The Official Blog of Benifys HR Solutions

The job loss scenario that triggered off in the wake of a very in-your-face recession and dwindling bottom-lines is no news to anyone. There are a lot of people out there (trust us on that) who wish to find a job for themselves, or maybe, are just looking for change but really have no clue where to start. Here are some simple tips to get you up to speed with your job hunt endevor, including links to required tools and resources.

Design a good resume

This is a no brainer actually – all the recruiters are online these days, so if you ever hope to be picked up, not only do you need to have an updated resume, but it should also stand out in the midst of all the sea of resumes (like “I can haz potential”) recruiters have to deal with everyday. Microsoft provides a very nice collection of professional resume templates, cover letters et al for users of Microsoft Office Suite.

If you simply can’t make a resume yourself, request a friend or hire a design professional to make one for you – you will not regret the money spent on it. Once this is done, post this resume to all possible job search engines, like Monster, Naukri, Times Jobs, Yahoo Job Search.

Company Websites

Visit companies that require the kind of skills that you carry; you would usually find a ‘join us’ section which has a searchable database of the current openings or just a list. Reply to these openings showing your interest and competency for the job. If you feel a little daring you can even ask the operator to connect to someone in the Human Resources, even if they don’t have a suitable opening at that point of time, you will gain visibility and the next time they need a person for a matching profile, there’s a higher chance that you might get a call.

Hint: Send a follow-up mail right after you have spoken to the recruiter, this shows professionalism and increases your recall value.

Search. Search, Search!

You need the job, right? Then you have got to be proactive about it, while the traditional way of posting your resume is one of the most effective ways to get hired, it is still a passive activity, wherein, you have to sit back and wait till the time you get a call. Besides doing the usual search on job search engines mentioned above, go a step further and join HR groups on the internet, engage in conversations, try to find region specific jobs boards like Craiglist and e-classifieds. Basically do whatever it takes, Google is always a good point to start your job hunt, use keywords like jobs, find a job, job search, employment, etc.

Join professional networks

Make a good LinkedIn profile, import your contacts and add your connections to build your own network. Recently a study revealed that a person with 30 or more connections on LinkedIN is 34 times more likely to be offered a job than a person who has 5 or less connections. A lot has been said and written about the use of twitter as a recruiting tool, but frankly, it has still to gain the critical mass here in India to be of any practical use. Some other professional networks that a lot of Indians use are Silicon India and Peer Power. These networks may be in their infancy in the Indian scenario based on the usage, but things are changing fast and you wouldn’t want to miss the train.

Further Reading and Tools:

How to use the internet in your job search

Using the internet to find a job

Step by step automated resume creation and uploading on Monster

Related posts:

1. Ace That Interview (By Not Doing This)
2. The five difficult types of people at work and how to deal with them
3. Engagement vs. Satisfaction Survey
4. 7 ways to optimize your recruitment process
5. Social Networking And Recruitment