The time span which an individual requires to find a job tends to vary. Having a great academic career alone cannot guarantee that you will find suitable employment within a short span of time.
Your personality, communication skills and experience are some of the major factors that play a major role in deciding the exact time span that you require for a regular source of income.
People with prior experience in their field of specialization can find a job in a shorter span of time as compared to those who are inexperienced.
Here are some of the major factors that might decide the time required by you to find a suitable job:
Having a Great Resume:
There are some cases in which an average candidate is often hired by a company because of his brilliant resume. Your resume is going to make or break the interviewer’s impression about you. Therefore, while you are creating your CV, look for a template which is relevant to your industry, take a view of other people’s resumes and compare their CVs with that of yours.
You can also take the help of companies which offer professional resume writing services. Also, keep in mind the fact that you need to update your resume from time to time and mention all your achievements and key learning in the different organizations that you have worked with.
It will help the interviewer to get a clear idea about your key skills and areas of expertise. The person will, then, find it easier to check your suitability for the profile to which you have applied. Therefore, spend some time in making your resume presentable.
It will help you create an instant impression on your interviewer. Your chances of clearing the interview and gaining a suitable job will thus be higher.
Your Personal Brand Online:
Personal branding is an important factor which has gained significant importance with the advent of social media. These days, people spend a great deal of their time in social media and networking to communicate with each other. Your potential employer can, therefore, track you on social media.
Make sure that your public profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are employee friendly and updated. You can create a good impression on prospective employers by becoming an authority on the internet by starting your own blog, moderating a forum or staying active in a LinkedIn group. You can also acquire recommendations on your profile from people whom you know on professional networking sites like LinkedIn.
Online branding on social media will take a significant amount of time and effort. However, if you are able to create a good perception about yourself on social media, then you will have a higher chance of acquiring a job within a shorter time span.
Your Professional Network:
Your networking skills will come into play if you have been in a profession over a couple of years. You must maintain good relations with your co-workers. This will help you gain good referrals and the much-coveted job which you have been looking for. Therefore, one of the best ways of increasing your chances of getting a good job within a short span of time is to enhance your professional network.
Keep in touch with the people with whom you have worked in the past on your LinkedIn network. Good referrals often help people in clearing interviews.
Your Skills and Training:
The level of skills which you possess is a major factor which every prospective employer is likely to focus on. Companies usually look for candidates who have a good idea of the type of work they are supposed to do. Such an employee doesn’t require too much of training.
Prospective employers always look for candidates with a go-getter attitude who can accomplish their allocated tasks on time. Therefore, if you have considerable skills for the profile for which you are applying then you will have a higher chance of gaining employment compared to other candidates.
Experience is not something which you can gain overnight. Freshers take more time to find a job compared to experienced people. Therefore, your previous experience is going to matter a lot. If you have a professional certification, then you may find it easier to acquire a job which suits your credentials well in the future.
Your Expected Salary from Prospective Employers:
The greater the experience you have, the higher is going to be your salary expectations from any company you apply to. The job openings that you will have at hand will, therefore, be considerably lesser as compared to what you had a few years ago.
The truth is that candidates with high salary expectations usually have fewer jobs at hand. In case you have a six figure income, you are likely to have fewer job openings as compared to your co-workers who may have a lesser income compared to you.
Therefore, before you start looking for a new job, you need to find out the salary which any prospective employer is willing to pay. It may take a long time for you to find a new job. Yet, make sure that you receive a higher salary in the new job.
Focus on the Geographical Demands for your Skills:
You need to keep in mind many important factors while looking for a new job. Your skills should be relevant to the geographical demands of the area where you are residing. When you are residing in some remote area, you must make sure you are well versed with the local language.
Similarly, if you are handling an offshore team, you should be willing to adjust your working hours according to their needs. Many people take special language training so that they fit specific job roles in foreign countries.
Time of the Year when you are applying for a job:
As in the case of all other business processes, hiring also tends to take place in cycles. Often hiring is done before the annual budgets are approved by the management. Check the financial statements of any company when you apply for a job. This will give you a clear idea as to when their financial year begins.
A number of companies start their fiscal year in October. Others do the same in April. Hiring normally stops by the end of November. The situation remains the same till the middle of January. This is the best time to build your own network, though few hiring takes place during this time.
Likewise, there is a slowdown in the hiring process in July and August when people go on a vacation. Even if a single person in the HR department goes on a vacation, the entire hiring process can come to a sudden halt. Therefore, you need to keep this factor in mind when you apply for a job.
Discrimination on the Basis of Age:
Age discrimination is still prevalent in the corporate world .It is widely practiced across the IT industry. Therefore, once you start your job search process, you need to remember this problem. You need to be realistic.
Look for suitable employers who highly value your experience and skill. They should not discriminate you on the basis of your age. This problem is more widespread among people working in the private sector.
However, if you are applying for government job this problem does not arise. There you are not likely to face any type of discrimination on the basis of your age.
An older person with less experience in the industry may not receive a job based on the industry standards. When you apply for a job at a later age, make sure you have a very strong resume.
Do not get disappointed because of one or two rejections. You must also keep your options open. Some small companies who are desperately in need of employees may be willing to give you a chance.
Your Stability in Previous Organizations:
Stability is one of the deciding factors for promotion in most of the companies. Many companies look for employees who stay and work up the corporate ladder in the long run. This makes them valuable assets for the organization.
Employers give precedence to people with multidimensional personalities. This type of people can work across different departments, projects as well as locations. Do not seek instant gratification. Try to stick to a firm and grow slowly but steadily.
People with a history of changing jobs within a short time span are not highly valued by interviewers. Recruiters seek employees who are loyal and consistent. They do not appreciate people who frequently change their jobs. So make sure you change the job only when it is really necessary. You must also have a clear reason to change the job because this is a sure question recruiters will ask during the interview process. People who change jobs just because they are bored are not ideal candidates for a job.
