What is the On-Purpose Job Search?
Applying certain strategies helps to ensure that your job search is effective and not a complete waste of time. When you have a plan in place, you can avoid “spinning your wheels” so to speak, wasting time with jobs that you are either not a good fit for, or that are not a good fit for you. The “on-purpose” job search means targeting your search to those jobs that are suited to your expertise and career goals.
Unfortunately, many applicants do not realize that by organizing their job hunt, finding the right career is a much faster process. By eliminating those jobs that are not suited to your preferences and talents, you can quickly find the job you want without wasting your time.
How can you search for the right position “on-purpose”?
Begin your search with those companies or organizations you feel are targeted to your job criteria. A little research will go a long way toward determining whether the company is the right fit for you, before you waste your time preparing a resume and interviewing.
How can you research?
Go online to the company’s website to learn more about their values, impact on the community and mission. See if you can find any press or media coverage on the company in order to get a feel for how the organization is accepted by the public.
Ask around to see what, if anything, friends, family members and other acquaintances may know about the company, and their opinions if they have any.
Sometimes the best way to know if the job may be right for you is to simply go with your gut instinct. Can you detect at least a measure of enthusiasm or interest about the company or job?
Once you have performed the research decide what you feel about the company. Are their values and goals in line with your own? Do you find that your views and values are not in accordance with those of the company? If you do have that “feeling” that it is the perfect fit for you, carry your enthusiasm through in your resume and cover letter.
Tips for streamlining your job hunt, making your “on-purpose” mission successful:
- Before drafting your resume and cover letter, jot down a few notes about yourself to help remind you what your career goals are.
- List your qualifications, including skills you have acquired while employed at previous jobs.
- Target those companies that are in your market who offer employment that closely matches your skillset and achievements. Identifying the companies that are looking for candidates with your professional and educational background will help ensure your energy and time are directed in a positive, productive manner.
- Selecting the industry most suitable to your capabilities and skills is crucial; you also want to make certain that your experience and knowledge meets the level of that required by the company.
- Once you know precisely which industry is a good fit and what companies in those industries meet your qualifications, values and visions, you can spend productive time creating a resume that is tightly targeted to those job positions.
Knowing all you can about a company or organization and whether those companies fit in to your idea of the “perfect job” makes all of the difference in finding a job you will love without wasting an enormous amount of time and energy.
By being proactive and taking an “on-purpose” approach in your job hunting efforts, you will find that you feel far less stress and pressure, and that you avoid being hit with that hopeless feeling half way through your job search.
ISGF is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All rights reserved. Copyright ISGF 2019-2020.
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