5 tips to make job searching easier

Searching for a job can feel like a job in itself. It often requires a lot of time and energy before finding and getting that next opportunity.

While there’s no way around some parts of the job search process, there are ways to make it easier on yourself. Here are five ways to help make job searching simpler.

Utilize all your connections

One of the most valuable assets you have when job searching is your network of family, friends, and business contacts.

Most of your connections would be happy to help you find a job, and they may even be looking to hire someone themselves. Of course, it’s important to remember to be thoughtful in your approach and never expect or demand anything.

Here are a few ways to utilize your network:

• Post that you’re looking for work and detail what types of jobs you’re open to on social media and on your bio in your profile . Ask your connections to let you know of any relevant opportunities.

• Search potential employers on job networking sites and see if any contacts work there. If someone does, send a message simply asking them if they’d be willing to chat about their experience working at the company. After chatting with them, then maybe you can ask for help in getting a referral or connected to a hiring manager.

• Reach out to contacts that have similar jobs to those you’re seeking. You can message them asking to hear their experience getting that role and see if they have any advice to offer.

How to use your personal networks to land a job

Rework resumes and cover letters instead of starting from scratch

Many jobs these days require a resume and a cover letter, but that doesn’t mean you have to start from scratch each time.

Generally, you should have a resume and cover letter for each type of job you’re applying for (ex. one for administrative assistant roles and another for customer service) that you can then edit for each specific position.

However, be sure to triple check that you have all the correct info before potentially sending it out with the wrong company’s name.

While tailoring each resume and cover letter to the specific job you’re applying for, try to naturally use keywords from the job description throughout your resume and cover letter. This will help highlight why you’re a good match for the job.

Schedule a set number of hours each day with clear tasks

Job searching is tough and can often lead to exhaustion. One way to help with this is to schedule a set number of hours each day to work on looking for a job.

This can help you from feeling like the search is endless, and having a specific time to work on it can make you more productive. Mark the time off in your calendar to keep you on track, and you can even break the time you’ve allotted into specific goals.

**Here’s how you could break up your schedule if you had just three hours to dedicate to job searching: **

• 9am - 10am: Edit resume for Retail Associate position
• 10am - 11am: Edit cover letter for Retail Associate position
• 11am - 12pm: Submit Retail Associate job application and spend any extra time job searching

Knowing you have just three hours to get this done can help you stay focused and reach your daily goals.

[Read 3 tips to overcome job search burnout by clicking here!] (https://www.jobcase.com/articles/overcoming-job-search-burnout)

Set up job alerts

This may be obvious, but set up job alerts on multiple sites so you don’t miss an opportunity. This requires little effort and will help cut down on the time you spend searching for relevant job postings. Try to be as specific as possible when setting up a job alert so that it filters for both job type and location.

There are tons of job search sites, so first browse several and determine which ones tend to have the most job postings that match your skill set and interest. See if there are any for your specific industry or location as well. Top options include:

• Jobcase
• Indeed
• Monster
• CareerBuilder

Because some job postings may not make it to your inbox, you’ll still want to keep occasionally browse job sites.

Stay organized with a spreadsheet

While it may seem like more work to create a spreadsheet with all your job search information, it will likely save you time in the long run. Google Sheets is a free online alternative to Microsoft Excel, and either are great for organizing all necessary job search info.

Things to include on your spreadsheet can include:

• Company name
• Position applied to
• Name and information for hiring manager/point of contact
• Date of application
• Response
• Interview date
• Thank you note sent
• Status

What are ways you've made the job search process easier on yourself? Share in the comments below!