In last month’s President’s Post, as you may recall – and if you don’t, you can read it here, I divulged ways in which you can maximize your opportunities to find and land jobs, simply by taking advantage of the resources IWOC offers. Resources that apparently many members have forgotten about or had no idea existed. For my next act, I’d like to offer “7 Job Search Tips to Live By.” Some are forehead-smacking obvious. Some you may never have thought of. But each can be a very sharp arrow to keep in your Job Search quiver, and could work in tandem when using IWOC’s resources to the fullest. However...

Full disclosure: I filched the tips from a blog by Allison Smith on Monster.com. Please know that this is not an endorsement of Monster.com. It does happen to be one of the Job Sites listed on our Job Sites for Writers page, but that is the extent of IWOC’s (or my) involvement. I simply came across these wise words of career advice and thought they were too good not to share with you. 

Here are teasers to the 7 tips, italicized to indicate direct quotes from the blog. 

 

1. Copy the Key Words

Want to make sure your resume gets past the robots—a.k.a. the applicant tracking software [ATS] recruiters use—and into the hands of the hiring manager? Use appropriate keywords in your resume and cover letter.

 

2. Get an Edge with a Cover Letter

Not all job ads require a cover letter, but including one gives you an edge. Most ATS programs scan your cover letter as well as your resume. Your cover letter gives you an additional opportunity to provide those precious keywords.

 

3. Take the Resume Upload Shortcut

If you ever have to choose between filling out an online application or uploading a resume, it’s in your best interest to upload the resume.

 

4. Keep a Job interview Cheat Sheet

This is one of the easy job search tips to overlook. Take 20 minutes to write down everything that you’ve accomplished during your time at different jobs.

 

5. Help Headhunters Find You

Not to toot our own horn, but we highly suggest setting up an account on Monster.

 

6. Get Relevant Job Listings Delivered to You

You know how you can fall down a rabbit hole scrolling through all those pages of job listings? Bypass that whole laborious exercise.

 

7. Check-in Regularly

One of the best job search tips we can give you is to be persistent. Know this: Job searching is a marathon, not a sprint. 

 

To dig beyond the teasers, please visit 7 Job Search Tips to Live By.  Keep in mind that while some of these are clearly promoting Monster, they can easily apply to most any employment website.

 

Happy job hunting!

 

-- Laura Stigler