All you need to know to get a new job — 10 proven steps

1. Find the right job portals

Every few years or so there is a very high chance that the job portals in trend would change, so first figure out which are the current job portals in trend for your field of work. You can figure this out from your peers, ex-colleagues, someone in your domain who recently made a switch, recent blogs on it, check with recruiters whom you know, ask it out on LinkedIn, Quora, Reddit, or similar platforms. Also, some platforms are better suited for a particular field of work; while a lot of portals are available for software jobs, only a few of them might be good for business or administration roles, etc.

2. Put in the effort and create a good resume(s)

Your resume is the one thing that decides your candidature eligibility most of the time. Recruiters usually get a load of resumes that need to be filtered based on relevant skills, years of experience, domain, previous roles, etc. I will cover more on writing a good resume in another post as it’s a larger topic altogether. For now, keep the following points noted:

• A resume should be brief but must contain all necessary information. It should be simple and highly readable.
• Think from a recruiter's / JD perspective when creating a resume.
• Rather than searching generically for ‘Resume / CV templates’, search specifically for your industry or job role. Ex: “Resume template for backend developer”, “Resume template for a UI/UX developer”, etc.
• Always use standard fonts, colors, and design unless you are in an industry of creativity such as UI/UX, photography, art, etc.
• Use the right keywords that would match with the ones in job descriptions. Do not use unnecessary jargon.
• Create multiple resumes if you are applying for different roles.

Ex: If you are a full-stack developer open for full-stack, frontend-only, and backend-only opportunities, have a different resume for each one. Similarly, if you are a senior engineer looking for both senior as well as managerial roles.

3. Spend as much time as required to come up with a summary and heading:

• summary: A summary section is required not only for creating a resume but in most job portals, Linkedin, and company career forms too. It must cover your primary skillset, experience, role/designation as well as domain/industry. Optionally you can add a secondary skillset, sub-domain, relevant past experience, certifications, learning experience, etc.

Ex: “I am a software engineer with 7+ years of industry experience in full-stack development. I have worked with BackboneJS & AngularJs in frontend, Python & PHP in backend with Django & Laravel frameworks. I have hands-on experience working with various SQL & NoSQL databases such as PostgresSQL, MongoDB, Neo4j, etc. I am currently working as an engineering lead in an agrotech based e-commerce platform”

• Heading / Tagline: This is required in most job portals as well as LinkedIn. It should be as short as possible and definitely a single line/phrase that clearly depicts an overall picture of your career or experience. It could contain your overall years of experience, current role, domain, the role you are looking for, etc.

Examples: “Senior software engineer with 8 years of application development experience”, “Software engineering graduate seeking opportunities in a reputed organization”, “Frontend developer with 3+ years of AngularJs experience & ReactJS learning experience looking for ReactJS opportunities in a product based startup.”

4. Self-introduction

99% of interviews start with a question to introduce yourself. Giving the right self-introduction decides your first impression. Write down the content (not the exact words) and practice your self-introduction over and over again. Your content is more or less the summary we discussed above. Your words need not be exact each time but make sure not to miss out on necessary keywords or catchy words. Practice in front of a mirror, to your friends or at least in your mind. Your interviewer could ask questions based on what you tell in your introduction, so only say what you are sure about and be prepared to answer about it.

5. Practice interviews

Knowing things is great but not enough unless you know how to present. Be it your self-introduction or explaining code in a technical round or compensation negotiation. Ask yourself questions an interviewer could ask and answer yourself, repeat and improve it.

6. Know what you are looking for

A person without a clear goal is the least attractive trait in career affairs. However, I believe it’s absolutely normal that we sometimes take time to figure out our goals. Though I strongly believe that we should have goals, follow a passion, and chose our jobs accordingly, all of us may not be in the right situation for it. Having said that, I recommended having a goal figured out in mind that aligns with the job opportunity you are being interviewed at least for the sake of it. You don’t have to make it your life goal but something that you are looking forward to the opportunity in consideration. Apart from this, a lot of interviewers may also ask for your long-term goals too.

7. Know what the company is looking for

Read the job description, understand the skills company is looking for, responsibilities you are expected to handle, and expected attitude. Read about the company or the product you are being interviewed for. Make short notes with the above-mentioned points for each company or role if you are attending a lot of interviewers so that you don’t mix up.

8. Previous interview questions

Now, this is something that helped me to the core while landing my first job as a fresher. Especially if you are a fresher, chances that the aptitude questions are going to repeat is very very high. In technical rounds too, interviewers usually tend to repeat questions. Interviewers hardly get time to come up with newer questions for each interview. If not the same questions, a pattern will be followed in bigger companies Ex: MNCs like Facebook, Amazon, etc. focus on DSAlgo while startups focus more on the ability to write things from scratch or quickly. Google the previous interview questions of the company for your role and prepare for it.

9. Have a job search plan

Most people get stressed out and hurry themselves to get a job while in a job due to reasons such as lack of confidence, lack of financial backup, lack of skills, lack of interview preparation, etc.

• If you are already working and need to look for a job, the best thing is to start looking for a job while you are on the job and resign once you get the offer.
• However, most companies look for immediate joiners or may not agree to a joining date equal to or greater than your notice period. This is justified from the employer's point of view as many candidates look for a better offer after getting one and ditch the first companies if they get an ample amount of time.
• In this scenario, you can resign and look for a new job while in the notice period, if you are confident about getting a new one or the delay in getting the next one.
• If you are not confident, then start attending interviews and build up your confidence. As you start closer to cracking interviews and get confident, you can resign and resume your job search while in the notice period.
• If you are planning to quit and search, have a financial backup: Depending on your industry trend of getting a new job, the desirability of your skillset, and similar factors, you need to figure out a max time for you to get a new job after your last working day in your current company. Calculate your monthly expenses, cut out on any avoidable expenditures and figure out the total amount required for the max gap calculated. Start saving and decide to resign only once the required amount is saved, keep this amount saved separate from the existing daily use account.

10. Do not give up, Do not get demotivated, Keep moving

Rejections are hard whether it’s a job or elsewhere in life. There are many determining factors when it comes to getting a job. If you get stuck in a job hunt, remember the following

• Being skilled alone may not be sufficient, sometimes you need to do interview preparation to get a job.
• Figure out the bottleneck in your job search.
• Keep yourself motivated- Motivational videos, books, podcasts, blogs, music, related discussions on LinkedIn, Quora, Fishbowl, etc.
• Talk to colleagues, friends, or seniors working in the same industry and understand what you are missing out on. If you do not have direct contacts, reach out to people on LinkedIn. Ask your doubts in Quora, Fishbowl, or other such platforms.
• Take breaks- It is very easy to get exhausted in a job hunt after attending many interviews in vain especially if you are still working. So take breaks, treat yourselves for small wins, avoid back-to-back interviews for long, and keep time for relaxation.

…………….All the best and happy job hunt !!