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With Super Bowl month mania just passing, I decided to use sports analogies when talking about the job hunt.  A successful job hunt starts with a plan. So, let’s compare a job search with this year’s Super Bowl and the Kansas City Chiefs looking to win back-to-back Super Bowls, but ended up being triumphed by a physically dominant Buccaneers who had a perfect game plan resulting in Kansas City losing to the Bucs-31; KC-9.

As a result of the pandemic, the job market is a new paradigm for job seekers.  With unemployment still in the double digits and no hope in sight of the economy recovering soon, you must be diligent, creative, and tenacious in the pursuit of finding a new opportunity.  According to experts, “the average time to find a job for a well-prepared job seeker is on a minimum of four months; for an unprepared job seeker, it can take over a year!”

So, what is your game plan for finding your next job?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Network
Networking should be one of the top three priorities of your plan.  Internal referrals hire 70% to 80% of employees.  As a Recruiter, I am more likely to engage a referral from an employee before utilizing other outside recruitment strategies. Your first step is to identify a list of networking contacts.

2. Job Boards
Job boards are great but should not be the only avenue that you use to find jobs. Statistics show that for every 100 resumes you send, you may get three responses. The top job boards are:
– Indeed
– Monster
– Zip Recruiter
– Glassdoor
– Career Builder
– Career Boutique
– Talent Zoo

3. Virtual Job Fairs
Due to COVID-19, job fairs are virtual. This online platform offers you the advantage of meeting one-on-one with hiring managers and decision-makers if you choose to enter their virtual space.  The key to finding a job at a career fair is to go prepared with a targeted resume for each position you seek and to have your 60-second elevator pitch ready.

4. Job Clubs
Join a job club. You can usually find one through your Employment Development Department (EDD), local Career Center, Polishing The Professional (PTP), and are generally free. They typically meet a few times a month and are an excellent way to meet like-minded people in the job market.

You can add other sources to your plan as you wish. Remember, the more sources you use, the better chances you have of getting a job. It is important to set daily goals. Try to make contact with two to three sources a day consistently without getting discouraged if you receive rejections. Rejections are a part of the job-hunting process. Develop a salesperson mentally and get a tough skin. The more rejections you get, the closer you are to landing a job.

Finally, surround yourself with positive people. More than likely, you have other friends or colleagues who are seeking employment. Team up with a friend and encourage each other.

Most important of all is to be patient. Work hard at your plan for finding a new job, but also take time to relax and have fun.