6 Effective Fast Job Search Tips

Effective Fast Job Search Tips

1. Journal

Our first fast job search tip is to journal. It’s best to do this ASAP after a layoff because you want to leverage memories that are fresh. What projects were you working on during the quarter? Document as many details as possible, even if you didn’t get to see the project through to completion.

Then, reflect on your work accomplishments from the previous quarter. What were your deliverables? Who were your stakeholders? Did you provide guidance to anyone in the C-suite? Did you have direct or indirect reports? Did you work cross-functionally? Did you learn a new skill or familiarize yourself with a new program?

Keep journaling quarter by quarter until you get to Q1. For many, Q1 is when performance reviews are delivered. Those reviews provide you with a snapshot of what your wins were for the previous year including things you excelled in that may have not been on your radar. You are going to need all of this information for tip #2 in your fast job search.

2. Leverage a Resume Writer

If you were laid off and received a severance package, check to see if it includes career support through a 3rd party vendor. If it does, you’re in luck because it most likely includes resume writing services at no cost to you.

This next tip for a fast job search seems like a no-brainer, but some people don’t act on it: leverage the resume writing services provided in your severance package. Even if you think your resume is okay, run it past the experts who review and re-write dozens of resumes a week!

Take all of the pre-work you did in tip #1 of your fast job search and include those notes with your resume, for integration. Whether it’s a few hours or a few days later, you should receive an updated resume from your resume writer.

Now, you don’t have to accept all of their suggested changes, but at least hear them out when they tell you why they feel something should be added or omitted.

It’s a great opportunity to have a dialogue to help you understand what will help you stand out from the crowd. And when you’re trying to conduct a fast job search so you can land a job quickly, you’ll want to stand out.

Pro Tip: Use that updated resume as your jumping off point for optimizing your LinkedIn profile.

3. Sign Up for Job Alerts

Signing up for job alerts seems like a no-brainer for a fast job search, but it made the list because ‘where’ you sign up for job alerts, is the key.

But first, do yourself a favor and create a new email address just for this purpose.

If you’re looking for a fast job search in tech, sign up for job alerts with Otta. This platform features everything from tech startups to tech giants and provides key information like number of employees, amount of funding, how the company makes money, insights on company performance, the level of experience the role is requiring, salary for the role, and how responsive the company is when receiving applications.

You start off taking a quiz which will match you with relevant roles. And every day thereafter, your matches will be emailed to you. If daily emails are not enough and you’re really trying to expedite your fast job search, you can always log-in and review the jobs that were just posted within the last hour or so.

To speed up your fast job search, sign up for Glassdoor jobs. Oftentimes they post jobs sooner than those found on Indeed, LinkedIn, or similar sites. They provide a company summary, number of employees, and reviews from current and former employees, which you can filter by location, function, etc.

Though they offer an ‘easy apply’ option, it’s always best to apply directly through each company’s website.

4. Be Seen As an Expert In Your Field- Part 1

Another tip to help with your fast job search is to be viewed as an expert. In order to be viewed as an expert, you want to possess a significant amount of knowledge about a particular topic. Then, share some tips that will leave people wanting to learn more.

There are a couple of different ways to go about this. For those who want to build upon their foundation of knowledge, check out the endless supply of courses on just about any topic on LinkedIn Learning or YouTube.

There are a couple of ways to get a LinkedIn Learning subscription for free. If you are a library card holder, check with your local library to see if they offer free LinkedIn Learning subscriptions.

If you are enrolled in college/university, check to see if you automatically get a free subscription as an active student.

If your knowledge is solid, check out the website respondent.io to share your expertise with businesses (and be compensated for it).

Respondent is a website that is filled with survey opportunities. The time commitments and compensation are clearly listed at the top. These companies are looking for experts in every possible area – electricians, painters, software developers, financial planners, childcare providers, recruiters, and more!

You can sign up for surveys that require a Zoom interaction, or sign up for surveys that require no interaction at all. Upon completion, you’ll get compensated within 8-10 business days via PayPal.

5. Be Seen As an Expert In Your Field- Part 2

Have you always wanted to be featured in magazines/other publications but never knew how? HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a platform that connects journalists with subject matter experts. The journalists are working on a story and need insights from people with your expertise.

Requests for experts are emailed to you three times a day and if it is something you are familiar with, you’ll pitch the journalist via email. If selected, they will email you back with more information.

In exchange for your help, they will use your quote in their story and include a link to your website. This is a great way to showcase your expertise by being featured in publications like Forbes, Yahoo, Business Insider, and more!

Terkel and Qwoted are other platforms that are similar to HARO, just not as popular. They still get the job done and can get you published with less competition when it comes to pitching.

6. Be Seen As an Expert In Your Field- Part 3

If you’ve always dreamed of being on TV, this next tip is for you. TV producers are always looking for their next guest, so it’s up to you to let them know that you exist.

But don’t just send them an email and expect to be booked immediately. You need to have a strategy and what better way to learn the ropes, than from an Emmy-award winning producer?

Log into Facebook and request to join the Facebook group, ‘Get Featured on TV! (For Entrepreneurs, Influencers & Industry Experts)’.

The producer, Tara, provides helpful tips on how to build connections in the media, how to select topics to pitch, how to perfect your pitch, and so much more! She don’t waste time with fluff so get ready to take notes!

If being a guest on a podcast is more your speed, you need to get connected with someone who hosts a podcast. If you’re a mom, you happen to be in luck. The Facebook group, Boss-Moms, frequently has requests for Podcast guests. Just do a search for ‘podcast guest’ once you’re in the group and go from there.

There are also other Facebook groups specific for podcast guests, such as ‘Podcast Guest Collaboration Community’ where hosts and guests can connect.

Once you have committed to sharing your expertise, it’s just a matter of selecting what channel you’ll use. Whatever you decide, getting your name out there and building your portfolio, will help you with your fast job search.

Final Thoughts on 6 Fast Job Search Tips

When you go through a round a layoffs, you’re probably focused on one thing: conducting a fast job search so you can land your next role quickly.

We’ve shared six strategies to help you do just that. We covered the purpose of journaling and leveraging your severance package benefits to signing up for job alerts and positioning yourself as an expert in your field.

When you put these strategies designed for a fast job search in play, you are setting yourself up for success. Now all that’s left to do is snag that perfect job that’s waiting for you!