Job Searching: Matching Yourself to the Job

Posted By AnuSiva on February 9, 2009

The recession has hit a number of people hard and you would do good to hold on to the job you already have even if you’re just about surviving there. This is not the time to quit. But if you’ve just been relieved of your job or been given the pink slip, then job hunting is of course the only course open to you.

With hundreds and thousands of people on the hunt for a job, it’s not going to be easy finding one fast. But if you remember a few key things, then the whole process of job hunting will be easier.

First of all, you need to be very, very clear on what you want. What kind of a job do you want? What are the reasons you are job hunting for?

If you’re changing jobs, think with great clarity about why you want to change jobs. Are you looking for a promotion? Have pay cuts in your old job been too much to handle? Are you looking to pursue further studies to help you get a better job on completion of the course?

Get your goals very clear. If you don’t have clarity of thought, get professional help. Even if it costs you dearly, it will be worth it as it’ll pay rich dividends in the long run. You need a good resume. And you need to begin targeting your resume to search openings on job boards, newspapers classifieds, consultants etc.

When you find the appropriate job or one which you feel is right for you on a job listing, your first task is to highlight the qualifications desired for the job. Then you need to find out exactly what your duties would ensure or what is expected of you, the potential job candidate.

Every match should be listed in your resume as a key-word. This is very important. The idea is to get your resume fine-tuned to match the requirements as closely as possible. The more closely your resume matches the job posting, the more chances of you getting the job or at least getting an interview call. So pay great attention to targeting the contents of your resume to the requirements of the job posting.

But many have gone wrong by blindly writing down or listing certain key-words in the resume even when they don’t concur with their experience or ability. Don’t do that. The idea is to show your capabilities and your understanding of the job. It’s to show the experience you have garnered and which has to hold you in good stead for the new job.

You must include some key-words in your resume which reflect the colloquial industry jargon or parlance. For e.g. triage for nurses, Initial Public Offering (IPO), etc. Also use some phrases that specify your area of expertise like, capacity planning for chefs or if you’re in the marketing field make sure you use words like product launch, presentations, quality assurance and control etc.

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