Time-saving strategies for a faster job search

"I can do anything, and I do not need any specific working hours" - It is often thought that the more open you are to all the alternatives available, the greater the chance of getting a job. Experience shows, however, that it is just the opposite. The more you have straightforward to yourself what you want to do, in what industry, in what type of workplace - the more efficient you will be at reaching out. Partly because you spend the time on the right job - partly because the recruiter notices that you have thought of, which significantly increases the chance of an interview.

There is the term Post and Pray in English, which roughly means "Send away and pray a prayer". In short: Send out many applications and hope for the best. There are occasional cases where this works. Where you finally got a job by sending hundreds - even thousands - of applications. But it is not something to invest in as a strategy.

You need to get the number of jobs you are looking for. Otherwise, nothing will happen. But applying for every single job that comes up does not increase your chances of getting anything. You burn time and energy unnecessarily. Each application will look the same, and as a recruiter and employer, it will be clear that you are not interested in the job but only sent in bulk.

So, be targeted and qualitative rather than broad and weary. Be smart and concentrate your search on the jobs you want. Identify in advance which roles in which organizations could be interesting. Search specifically for them. There you will do your best, thrive best - and it is also where you will have the greatest chance of getting the job.

Applying for a job effectively is about focusing on the proper position and being focused in the process of your application:

• Do your research
• Apply for the positions and roles you want
• Apply to industries you want to work in
• Apply to organizations and managers you want to work for
• Tailor your applications specifically to the job and organization you are applying for
• Spend a lot of time on a few applications rather than a bit of time on many applications
• Highlight the things that are interesting in the specific employers perspective

The labour market is extremely broad. If you search a little here and there, a little now and then, without any real plan, it will be very inefficient. You need to be systematic and work on one area at a time. You need to make notes and preferably checklists.

• Stay focused. Concentrate on one or two of your directions and go in-depth before changing tracks.
• Familiarize yourself properly with the roles, organizations, and industries you are looking for - research and preparatory work pays off!
• Learn from each application and each contact
• Always have several applications open in parallel, but do not do too much at the same time - if you send 20 applications the same week, you will not be able to keep track of them.

The path most people use when they start actively looking for a new job is ads on job sites or companies websites. So-called visible jobs. But in practice, it is only a fraction of all jobs. Instead, most jobs are so-called hidden jobs.

Remember to allocate your time correctly. Spend less time on advertised jobs and more time on other actions. We recommend that you spend a maximum of 20% of your time on advertised jobs. This means that if you are applying for a job five days a week, you should only spend one of those days on advertised jobs.

You need to look for a job that is a short distance from what you are already doing or what you did last time. It does not have to mean that you are applying for a higher position, but it can just as easily be about a new area, new knowledge, or a new industry.

The new thing you are looking for can be, for instance:

• New role
• New company
• New industry
• Another sector (non-profit sector / public sector / private enterprise)
• Higher specialization
• New specialist area
• More responsibility
• New customer groups
• New country (a move to a new place is not enough… it does not show that you are applying for something new - that you move is not a reason to give yourself a job)

When you focus on finding something new, the recruiter gets the impression that you are making a conscious and active choice about your future. And you appear to be driven and goal-oriented, which strengthens you as a candidate. It is easy to be sorted out in the process if you are looking for a job that "is already what I have done before". Recruiters are attracted by forward-thinking and commitment to developing professionally and personally.

What now? You got to know your market, created a wish list, got an interview (or even booked an interview!) And followed up after the interview. The next step is to learn from what you have learned about the job search process, understand yourself better and take a greater grip on the world around you.

Good luck!