Looking for a new job or contract can be tricky when you’re already in one but need to monitor the job sites and answer the phone during business hours. In fact it’s a real catch-22 that the best time to look and receive calls is during the day when the boss is looking over your shoulder.
That’s why you have to develop a stealthy system that will not only mask your job search activities from prying eyes but will also drastically minimise your search time by filtering out all the time wasters and no hopers.
Here are some sure fire tips to keep you from wasting precious time and improving your chances of getting something that makes you happy and ticks all your boxes – not to mention pays the bills …and then some!
1. Define your own strict criteria and stick to it – do not fall into the habit of applying to 150+ OKish jobs every day with the hope that the diamond in the rough is one of them. The vague job search to tons of untargeted roles leads to low morale which shows and has a negative affect when you talk to recruiters.
Get targeted and specific and - most importantly - excited about the roles you do apply for.
2. Get jobs by email to cut down your search time – filter them into a special folder or even to a special email account.
3. Create an easily modifiable email template for quick copying and pasting to roles that fit your criteria if using a web based account.
4. Create several resume and cover letter templates for the different variations of roles that are in your defined criteria. Modifying them to target individual roles will be quick and easy if you do this.
5. Put your phone on silent and create a professional sounding voicemail message explaining that you ‘are either on the phone or with a client right now’ requesting contact details so you can call back immediately. This shows good work ethic and professionalism from the first impression.
6. Don’t answer calls unless you can – you’ll give the game away if you duck into the stairwell every 15 minutes even if your phone is on silent, take an opportune break and a pen and paper then call back your leads.
7. Don’t give the name of your current employer – especially your boss. Agents have been known to phone them up asking them if they need help filling your soon to be vacated role!
It can be very awkward looking for a job whilst in a job. But the fact is that you need to on top of the job sites during the day so you don’t miss out by not being an early bird when the best roles are advertised.
These simple 7 steps will help cut your search time in half while making sure no one is any the wiser. They will also go toward marketing yourself as a business savvy and highly professional candidate who we all know are the ones employers prefer.
Getting the role that makes you happy and pays the best isn’t hard to do as long as market yourself professionally. Do that and your phone will be ringing off the hook – so you better have a good strategy to deal with it!
Peter Webber is the author of the FREE IT Job Seeker Guide which teaches job seekers to market themselves professionally and become preferred candidates as just part of a highly effective step-by-step job search system that is proven to get results.