The 6 smartest things I did when looking for a new job

• When looking for a new job, you'll have to give significant time and effort to many facets of the search.
• Here, author Myelle Lansat details the six most productive things she did when looking for a new position. 

 

A lot of behind the scenes work goes into landing a job interview, and it takes more than tweaking a resume or cover letter to stand out in an applicant pool.

It's not easy to look for a new job opportunity, especially as a recent college graduate. To help guide my search, I reflected on the work I did in school and in past internships to motivate my job search.

I recently graduated with a B.S. in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and I previously wrote for the Your Money section at Business Insider.

Here are the six smartest things I did when looking for new job opportunities.

SEE ALSO: I've been successfully self-employed for a year — here are 9 things I wish I'd known before starting

1. Reach out to existing networks

When I sat down to think about my existing network, I started with my alumni association. I studied at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University and immediately reached out to students in my field. I also reached out to the career center and checked out our alumni jobs portal. This not only opened up several doors, it also made me realize how strong an alumni network really is. Don't be afraid to use it.

I also tapped on previous internship colleagues and people I've met professionally — just to catch up and chat about the job market today. I wanted to have a full view of what was going on in my field and how the hiring cycle works at this time of year, which in my case was the holiday season and new year.

2. Check job sites daily

I've found that job listings mostly come in waves and it's best to apply to a job within a week of its posting.  A majority of companies have a careers portal on their webpage under their main menu or at the bottom of the site. But when I want to search a job by field, I typically start with LinkedIn and specialize my search under the "jobs" tab by category and location.

There are also a slew of targeted job sites, Facebook groups, and Twitter feeds for certain fields that may have opportunities not listed on larger sites, like LinkedIn.

3. Connect with people on LinkedIn

Once I thoroughly searched LinkedIn and picked out job opportunities that I qualified for, I researched current employees and look for any potential connections. I kept an eye out for anyone who went to Syracuse, lived in my hometown or worked at the same companies I did. I drafted a short introduction and asked to take them out for coffee and chat about their career path.

In my experience, this opens the door to an in-person conversation and a chance to hear about a company and gauge if it's a good match for me. I've found that people are more inclined to help and vouch for you after making a personal connection or having a shared experience. Plus, knowing a current employee at a company you're applying to can give you a leg up in the applicant pool.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider