Don't wait for opportunities to come your way. Go out and create them!
When looking for a job, you can either decide to apply passively to vacancies that are published, or you can hunt actively by going out there and pushing doors to create opportunities for yourself.
There are different ways that you can initiate opportunities. For example, engaging with relevant people who know about the industry in which you are interested or attending professional and social events.
Let’s delve into these now!
Have a Proactive Approach to Applications
Many small and medium-sized companies prefer to post job openings exclusively on their corporate websites rather than on national job boards, LinkedIn, Monster.com and the like.
This approach means that relying solely on national job boards may cause you to miss out on these potential job opportunities. Therefore, adopting a proactive approach by researching companies in your area can be highly beneficial. Here are steps to take when using a proactive job search approach:
Research Local Companies: Explore companies in your area that align with your career interests and goals. Visit their websites and navigate to the Careers section to discover any open positions or opportunities to submit your resume.
Match Mission and Goals: Before submitting a spontaneous application, ensure that the company's mission, goals, and culture resonate with your aspirations, skills, and values. Understanding these aspects will help tailor your application materials accordingly. The companies you are researching may have job openings that suit your profile. If they do not, this doesn’t mean they will not be searching for a profile like yours a few months down the line, so do send a spontaneous application.
Customize Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight relevant experiences, skills, and achievements that align with the company's industry, culture, and job requirements. Use keywords and phrases from the company's website or job description to demonstrate your fit for the role.
Craft a Personalized Cover Letter: Use your cover letter as an opportunity to craft a compelling story. Explain how you discovered the company, what attracted you to it, and why you admire its projects or missions. Showcase your genuine interest, insight, and understanding of the company's development and how you envision contributing to its success.
Highlight Relevance: Emphasize in your cover letter how your skills, experiences, and aspirations align with the company's needs and objectives. Demonstrate how you can add value and contribute positively to the company's growth and success.
By adopting this proactive approach and customizing your application materials to showcase your alignment with the company's mission and goals, you can capture the recruiter's attention and increase your chances of success in securing opportunities with companies that may not advertise widely on national job boards.
Attend Job Fairs
A job fair is an organized event where employers gather to meet and interact with potential candidates for job opportunities within their organizations. These events are designed to facilitate networking, recruitment, and hiring processes.
Job fairs can be conducted in various formats, including on-site or virtual settings, and they are typically open to jobseekers and students at no cost.
The key aspects of job fairs include:
Recruitment Opportunities: Employers use job fairs as platforms to showcase their company, job openings, and recruitment needs. Jobseekers can explore various career opportunities and engage directly with hiring managers or representatives.
Networking: Job fairs provide valuable networking opportunities where candidates can establish connections with recruiters, industry professionals, and potential employers. Building relationships during these events can lead to job leads, interviews, and career insights.
Information Exchange: Attendees can gather information about companies, their cultures, job requirements, and application processes. This helps candidates understand specific roles, company expectations, and industry trends.
Workshops and Seminars: Many job fairs offer workshops, seminars, or panel discussions covering topics such as resume writing, interview tips, career development, and industry insights. These sessions provide valuable learning experiences for jobseekers.
Career Exploration: Job fairs are beneficial for students, recent graduates, and individuals considering career transitions. They can explore diverse career paths, industries, and companies in one place, gaining insights into potential career trajectories.
When attending a job fair, it's essential to have a strategic approach:
Before the event
Research the different companies attending the event so that you can identify the companies that interest you.
Prepare multiple resumes so that you can hand them out to the companies that interest you. By putting them in a plastic file or folder, you can hand over a clean copy.
Remember that you are representing yourself as a professional, so dress the part. This doesn’t mean that you need to wear a suit and tie, but dress smartly so you make a good impression.
Prepare your 30-second pitch to engage the recruiters: Who are you? What are you currently doing? What are you studying? What are you looking for?
During the event
Identify the employer stands that interest you. You may have to line up if there are a lot of attendees interested in working for the company. Be patient, and why not engage with the other candidates to widen your network of professionals?
Be direct, clear and engaging. The recruiters will be seeing many candidates on the day, so you want them to remember who you are. Tell a good story about your achievements and skills.
Don’t leave empty-handed: Make sure you collect the business cards of the employers to whom you have spoken, since you will want to follow up with a thank-you email attaching a copy of your resume just in case.
If you don’t get the opportunity to speak to all the recruiters, be sure to have collected relevant information to be able to reach out to them after the event. A business card or brochure will do the trick.
After the event
Send thank you emails to all the recruiters and attendees you engaged with at the event.
Look up the employers on LinkedIn and invite them to connect with you. You can remind them that you met them at the event.
Follow up with a request for an interview to exchange and learn more about each other.
Your Turn!
Start by looking for job fairs in your area. You will be able to “google” them. Most of them are free if you are a jobseeker or a student.
Reach out directly to the Talent Acquisition team of the organizations in which you are interested. You can hunt them down on LinkedIn and ask if you can join their network.
If there are companies of interest in your neighborhood, you can hand-deliver your resume which will give you an extra opportunity to engage with the staff and find out more about job opportunities and the people you should contact.
Even if they aren’t currently recruiting, talent acquisition and HR managers are always interested in connecting; Who knows? An opportunity may arise in the future!
Let's Recap!
Not all vacancies are posted on national job boards.
There are multiple ways to create opportunities to find jobs :
You can find job openings on companies’ own websites, as not all vacancies are posted on LinkedIn and other job boards.
You can use the proactive approach to send applications.
You can connect with HR managers and talent acquisitions managers via LinkedIn.
You can attend job fairs and job matching events
By approaching job fairs strategically, you can maximize your opportunities, expand your professional networks, and increase your chances of securing interviews and job offers.
Now that you have completed this course, you should feel more confident in preparing for your apprenticeship job search. We wish you luck in your endeavors!
