Do you want to know how to find a job in 2023? It can feel overwhelming to search for a new job or career path. Between updating your resume and cover letter, building and leveraging your professional network, to sharpening your interview skills, there’s a lot to focus on all at once.
Step One: Reflect
The good news is that you don’t have to do everything at the same time. A great place to start your job search is figuring out what type of job you are targeting. If you’re not sure, I suggest taking time to do some self-reflection. What are your top interests, strengths, and personality traits? How do those factor into your next job or career path?
Step Two: Research
Have you done any research? Checking out career information databases like O‘Net and the Bureau of Labor Statistics provide information for specific career paths like work tasks, education & training, skills and interests, and salary information. Reading about careers of interest will give you basic information and will allow you to figure out if you want to explore a career path further.
Step Three: Network
After doing some initial research, I recommend talking to people in your personal and professional networks. Studies show roughly 80% of jobs are never listed! That means you need to learn how to tap into the hidden job market. Networking is your first step.
To begin building and leveraging your network, start on your personal social media profiles. For example, on Facebook or Instagram, you can send a message to your contacts, writing something like “I’m looking to get into XYZ field and am looking to network with professionals in this field. If you have a connection and wouldn’t mind introducing me, please DM me. Thanks!”
In addition to tapping into your personal network, it’s also helpful to reach out to your professional networks on LinkedIn and other professional networking sites. If you’re not on LinkedIn, I recommend creating a profile. It’s free to use and you can import your email lists and join alumni and industry groups to start building your network.
Step Four: Do Informational Interviews
Once you’ve got a profile on LinkedIn, you can search for professionals working at companies of interest. You can send them a connection request and personalize it if possible. For example, “I noticed we both attended the same college,” or “I saw on your profile that you work in XYZ field like me. I’d love to connect!” Once you’re connected you can ask for an informational interview, which is a short conversation where you can ask questions about a company and industry.
Step Five: Get experience!
Start applying for jobs. In the meantime, you can also submit your resume to temp employment agencies. Temporary or contract jobs allow you to make money while you’re searching for a more permanent job, and these jobs can often turn into full-time, salaried positions. Plus, it’s one more position you can add to your resume!
In Conclusion
When you break the process of finding a job down into simple, small steps, it becomes much more manageable. Good luck in your search and remember to celebrate the small successes along the way (hey, you read this article – that’s a big first step!).
