Rusty Job Search Skills? Here’s What to Do

Rusty Job Search SkillsIf it’s been several years since you looked for a job, learn how to prepare for a potentially more intense job search process. Gear up for changes. Job searching has evolved in the last 10 years.

To help, here are some of the biggest changes you should be prepared for if you think your job search skills are rusty:

1. Longer hiring process. Hiring generally now takes longer than it used to. For a variety of reasons, companies take more time to hire employees. Therefore, don’t allow yourself to become frustrated if you don’t hear anything from the company. Hiring managers have a lot on their plates, and finding the right person can take weeks — in extreme cases, even months.

2. More interviews. It’s normal now for companies to interview potential employees numerous times with a wider range of interviewers. Some may even ask you to do a phone or video interview. They may make presentation requests, or require skills assessments and other assignments.

You can prepare for these multiple interviews beforehand, and don’t forget to highlight your skills and keep them updated to get companies interested in your profile.

3. Submit online applications. Don’t use the majority of your time looking through job ads on bulletin boards or in the newspaper. You can easily look for a much larger number of job postings online andsend your resume to the companies you’re most interested in. Remember to create a different resume for each company you apply to. Sending generic resumes is a waste of time.

4. Prepare to disclose information to get your information reviewed. Some companies may require you to share your salary history, references and Social Security number. You may have no choice but to do so in order to proceed with the job application. Make sure to apply to trusted companies to keep your information safe.

5. Less personal job application process. Due to the Internet and the increased volume of applications companies receive because of it, companies may not contact you once they have decided to reject your application. It’s normal for direct requests from candidates not to get a response. The hiring process can be just as complicated as the job search process, especially if there are hundreds of candidates vying for the same job.

6. Initial video screening. To save time, companies may ask you to answer prerecorded questions by video before they call you in for a face-to-face interview. This can be frustrating because you can’t have a conversation with the interviewer in this setup.

It may not be easy to find a job, especially if you haven’t had to look for a job for many years, butthis shouldn’t keep you from applying. Let yourself develop your job search skills, be patient, and you can find the right job.

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Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.