Why Is It So Hard To Find A Job?

Looking for a job can be hard work. Surveys show that the average time to find a job is now 4-7 months. That’s a long time to be looking, particularly if you need an income.

The lack of feedback from employers and knockbacks can be demoralising.

But it doesn’t need to be that hard. When you target the places where the right employers are for the job you want, you’ll find you get a much higher response, be asked in for interviews and offers will come.

So when it comes to finding a new job, what’s the best way to do it?

And what’s the best advice for how to find a job fast?

There are plenty of ways to do it. Some take longer than others and some are more effective than others, for securing the job you want.

So let’s go through some of the quickest and most effective ways to find a job.

If you’re asking yourself; why can’t I find a job? There are only 2 reasons your job hunting hasn’t produced results yet:

1. It may be where you are looking. If you are looking in the wrong place for the job you want, then the employers you want to appeal to won’t see your application, or they may miss it (more on that below).
2. You may need to work on your skills and experience and how they appear in your resume. Check out the 5 things your resume must have to get an interview and how to write a resume that has impact.

Referrals – when you are referred to an employer by someone you both know, it puts you ahead of the pack. This is the best way to find a job because you come recommended. The only challenge with this method is when the employer will have an opening for you. You can be referred, but if there are no job openings for you at the time then you’ll have to wait, and that may not be ideal for you. If you can wait, then that’s great. If you can’t, then you’ll need to keep looking.

Social Media – if you have companies in mind where you would like to work, social media can be a way to engage with the company so you’ll be considered for roles as they become available. If you watch the social media of a company you’d like to work for, make positive and enthusiastic comments about their posts, then message them, in most cases you’ll find the social media manager will engage with you. Some social media managers will even help you with who to contact within the organisation and when to send them your details and resume.

When it comes to LinkedIn, if you are looking for anything other than a high end white collar job, then it will be a waste of your time.

Cold contact – this is similar to using social media to contact companies you would like to work for. By calling then, letting them know you are interested in working there and what you can contribute to their business is a great way to impress a hiring manager.

Websites – the best website to find a job may or may not be the one with the most job ads. The best website is the one where you get the job you want. It doesn’t matter how many applications you send out, your applications need to be on target and sent to the right employers, otherwise they will be ignored and ‘filed’ (i.e. deleted or never looked at again!).

When you apply to jobs advertised on the big job boards you are often competing with a large number of other applicants (depending on the role, the company could receive over 100 other applicants). For employers, the volume of applications is often so high that most applications are at best skim read, so your cover letter and resume have only seconds to impress the person skim reading it.

If the company uses applicant tracking software, you may be qualified for the role but if you don’t use the key terms the company has programmed the software to look for, then your application will be dismissed. There is no way to know if a company uses applicant tracking software, so use the specific words from the ad in your cover letter and resume. You’ll be more likely to be shortlisted by the software so you at least you’ll have a person skim read your resume.

Industry specific websites are a good way to zero in on the employers you want to work for. A simple online search will show you the sites you should use for your chosen industry.

Connectzapp – you can have employers come to you. You create your profile then employers contact you direct. So instead of you applying for jobs, you create your profile so it’s targeted to the role you want, then when employers search, they contact you directly. This works well because if an employer has reached out to you, they believe you are a good match for the role they need filled. It’s likely you will be asked in for an interview. You also have a very high chance of being offered the job. Try out connectzapp here

Recruiters – Sometimes we need help finding a job. This can be where recruiters can step in. However beware, some recruiters are better than others. For the pros and cons of using a recruiter, check this out

The best place to find a job is the one where you are granted an interview and then offered the job. That could be through a website, a referral, social media, cold contacting or your network.

If you can’t find a job, or are finding it a frustrating experience, use all the sources available to you to give you the best chance of the employer you’d most like to work for becoming aware that you are available.

Help me find a job here here.

You can also use the Connectzapp App