Introduction
Are you tired of endlessly scrolling through job listings without any luck?
Finding your dream job can be frustrating and time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.
In this blog post, we’re going to share the 19 job search tips and tricks that you can use to help you speed up your job search and increase your chances of landing your dream job.
Whether you’re just starting or looking to make a career change, these job search strategies will help you stand out from the competition and get noticed by potential employers.
So, grab a notebook and pen, and let’s get started on finding your dream job!
19 Job Search Tips to Use for Finding a Job Faster
When looking for a job, we know the whole job search process can take a long time if you’re not searching correctly.
So make sure you read this post from start to finish to learn how to better your chances of landing a job and landing it quickly.
Because if you don’t, you’ll risk losing time and money. Especially when you could land a job much quicker than anticipated.
So here are 19 job search tips you can use today to find a tech job faster.
Identify the Tech Sector that You Want to Work In
The first tip you need to use is, identify the sector of technology that you want to work in.
Within the tech industry, new sectors are created every day by innovative people coming from all over the world.
And with the numerous choices you have, finding a tech job may become overwhelming if you don’t have a way to organize your search.
So what you’ll need to do first is, research the available tech sectors that you can work in and see what interests you.
For example, when I was looking for some tech sectors to work in, I identified these that interested me:
- SaaS (Software as a Service)
- FinTech
- InsurTech
- Sales and Marketing Tech
And many other sectors that are popping up every single day.
Now there’s an abundance of industries to choose from, so if you need to get a list of sectors you can work in, go to Crunchbase to see the other sectors.
To do this, click the “Advanced” button at the top and click on the “Companies” tab.
Then to the left, click into the industry box, scroll through the list of all the available tech sectors, and start your research from there.
Once you know what sectors you’d like to work in, move on to the second tip below.
Identify the Job Field and Role that You Want to Work In
After you’ve figured out what sector interests you the most, you’ll need to figure out what field and role you want to work in.
When I first started, I decided I wanted to work in sales to gain people experience.
But for you, it may be different. You may want to work in Marketing, Customer Success, or some other department in that you have relevant skills and experience.
So once you identify the field you’re looking for, find entry-level job roles that’ll fit your goals.
For example, if you want to work in Sales or Customer Success, you’ll find entry level job titles like these:
- Sales Development Representative (SDR)
- Business Development Representative (BDR)
- Market Development Representative (MDR)
- Customer Success Associate/Representative (CSR)
- Client Success Associate/Representative (CSR)
Once you have identified the job title you want, move on to tip three.
Research Target Companies and Roles
Now that you’ve identified the tech sector and field that you want to work in, along with the role, you need to find companies that have the roles that you’re looking for.
Going back to the example we had earlier, if you’re looking for companies that have SDR and CSR roles, you may find that target companies in:
- SaaS
- FinTech
- Sales and Marketing Tech
Are most likely to have the roles that you are looking to apply for.
Conducting this research is essential because you want a healthy sizable list of opportunities to pursue.
Which will fuel the rest of your job search.
Get Organized With Your Job Search
After researching target companies and roles, you need to have a system for organizing your job search.
You’ll need to create a Google Sheet to record and keep track of these available opportunities.
With this sheet you’ll save yourself time from having to find new opportunities to apply for each day.
Rather than being someone who’s constantly having to scour job boards to find available opportunities.
So to become more organized, create a spreadsheet that has column headings such as:
- Job Position
- Glassdoor Rating (For Company Reviews)
- Pay (If Salary is listed within the Company Glassdoor Page)
- Link (a section that leads to the employers website where the Job Description lives)
- And a notes section
Having a Google Sheet with this information will also help you organize and research which job openings to pursue first.
For example, you could filter out that Job Sheet by companies that meet your highest priorities such as:
- Which companies pay the most
- Which ones have the highest Glassdoor rating
- What type of company they are (Series A,B,C and etc.)
With this type of organization, you’ll become much more efficient as you’ll have job leads ready to pursue instead of deciding which ones to go after first.
After you’ve figured out your priorities, create a filter that meets the criteria you’re looking for.
From there, start applying for jobs on your list that match the filters you put in place.
Write Out Your Job Search Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
After creating your job search sheet, start setting key performance indicators (KPIs) for yourself in your job search.
KPIs are not meant to be scary as they hold you accountable so that you can land that tech job.
And within your job search, the KPIs you should be setting for yourself are:
- Number of jobs that you apply for
- Number of hiring managers you cold email directly
- Number of interviews you get every week
- Number of informational or referral interviews you set up
However, if you do need additional ones to keep you on track, feel free to add them.
But be careful, don’t add too many as you don’t want to overwhelm yourself.
As a rule, I stick to 6 KPIs max. So you should do that to when starting out.
Have Your Job Hunting Documents Ready
Once the KPIs are set, you’re almost ready to start the hunt. But not so fast. Make sure your resume and cover letter are ready and tailored to the roles you want.
And if you don’t have a resume or cover letter but want to learn how to create these documents for your search, read How to Write a Resume and How to Write a Cover Letter to get your job hunt docs in order.
The reason you need your job hunting documents is that most applications will ask for both of these documents.
So having them on hand and ready to go will help you land your dream tech job faster!
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Like preparing your job hunt documents, ensure you have a LinkedIn profile.
I cannot tell you how important LinkedIn is, as almost every hiring manager within the tech industry is on LinkedIn in some form or capacity.
And not having a LinkedIn or a well-optimized LinkedIn profile can harm your search.
Just look at the stats; 77% of companies use LinkedIn within their recruitment efforts, according to a Hiring Statistics study by HR/Hiring Expert Rinku Thakkar.
Additionally, 87% of recruiters find LinkedIn to be the most effective platform for vetting job candidates, according to a study done by Zippia.
With these stats, you should see why LinkedIn is so important in your job search.
Because if you don’t have one, you can harm your search.
And miss the potential opportunity to attract openings and recruiters to you.
So create and optimize your LinkedIn profile before starting your job search.
Cleanup Social Media and Your Online Image
Next, clean up your social media and online image.
If you have anything cringeworthy or embarrassing on your socials, like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, delete those posts and comments.
Hiring managers are most likely to look at your socials to find out who you are.
So you’ll want to make sure you look at all your posts and spend adequate time cleaning up everything.
Because the last thing you need is to lose a job over a stupid comment you made on Facebook three years ago.
Make Job Searching Your Job
Now that you have completed all the pre-job hunting tips to make your job search go smoothly, you’ll need to adopt the mindset that job searching will be your full-time job.
If you’re unemployed and have nothing to do, hunt for jobs for at least 8 hours a day.
I cannot tell you how many days you’ll save in your search if you make it a full-time job.
You’ll be able to find more jobs, send more apps and land more interviews compared to someone doing it for an hour a day.
With no income or things to do, this should be a top priority as you can play video games and watch Netflix later.
And to structure your day, here’s an example of how I structured mine when I was looking for my next job:
Suppose you’re currently employed and trying to make the switch; however, job hunt as much as time allows.
The more time you put in the beginning, the quicker you’ll be able to land a job.
Have a Great Attitude
Another mindset tip that you need to adopt; have a great attitude.
I know this process will be brutal and gut-wrenching, so always to keep your head up.
If you don’t, you may lose out on opportunities if you’re rude or negative, as employers want positive people working for their team.
Use every rejection as a learning opportunity and apply all your past learnings to future opportunities, as you’ll never know what may come your way.
Mentally Prepare for a Long Job Search
The last mental tip you need to adopt before moving on to the execution tips is to prepare for a long job search.
I hope that after you apply all these tips, your job search isn’t long, but if you mentally prepare as it will be, it’ll keep you in check.
Because if you think you’ll land a job within the first month or two, you may be sadly mistaken as most jobs take 4-6 months to land.
But that’s okay. This process is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. You’ll need to exercise stamina, persistence, and mental fortitude to get what you want.
Within my job search, it took me three months to land my first tech job after getting rejected 137 times straight before landing my first SDR gig.
Be patient, and good things will come to you.
Become a Fanatical Job Prospector
To execute a great job search, you’ll need to become a Fanatical Job Prospector.
What I mean by this is that every day, you must find 10-20 new opportunities to add to your job Google Sheet.
The reason is, without a healthy pipeline of opportunities, you’ll not be able to execute the job search efficiently, which breaks your momentum as you’ll be scrambling to find new opportunities instead of applying for jobs.
So if you take time at the end of your job search day within the schedule I posted, you should be able to find 10-20 new opportunities that you qualify for within an hour to an hour and a half that you can pursue the next day.
Be Location Independent
To help you with the point above, if you’re finding it hard to find opportunities, consider becoming location independent.
Now I know you want to have your cake and eat it too, but life doesn’t work out that way.
So if you’re looking for a job and are not in a tech hub like Austin, Atlanta, New York, Seattle, etc., consider moving states.
It may be uncomfortable to leave your friends and family behind, but the learnings and experience that you get from moving will last you a lifetime.
Also, with your new experiences, you could always move back to your hometown and get a remote role after establishing your value in the tech industry.
By opening up your borders, you’ll get access to several thousand opportunities, making your job search easier.
Use Numerous Job Websites to Aid Your Search
Within your job search, to fill up that job pipeline, use many different websites.
Most people pigeonhole themselves to one job site, but that can hurt you as there may be opportunities that are not well advertised on other sites as well.
For example, I thought I would get the job I had now on LinkedIn, however, I found it through Crunchbase using their advanced search filters and scouring websites one by one.
And as we said before, you’ll never know where your next opportunity may come from.
So to figure out where other jobs live, use job sites such as:
- Indeed
- LinkedIn
- Monster
- Crunchbase (Not a job site, but rather a search engine for tech companies)
- Wellfound (Formerly AngelList)
- Niche Job Sites (FlexJobs, Glassdoor, etc.)
And any other job site that you may find valuable.
There are a plethora of job sites that can help you find jobs, so make sure you use all the ones at your disposal to build your fat job pipeline.
But if you want a complete list of all the ones that are most effective, take a look at the 12 best job search sites to find a job.
Network with Peers that Have the Role You Want
The next of many job search tips you can use to accelerate your job search is to network with peers who currently have the role you want.
If you’re looking for a BDR role at a target company, let’s say HubSpot, for example, find someone who has that given role.
To find a person like this, look up the company on LinkedIn and click on the “People” tab within their company profile.
Then go down to the search bar and look up Business Development or other relevant departments and find a person with that role you’re looking for.
As an extra tip, if you know that the job role you’re applying to is in a particular area, let’s say, in this case, Boston.
Find a person who has the position and that’s in the city you’re looking to move to.
These are the people you want to network with.
The goal is to schedule informational interviews with them as you want to ask them questions about the company, culture, and the role itself.
After you’ve asked them all your questions, you can close and ask for a referral.
Most of the time, people like these will help you, as most companies offer referral bonuses for employees that refer new people to the company.
The referral strategy is also highly effective, as 30-40% of all company hires are referrals, according to a referral hiring study done by Zippia.
So make sure you get those referrals!
Tailor Every Job Application
When cold emailing or applying for jobs, tailor your application to that specific job.
I cannot tell you how often job seekers mess up as they use the spray and pray job search strategy.
So don’t do that, as employers can tell immediately, as you’ll sound generic and lazy.
Anytime you send a cold email or job app, research and tailor your app to the roles/company’s needs.
Your goal is to capture the attention of hiring managers, not make them bored with your crappy applications.
Cold Email Hiring Managers Directly
To complement your networking strategy, try cold-emailing hiring managers directly.
Many people avoid doing this because they’re afraid of rejection or they’re lazy.
But don’t let that be you, as you have a real chance at separating yourself from the pack.
For my past two jobs, I have emailed the hiring managers directly to get interviews which led to offers.
Within your cold emails, you need to state the following:
- Who you are
- What job you’re looking for
- Why you’re excited to find the job
- How you can add value using the words from the Job Description
- How the job will help you achieve your goals
- Call to Action for the interview
If you include these essential points in your cold email, you’ll most likely get referred to HR.
Which will be a strong referral since it’s coming from the top down.
Or, at the worst, get rejected. Which is a good thing as this will allow you to move on to more relevant opportunities.
But remember, hiring managers also get a chance at the referral bonus we mentioned earlier, so this could be an excellent tactic for you to use.
Apply for Jobs that You’re Underqualified For
Next tip, include jobs for which you may feel you’re underqualified. Every job you find may not be a perfect 100% fit, which is fine!
If you meet 80% of the job description requirements, add it to your list and apply.
Odds are someone is willing to take a chance on you, as there are only so many perfect candidates for every position.
When I first got my job at Outreach as an SDR, I had no real sales experience or college degree.
But they took a chance on me, and I got my foot in the door.
Throw yourself in the arena and see what happens.
At the very worst, you may get rejected, but there’s always someone out there willing to hire you.
You just need to find that person and take advantage of the opportunity as it will come.
Work on Side Projects/Self Development Courses
Lastly, while you won’t be able to job hunt all day, start working on some side projects and self-development courses.
Your unemployment time is excellent for discovering what you like to do.
So if you’re always looking for new things to learn, try finding new courses or start that blog you’ve been thinking about.
Skills and experiences you gain from your side projects and courses can easily translate to your new role.
Additionally, take note of any certification courses or have side projects worthy of sharing with hiring managers.
They’ll look at this as a net positive as employers like ambitious and interesting people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, finding your dream job is a journey that requires patience, persistence, and a solid strategy.
Following the 19 job search tips in this blog post, you’ll be well on your way to standing out from the competition and landing your dream job.
From refining your resume to networking effectively, these tips are designed to increase your chances of success and help you find your dream job faster.
Remember, there isn’t a single silver bullet that guarantees a job as the job-searching process could take some time. So prepare for setbacks and rejections.
But with these job search tips and a positive attitude, you’ll be well on your way to finding your dream job.
So don’t give up, keep your head up, and keep pushing forward!
Now that you have all the job search tips you need, take a look at how we put these tips into practice within our post How to Find a Job.