the same manner that a start-up company launches itself to the public. You must monitor and control all your public messages, much like a CEO monitors their own company. This step involves putting your marketing plan into action by broadcasting yourself using both online and offline methods.
Offline resources can take the form of attending networking events, to brainstorming various PR tactics to promote yourself. The key here is to merge both your online and offline efforts in order to properly engage your audience. Your goal should be to create remarkable content – i.e. content that others will remark about and share.

For online publicity, you can do so much more. You can advertise yourself through your LinkedIn page, Twitter, About.me, BrandYourself.com, WordPress, and through many other forms of social media – check out NameChk.com to investigate other forms of social media you can utilize.

Whatever you choose to do, try and make it original. When you devise an idea, research to see if anyone else has done something similar. Then, benchmark these “competitor” ideas against your own idea and combine the best attributes of each idea.

For instance, when I was initially applying for a position at HubSpot, I knew that I needed to stand out from other applicants after seeing Sam Mallikarjunan’s HireMeHubSpot.com Campaign. I watched Sam’s creative video, along with hundreds of other application videos, and sought out advice from my peers at networking events. By studying previously successful ideas, I developed a successful concept for my own video, which was extremely well received by the HubSpot community.

3. Reverse the Job Process – Get Found with an Inbound Approach

Searching for open positions can be time consuming and frustrating, let alone very old fashioned. Your time is wasted while waiting for a response for your application to be processed and it decreases your motivation at a time you need it most.

Reversing the traditional job process into an inbound job search allows you to “get found” by prospective employers, as you are filtering your search with positions that really interest you.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is your best friend when it comes to “getting found” on search engine results pages (SERP). The first step is to develop a list of keywords that best describes you and your desired position. Incorporate this list into your blog posts, LinkedIn page, tags for your videos, and basically any content that you publish online. This list will change over time so consider your keyword list making as an ongoing activity.

4. Be Persistent

Never doubt your abilities and never give up. Small incremental steps will get you to where you want to be. Think long term about your search: what you do now, no matter how small, will be part of the larger picture later on in your career search. I never gave up one day in my job search and I do not plan to now. Persistence helped me last Friday to meet my 2 heroes in marketing: Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah. And I feel that it is through this persistence that will eventually get me a job in the U.S.

My biggest piece of advice to anyone job seeking is to always put plans into action. It can be very stimulating to come up with a great idea, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking it’s far-fetched and never implementing it. If you want the job of your dreams, fit time into your schedule to create your own job campaign. Never write off your ideas as being “stupid”. It may be your craziest idea that gets you closer to your goal. But it is persistence that will help you to achieve your goal.

This has been just my experience and my thoughts on job seeking. Help other job seekers by sharing and discussing your job search tactics in the comments section below.

Do you want to know more about my efforts during my job search? Send me a message via Twitter (@wogandavid) or add me on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/wogandavid)