The Placed Guide to Planning your Job Search in 2022
Happy new year everyone! There’s no doubt that a new year brings with it renewed energy and the sense of a fresh start. So we’ve got something for you in order to take advantage of the motivation – the ultimate guide to planning your job search in 2022.
1. Revise your online presence
When’s the last time you updated your online profiles? Be sure to think back on any experiences you’ve gained, skills you’ve picked up or things you’ve learnt. Not only will employers obviously want to see this, but it can be a feel-good boost to mark down what you’ve accomplished!
Don’t forget that updating your preferences for your perfect job is important too. If something’s changed about what you’re looking for, change it on your profile too to maximise the chances of a job offer most aligned with what you want.
2. Figure out what you’re looking for
A lot of exploring career options is about finding ways to gather the right data. That is: learning about, experiencing and feeling out different roles and industries to see what calls to you.
Placed has loads of great resources to discover new brands, industries and knowledge that will arm you in your job search. It’s difficult to know if you’d definitely like a role before starting, but the insight offered by employees who work in those roles is the next best thing!
Not sure what it is you want to do in the long-term? That’s perfectly okay – the only thing you need to figure out is what you want to do next, and what you hope to gain from that. Do your best to give yourself options – a Plan A and Plan B – so that if one direction doesn’t work out, you have others to experiment with.
3. Use your network
Networking doesn’t necessarily mean entering a room full of professionals. A great start is to just talk to people in your life about your job search! You’d be surprised what insights and opportunities those you already know may have to offer.
They may know friends in the fields you’re interested in or they may have once been there themselves (many people go through a range of jobs throughout their lives). Conversation is the simplest and easiest way to expand your network.
Of course, in the age of the digital, networking also lies at your fingertips! Follow accounts on social media that talk about the industries you’re eyeing up. Join groups to spy opportunities and ask questions. In fact, Placed has its very own Facebook group for jobseekers which you can check out.
4. Create your elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is a useful way of honing in on exactly what it is you’re looking for and why you’re a good match for that. It is effective because you only have a short amount of time to explain this (the length of an elevator ride) meaning the pitch must be clear and simple. If you think about it, we do elevator pitches all the time when we attend job interviews.
So try it! Pitch to yourself for no longer than 20-30 seconds. Include what role you’d like in what industry, and what would make you an asset to that role and industry. If you’re stuck, ask friends and family what they believe your strengths are – get to outlining what it is that makes you you in the workplace!
5. Plan a targeted job search
The internet is vast. If you’re searching online, it may feel like there are so many jobs out there whilst simultaneously none at all. For this reason we would 1. advise you to take regular breaks (more on self-care later) and 2. plan a targeted job search.
The idea is to put your priorities in order. Start by filtering just for your ideal job, and get clear on what those parameters are for you. Be specific – you can always broaden your search later. Apply for those best fit jobs first, even if those are only a few. Next, broaden your search by just a little and repeat! This will make your job search much more efficient.
Placed makes this easy with our filtering system, and the ability to apply in one tap!
6. Set goals for applying to jobs
If you’re goal-oriented or have a habit of hopping on the procrastination wagon (no judgement here), it can be useful to set some aims for yourself. This could be to apply to at least 2-5 jobs this week, to spend an hour each day on your job search, or to check your Placed App each morning with breakfast!
7. Find a mentor
Finding a career mentor might be an entirely new concept to you, but it’s well worth the thought! A career mentor is usually someone who is in the position you hope to have in the future, or similar. This person can give you valuable insider knowledge, help you apply for jobs, give you interview practice, tell you what pitfalls to avoid and generally encourage you to chase your dreams!
Read more about the benefits of having a mentor and how to find one.
8. Take care of yourself
It might be tempting to throw all of your time and energy into jobseeking, but the truth is taking some time away from your job search to recharge is necessary, and will only help your progress.
Take a look at our blog post on how to manage your mental health while looking for a job.
9. Know when to use SMART goals and when to use broader goals
A lot of you have heard of SMART goals before. SMART goals stand for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals.
For example, “I will apply for 3 waitressing jobs by the end of the week.”
This goal is a SMART goal because: it’s specific, you can measure its success or failure, it’s reasonably accomplishable and it has a deadline.
SMART goals are praised for how effective they are, and with many things, it’s true! But with some of life’s bigger themes – the ones relating to values, feelings or ideals – a goal is allowed to be a little vague.
For example, “I’d like to have a job that leaves me feeling fulfilled at the end of the week” or “My life goal is to have a career that pays for the things that are important to me”.
The key is to know when to be precise and when it’s okay to leave things a little blurry. Life can be unpredictable at times! Whether we’re clear on our path or not, we’re all taking things one step at a time.
So having a sense of our more internal goals can help guide us to what naturally resonates with us. It’s important to stay in touch with our intuition when we’re uncertain or life doesn’t go the way we’d planned. This way, when the right cord is finally plucked, you’ll hear it.
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