Proactive Steps that Empower you in your Reactive Job Search Strategy.

By Jessica Hernandez Owner/Creator Great Resumes Fast

When my husband first launched his job search last March, one of the most challenging parts was spending all the time required to submit applications.

(The other challenging part was waiting to hear back after the interview, but that's another email entirely).

The thing is, that submitting applications is a reactive job search strategy that you, unfortunately, have little control over the outcome.

This can lead to severe stress, desperation, and settling for roles that are setbacks rather than progressions in your career.

You can combat this by taking proactive steps that empower you with more control over your search.

In my husband's case, this looked like this:

- Researching the hiring manager for the positions he applied to and reaching out to them via email or LinkedIn to let them know he applied, that he was excited about the role, and why he believed he was a fit.

- Actively connecting with hiring managers, decision-makers, and employees of his target companies and in the industry, he wanted to transition to.

- Activating LinkedIn premium and using all the tools, features, and resources LinkedIn offers to make the most of his job search (InMail to message the job poster, company insights to target his search efforts, competitive intelligence so he could decide which jobs were worth his time to submit applications to.)

The outcome of his proactive actions led to an interview at his number one target company on day 7 and an accepted offer by day 19 of his job search.

I would challenge you to shift your mindset regarding job searching. It doesn't have to be a circumstance you have little control over. You're not at the mercy of "what's available online."

You can take control of your job search. I encourage you to do so for your mental health and career progression.