Congratulations! You’ve landed yourself a new job! You wowed them with your beautifully laid out CV, they loved your loquacious cover letter and couldn’t get enough of you in the interview. You accepted their offer and set off to work on your first day full of hopes and ambitions to boost the businesses success and build up your skills. But several weeks later, your initial drive has deflated. Like a helium balloon weeks after your birthday, you’re now metaphorically hovering several inches above the floor, not quite dejected but certainly not as enthusiastic as you were initially. You’re finding it harder to get out of bed every morning, and have begun to count down to five o’clock every day. You find yourself looking back at your old job – the one you hated - with nostalgia. Perhaps your new role didn’t turn out to be all you’d hoped for; maybe your ideas aren’t greeted with the same enthusiasm as you expected; you might not ‘gel’ with the other members of staff; the training and development that was promised in the interview hasn’t been mentioned since you started. But what should you do? Quitting this early on is not an option, you might be thinking. Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that this is just how it feels to be working full time, and once the initial excitement of change wears off all you’ve got to do is grin and bear it for the next fifty years until you can retire. Well, I’m here to encourage you to rethink. The first few months of a job are all about finding out if you fit in with the company, the type of work and the staff. If you find that any of these aren’t right for you, you have every right to pursue other avenues. Employers understand that there is a risk that the fit might not be right, and will most likely respect you for having the courage to speak up. You might often find that they have been thinking the same thing themselves, as they want to find someone that fits the role and is happy in their work. A lot of young people that are relatively new to the job market are afraid to leave a job early on for fear of seeming like a quitter. They worry that their CV will be compromised if they have string of short term job roles, and this often holds them back from leaving a job they are not satisfied with. They worry that the stigma attached to leaving a job soon after starting could hold them back in future interviews. Desire to build skills in order to improve employability is a big reason for staying put, as is fear of receiving a bad reference from a manager. There is also the nagging fear that you might not be able to find another job, and could end up unemployed for a long period of time. But these fears shouldn’t hold you back. Firstly, “Job hopping” as it is often colloquially referred to, no longer has the same stigma attached to it as it did a decade ago. Employers are more accepting of people who have worked numerous jobs in varying fields, and often it is seen as a benefit rather than a drawback, as it means you have most likely built a wider range of transferrable skills, and also shows that multiple employers deemed you good enough to work for them. You can work “job hopping” to your advantage at future interviews by explaining that you are keen to find a working environment that you fit in to in order to work to your full potential. You could explain that you wanted to try several career paths early on so that you knew you were making the right decision. For generation Y the desire to start a successful career is not as pressing as it was for their parents, so don’t dismay if you compare yourself to where your Dad was when he was your age – circumstances were very different then. As for worrying about a bad reference – employers aren’t legally allowed to give a bad reference, and if you worked hard and explained your reasons for leaving in a professional manner, you have no reason to fear the wrath of the manager you left behind. Lastly, the worry that leaving your current job could equal months of unemployment is of course a risk, but if you’re driven enough there is no reason you won’t find work, even in today’s uneasy job market. Sometimes risks need to be taken. Of course I am not telling you to hand your notice in tomorrow if you aren’t completely satisfied with their new job. There is always a learning curve when beginning a new venture, and learning new skills with people you aren’t familiar with can be daunting at first. Nor can many people truthfully state that they enjoy every aspect of their job; there will no doubt be some tasks that you dislike. The decision to quit should not be taken lightly. I would recommend looking at the job logically; if the cons outweigh the pros and you can’t imagine yourself working there in the future, it might be time to consider moving on. Quitting a job that isn’t right for you is a lot like ending a relationship you’re not happy with anymore. Why force both parties to put up with something they aren’t completely satisfied with for the sake of convenience? You are going to be working for a large percentage of your life, so finding a position that you not only enjoy, but that challenges you to learn and build new skills is very important. Quitting a job you aren’t happy with doesn’t make you quitter – on the contrary it shows that you have the courage and ambition to pursue a job that you really want, rather than settling for second best. You never know, there could be another more suitable job opportunity out there that you’re missing out on whilst dragging your feet to a job you don’t like.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.