Job Search
Laid Off & Looking For A Job : Job Search Checklist
Post date: 2020-05-09 07:37:18 Laid off &looking: Job search Checklist:
Index:
Strategy
Identify your agitation
Who you are as a professional
Specify Your Speciality And Niche
Identify The Transferable Skills Of Yours
Create An “Interview Bucket List”
Tactics:
Update Resume
Optimize LinkedIn Profile
Write A Killer Cover Letter
Prepare For Interviews
Amidst of financial uncertainty and recessions, lots of professional fall victim of being fired. Being fired from your stable job can lead to depression, may often feel isolating; it’s nothing less than a horrible situation. Getting fired is very common in today’s reality, but the stigma is still there. As it is still easier to get a new option when you already have a job. If you have a full-time job that means you have a routine to follow, and the majority of your time is occupied for a purpose. So, once the routine and the purpose has taken away, life for you is never going to be straightforward.
After being laid off, you have to deal with the harsh reality, you’re financial, mental, and personal status goes to be shattered.It’s pretty normal thatto deal with this situation all of a sudden, you just feel lost, confused and a bit demoralized. Even though you are not mentally prepared you suddenly feel the pressure for going through the job search. You can expect to wait for an average of 3-6 months to find a new job after being fired. This time will vary depending on which field you work in, what’s the economy and overall health of the industry. If the reason behind you’re laid off is just company-specific, then only 2-3 months is required to find a new position.
To bounce back from a hard situation you need the right strategy and tactics. In this article, you will find a complete guideline with a solid plan that will lead you to one step at a time to streamline your job search to get back to your own feet as soon as possible. So, don’t waste your time being traumatized, bounce back, and grab the opportunity to be in your dream job place.
To keep this checklist more user friendly we have divided this into two parts;
Strategy
Tactics
Strategy:
To stay focused on the new job search is a challenge. Don’t panic. Take it slowly so that you can take care of the basics while preparing for a job search. Follow the list that will guide you on how to handle yourself and how to deal with everything after being laid off.
Start by asking yourself the following questions:
Identify your agitation:
You may have to deal first withErgophobia,orwork aversion thisis a complex specific phobia that is characterized by an irrational and excessive fear to seek employment.Remember the thumb rule of job searching is this: you will never find a job unless you start to search for it. Just, try to figure out what exactly pulls you back from your next job search.
What scares you about job search?
Are you unsure about what you wantfromyour next job?
Do you think that you would not stand out from the crowd?
Do you hate being the new kid?
Are you satisfied with your present working field or want to try something new?
Who you are as a professional:
If you want to find a job first step is to define your career goal. According to studies, if you are just looking for a job, without any specification or a modest goal, the chances of getting a position are lower. Getting a position is a perfect match between the person who has created the job opportunity i.e. the employer and the person who will do the job i.e. employee, as both of them are involved to achieve a common goal.
A well-defined job target includes three elements:
Industry
Function
Geography
Consider the following facts to determine your job search targets;
What’s the type of job you want? And how do you add values to this new workplace?
Will you be able to communicate in this new working place?
Will you sustain the ability to match the criteria that hiring authorities want from that position?
Focusing and targeting your job search may terminate the stress of dozens of mailingand mass applying.
To narrow down your focus, and to ensure that your job search energy is spent judiciously, you have to take care of the following steps;
Be clear about your goals.
Picture yourself in specific roles
Take on the kind of work that fits you.
Visualize the perspective of the hiring manager.
Do a self-assessment
Apply…and let go!
You must focus your time, an effort to target the specific companies, organizations, industries,that readily match with your skills.
There is no room for generalists, employers always look for specialists.
While preparing your resume, first ask yourself the questions;
What are your values?
What would you be compelled to do even if you never got paid for it?
How do you prefer to work? How are you most effective?
What is your definition of success? What drives you?
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Mention in your resume how you will add value to the advertised position using specific skills and experience.
Identify The Transferable Skills Of Yours:
Transferable skills are used in lots of different careers, those are the innate skills that you have acquired throughout your life. These skillsetswill help you to adopt your new job and working environment with much ease. As these are as important as hard skills;transferable are the major selling pointsto make you valuable to your employer. Identifying these skills may be difficult. Few examples of transferable skills include;
| Transferable Skill | Example |
| Communication | Writing, speaking, listening, using communication tools like email appropriately |
| Critical thinking | Analysis, problem-solving, strategic planning, decision-making |
| Self-management | Good time manager, organized, motivated, responsible, reliable |
| Interpersonal | Understanding, diplomatic, discreet, supportive, assertive |
Highlightthese skills in your resume and quantify them. To identify what skills you have, take a self-assessment; ask yourself the following questions;
What transferable soft skills do you have that will add value to the job position?
Tobe sure whether you have listed the right kind of skills, you may consult with professionals and then optimize them for your next job.
Create An “Interview Bucket List”:
An “Interview Bucket List” is a complete list of 10-20 companies you admireand respect and want to be a part of.Creating such a listwill drastically boost the rate of your searchandefficiency. The companies or organizations you choose can be on this list if
The product and service provided by this company is something that you believe in.
You have the skills and experience to match these companies.
The aim of this “Interview Bucket List” is to come up with at least 10 companies that meet the above criteria. Using job searching profiles like Glassdoor and LinkedIn, you can research whether you are a good fit for these companies or not. This will help you to focus morewith whom you start to network, reach out to find your dream job opportunities.
Tactics:
Few tactics to deal with this situation are as follows;
Update Resume:
Revamping your resumemeans that you have ready and on hand CV along with all the updated information. That is quite understandable that acomplete reorganization sounds daunting and time-consuming.But fortunately, just doinga few tiny tweaks to your resume can add a surprisingly big impact.Here are some tips for small yet powerful updates you may consider to revamp your resume.
Remove old positions
Update & highlight your skills
Point out what you have learned from your previous job, and then make changes accordingly.
Include specific achievements.It’s crucial to highlight the specifics of your previous roles.
Try to make your resume technically sound and ATS friendly, ass according to reports,employersspend less than a minute in reviewing an individual resume.
Remember that updating your resume doesn’t mean you are unhappy with your previous work experiences.
Optimize LinkedIn Profile:
Your Linkedin profile is the platform to advertise your skills to potential employers. 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find job candidates. If you are serious about the job search, only having a LinkedIn profile is not enough. An optimized LinkedIn profile will help you to stand out through the noise of half a billion LinkedIn users. Here are a few tips on how to optimize your profile:
Start with a Solid Value Proposition
Consider your job-seeking objectives
Include your previous experience and past roles
Build Out Your Recruiter Summary
Build your reputation with recommendations
Align Your Industry and Location to Your Target Candidates
Show of your success
Write A Killer Cover Letter:
The main purpose of a cover letter is to convince your recruiters to call you for an interview. As a job seeker, you will be judged how effectively you reform your case for the opportunity through the cover letter. Your cover letter must be potential enough to quickly show your future employer that:
You’re going to perform incredibly well in this job.
You’re insanely skilled for this job.
You’re going to fit in around there.
Prepare For Interviews:
Often you will find recruiters are biased against candidates who are unemployed or laid off. And you have to be prepared to face questions about your layoff. Recruiters often ask questions about the reason behind your unemployment. You just have to make them assure that your laid off is not a result of your productivity. Thorough preparation will help you to stay calm and cool throughout the interview. Remember, you may never get another chance to make the first impression.
FAQS:
Expanding network is helpful in the job search?
Over 80% of job seekers share that their network has helped them to find work. The network will help you to develop andimprove your skillset and can provide insider information and referrals about organizations you might be interested in a part.
Is being laid off bad?
To be laid off most often is just bad luck. Lots of professionals have faced it, some of them without any good reason. So don't take it personally, and don't feel that you have failed. Don’t let the laid-off overpower your self-confidence.
Can a company temporarily lay you off?
Temporary lay-off even happens when your company doesn’t have enough work. So they can ask you to stay back home. But during this period, you do have employment rights along with the right to be paid off.
