4 Unconventional Job Search Strategies
Do you feel like you have done everything to find a job, but you’re still jobless for weeks or months? That might be because you are only trying the traditional job search strategies such as applying mainly through online job boards. No matter how perfect your resume or cover letter, you might be nevertheless having very low application to interview conversion rate. After going through this painful process for months I have discovered that job boards are the most non-effective way to find a job, especially if you don’t have a large network. If you want to find a job in this age of crisis and competition you’ve got to go off the beaten path.
In this article I will introduce some non-traditional job hunt strategies, which will help you find a job faster.
1. Attend Virtual Job Fairs
Before the COVID-19 pandemic you might have attended career fairs and you probably know how effective they can be. You could simply be interviewed on-site and receive multiple job offers after attending just one career fair. Somewhat less effective but still pretty worthwhile are the modern day online career fairs. You can find those kinds of events on Eventbrite, where you can search for job fairs in your local area and for your specific industry. Even if you don’t find a job after attending a career fair, you still get the chance to network with people and know the companies, which are currently hiring. You could then gradually build your network within those companies and if an opportunity comes up on their Linkedin page, you could ask for a referral and boost your chancing of landing that job.
2. Find the Company then Apply for the Job
If you know your industry or you have the list of companies where you want to work then you should apply directly on their careers page. Many companies don’t post their job listings on major job boards and thus the only way to know if they are hiring is to go to the careers page on their website. If you don’t know which companies you want to apply at then you could search for fast growing companies within specific industry on Crunchbase. After creating your list of companies you should visit their careers page on a regular basis and apply for the jobs that fit your profile. Make sure you apply for recent jobs, since many companies have month-long old listings, which they forget to remove. Many companies have internal recruiters, which are a lot more helpful than those who find you on job boards and start spamming you with endless emails and phone calls with no results. If you apply directly through company’s website you will get calls from their internal recruiters, which are more likely to get you through the interview process.
3. Finally Make use of Social Media
Yes, social media can be useful sometimes. You can use Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin to search for jobs. Just type “hiring <position name>” and search for posts. Don’t forget to filter by dates to see the most recent posts. You will be amazed how many real people post about real job openings and how much more real it is to find a job this way compared to Linkedin job search or any other job board.
4. Find a Temporary Part-Time Job
If you have exhausted all possible ways of finding a job and nothing seems to speed up this process then you might want to find something temporary and non-related to your career until you find the perfect job. The method I am going to tell you is very easy and very effective. By using this method I have found jobs within 1 week three times in my life as a student. Just open google maps or yelp and find small businesses in your city. These can be restaurants, ice cream shops, learning centers or small family owned stores. Find their phone number and call their owners. You could also just visit the owner or manager on site. Tell them that you are looking for a job and chances are they will invite you for an interview. Many small businesses don’t have any specific hiring strategies, but they constantly need new employees, which they usually find through word of mouth or by random people showing up and asking for a job. This method was extremely effective before the pandemic, but it still might be effective depending on the industry. You won’t earn a lot at these kind of jobs, so if you want to save some money on gas then try to find a business within a walking/biking distance from your home. Don’t forget to continue searching for jobs related to your career while you work part time.
Conclusion
It can be tough nowadays to find a job, but you should never give up. Always explore and try to find new methods. Attend events and get advice from your friends who are also searching for jobs. Network with people in your industry. Work hard, think outside the box and you will get there eventually.
