How to Find a Job in 99 Days
The extended unemployment benefits are set to run out today, leaving close to 2 million people without benefits. Until now, the government was giving citizens an average weekly check of $302, with 99 days to find a job.
However, for millions of people that time frame was not enough. The reasons are not new;
- “I’m overqualified”
- “There are no jobs in my industry”
- “There is too much competition”
- “There is a prejudice to hire people who already have a job“
Understanding this problem and the tight time frame, I thought it would be helpful to provide some of the top methods, resources, and ideas for finding a “good job” in a 99 day time frame
Days 1-7
The first week of job searching you should clear your mind as best as possible and carefully consider your strategy, goals, and the tools you will need to land a job you’ll be satisfied with.
1. Reevaluate your career outlook: Sometimes losing a job can lead to even better opportunities. Take this first week to reevaluate what you want to do for a career, what you are exceptionally talented at, and what you are passionate about. This will give you a clear target to shoot for in your job search.
2. Create an updated resume: You need to make sure you have a general resume that is up to date and gives an overview of your previous jobs, job skills, accomplishments, and awards. You will modify this for each job you apply to, but you need a good foundational resume to draw from. Here is a good article for resume help.
3. Write down your job search goals: Are you going to apply for 2 positions a day? Are you going to bookmark a directory of qualified job search engines? How many people are you going to reach out to in your network to see what they may know about openings?
4. Make a job search to do list and calendar: The best way to get a satisfying job after a job loss is to be dedicated in consistent job search tasks. You should be searching for the job titles, industry, or skills you are interested in as well as applying to at least a few of them daily. As you conduct your search you will come across dates for various career fairs, make sure to keep a calendar so you can schedule these in as well as any interviews, networking opportunities, volunteer dates, and more.
Days 8-30
The first month of job searching is usually the most likely to produce results if you stay at it. Even in tough times of the economy, the first month of searching will usually prove the most productive, so use your best resources early. The goal of this time frame is to get the interview.
1. Inform your network: As soon as you know you need to make a career change or find a job, it is critical to inform your network. They may not always have a position available at the exact moment of need, but they will keep an extra ear open for opportunities. Not only do they have a better idea of finding a job that fits your skills portfolio, they also have a better chance of getting you that interview and referral. On average 20%-49% of new hires are from referrals. There are several ways to inform your network. Social media tools have given us a very easy way to inform hundreds. Let your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn contacts know you are searching. Don’t forget the power a phone call can have in landing a new job.
2. Set up your job search feelers: Job searching is very taxing, so automating as much of the work as possible will go a long way in saving you from any increased stress. Setting up Google alerts for your specific job title, position, and location can help you find the latest opportunities when they show up. Besides the career search engine giants such as Monster and Career Builder, there are several industry specific job search boards. I’ve found a lot of these by just searching in Google for the industry and then “jobs” or similar terms. DICE for example is a great IT specific job search engine.
3. Find the companies you are interested in working for: Many companies know about upcoming job opportunities months before they would post them online. Make an effort to search for companies you would be interested in working for that you know you have skills they would find valuable. For example, when I was looking for a marketing position I started by searching for local marketing firms. When I got to the site I looked for specific job openings, and if none were available I found a contact email to send my resume and a quick paragraph stating my interest in working with them and how my marketing background could be useful in their company. I got several calls from this that allowed me to find out if they were a good fit or not.
4. Work on your to do list: As mentioned earlier, there are several tasks that need to be done daily. You need to find new opps daily. You need to be applying for openings daily. You need to be reaching out to your contacts daily or at least update them on your search. People are more willing to help if they notice you are putting a decent level of work into it as well.
Days 30-60
By now you should have set up a few interviews or at least seen some interest back from some of the companies you are inquiring for jobs. If you have been consistent and still are not getting any opportunities, reconsider the jobs you are applying for. Does your resume reflect the skills specifically outlined in the job description?
Are you applying for something you are overqualified or underqualified for? If you’re overqualified, consider marketing yourself as qualified, but not extremely beyond the skill set necessary if this really is the job you want. If you are underqualified, see if there is a common job title just below the one you are seeking. It will be easier to find a job when you are underemployed then unemployed.
1. Prepare for interviews: Many people are excellent of getting lined up for an interview, but find themselves staring at their phone afterwards hopelessly waiting for a call back. There are some essentials that can make a major difference. You must always come dressed in your best. You must always know a good minutes worth about the company you are applying for. You must always have some examples from your own experience about leadership, success, adversity, and adaptation. I highly recommend Googling interview tips or common interview questions so that you look confident when that interview comes up.
2. Step up the search: If the first month left you dry for interviews, now is the time to double your search efforts. I highly recommend finding industry related clubs you can join. These are full of like-minded individuals that are generally happy to help their fellow club members. Start volunteering. Find an organization you can volunteer your time with. Even if they can’t hire you on, you are at least keeping your skills fresh and possibly learning some new ones. If the previous search engines haven’t been fruitful, extend it to some new ones.
3. Stay consistent on daily to do list: The best chance of getting a job is to keep a healthy pipeline of new job opportunities that you’ve applied for. Neglecting this one step can delay your success significantly.
Days 61-99
By two months in you should have had some interviews as well as filled a pipeline of potential future interviews. Sometimes people are worried about what to do if they are pursued by two opportunities at the same time and thus don’t seek out new opportunities until the current ones are resolved. This can be a tricky problem to juggle, but not every opportunity pans out like we hope.
The goal of this period is to progress to multiple interviews and line up the negotiations.
1. Nail the first interview: Although first impressions may not always be true in our social lives, they are all that matters to a recruiter. Having a great first interview is crucial. If you’ve done your homework and prepared answers and researched the company, I would take it one step further and role-play with a friend or relative. Sometimes it’s good to record yourself so you can make a conscience effort to relax your nervous quirks when you go through the interview.
2. Prepare for the ongoing interviews: There is tons of information about how to prepare for the first interview, but not many people consider how to prepare for the second and ongoing interviews. This is a good site with some good do’s and don’ts for the latter. Some common differences you need to prepare for are interviewing to a panel, all day interviewing, meal interviews, and more.
3. The art of accepting an offer: Eventually you will be offered a job and many applicants have managed to lose that offer by making common mistakes. When you get to this point, visit this site for some helpful resources on how to respond to offers.
4. Keep up the daily search: Why would I have this still as a to do for the last month of the search? You’ll find that some jobs need to be filled right away and some will take time. Even though you may have progressed significantly in the job opportunity, things can always go wrong last minute. Keeping a full pipeline of opportunities down to the day you are officially hired is always a crucial safety net not to neglect.
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that's good and to the point, keep it up
Thanks Farouk,
Appreciate the comment
Wow!!! Great points. If you want additional help with your job search, you can also get a software program such as JobPad to help you get organized.
Thanks for the addition. I didn't really mention software programs, but those are an excellent resource to include as an option.