The Ultimate Guide to Job Hunt - Land Your Next Job in 2024

What Does Job Hunting Mean?

Job hunting, job seeking, or job searching is the process of looking for employment, whether it’s because of unemployment, dissatisfaction with the current role, or any other reason.

The job hunt process usually looks something like this:

1. Define your career goals. What kind of role are you looking for? Do you want to stick with your current field, or make a career switch?
2. Create a resume. Write a resume that’s easy to read, concise, and convincing.
3. Pick job boards you want to use. There are dozens of job boards in just about any country. Pick the ones you want to use.
4. Apply Rationally. When applying for jobs, don’t spray and pray. Instead, apply specifically for the companies and positions you’re a good fit for.
5. Research companies you want to apply for. Don’t just blindly apply for positions - research the role and the company and see if they’re a good fit for you.
6. Write a tailored cover letter. Don’t just use a copy-paste cover letter template. Explain to the recruiter why you’re a good fit for the role AND for the company.
7. Tailor your resume to the role. Don’t just submit the same resume to every position. Tailor it based on what skills and experiences each employer is looking for.
8. Ace the interview. Memorize the common interview questions, practice, and ace the interview.
9. And most importantly, get hired!

In this article, we’re going to cover each of these steps one-by-one, starting with #1!

Step #1. Define Your Career Goals

Before you even get started with the job hunt, you need to decide on your exact career goals.

When thinking about your career goals, think about it strategically.

First, define where you want to be in 5-10 years. Do you want to be in a management position or a more senior role?

Then, define what kind of skills and experiences you’d need in order to get hired for that position.

Finally, look for the positions that are likely to give you the skills and experiences to get you to that level.

Some other things to consider at this stage are:

• Are you applying for a similar position to what you have now?
• Are you completely switching careers? In that case, you might want to learn how to make a career change resume.
• Where do you want to be in 5 years’ time? How is the job you want to apply for going to help you get there?
• Are you applying for a role more senior than your experience level? Do you have the skills for it? 

Step #2. Create a Convincing Resume

This one can be a 5,000-word guide on its own - there’s a lot that comes into play when creating a good resume.

If you want a full run-down, check out our dedicated guide to writing a resume.

If you’re just looking for a quick start, though, here are the cliff notes:

Like step #1, you need to pick a resume template. We recommend going with one of our favourites here:

Then, you need to decide on what content you’re going to include in your resume. The must-have ones are:

• Contact information
• Personal statement
• Work experience
• Educational history
• Skills

And the optional ones are:

• Hobbies & interests
• Projects
• Extracurricular activities (perfect for students)
• Volunteering experiences

Now, as for getting your resume contents done right, here are some of our top resume tips:

Tip #1. Use a professional email address (e.g. [name] + [last name] @gmail.com)

Tip #2. Mention achievements instead of responsibilities wherever possible. The recruiter already knows what your role involved. What they want to see is how YOU stand out.

Tip #3. Stick to relevant work experience. The recruiter doesn’t have to know about your first internship or a part-time job you worked 10 years ago. Mention only recent & relevant work experiences on your resume. The golden rule here is to include your last 3-5 positions tops.

Tip #4. No work experience? No problem! Recruiters don’t actually expect you to have work experience if you’re a student. Just fill up your resume with the experience you DO have (coursework, extracurricular activities, projects, etc.). For more on this, check out our guide to the student resume.

Tip #5. Back up your skills. You can’t just say “I have leadership skills” without backing it up. All skills you mention in your resume should somehow be backed up with practical experiences on how you applied this skill in real-life.

Tip #6. Make your resume ATS-friendly. In 2020, over 75% of all recruiters and hiring managers use applicant tracking systems to filter through their candidates. Meaning, unless your resume is well-formatted, chances are, the ATS might not be able to read it and automatically discard it.

Making your resume ATS-friendly is a very lengthy topic, though. To learn everything about ATS resumes, check out our dedicated article.

Tip #7. Use a resume builder. Alternatively, if you want to avoid all the hassle of formatting your resume, you can use a resume builder like Novoresume. 

Our builder works with all the most popular applicant tracking systems out there, ensuring that your resume gets a pass every single time!

Want to learn more about how to make a convincing resume? Check out some of our top resources:

• How to Write a Resume Summary
• How to Pick the Right Resume Format
• How to Make a No-Experience Resume

Step #3. Pick a Job Board

There are dozens of job search sites in just about every country, so you’ll have to pick the ones you’ll focus on.

Some of our favourite international job boards include:

• LinkedIn
• Monster
• Indeed
• TheMuse

Or, you can also use some of the niche job boards for specific professions or industries:

• Hired.com - IT & tech job board where companies apply to YOU instead of the other way around.
• Dribble & Behance - The most popular job boards for designers.
• WeWork Remotely & Flex Jobs - Job boards dedicated to remote work.
• AngelList - Looking for a job in a startup? AngelList is a job board dedicated to positions in early-stage companies.

Step #4. Apply Rationally

The most common (and wrong) approach to job-search is to spray and pray. Meaning, apply to dozens of positions every day and hope that one of them sticks.

This is not just annoying for recruiters, but also very impractical and unlikely to work for the job-seeker.

If you spray and pray, you’re not just going to get rejected from the jobs you’re not qualified for, but also the ones you’re a perfect match for (because you didn’t tailor your application for their company and position).

Instead, when applying for jobs, we recommend:

#1. Apply only for the positions you’re genuinely interested in and qualified for. E.g. if you’re a junior finance analyst with 2 years of experience, you’re never going to get the role of a senior banker - that’s just not what the recruiter is looking for.

And #2. Apply to 5-10 positions every day, 5-days a week. Job-search is a process, it’s not something you do in one evening and call it a day. For the average job-seeker, the job-search process can take up to 5 months, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get good results in just a week!

Step #5. Research The Companies & The Positions

Before you hit that “Apply” button, you should do some research on the company and position. And trust us, this is going to really help with your job hunt!

You’re going to use the information you find for:

• Tailoring your resume to the job.
• Personalizing the cover letter for the position/company.
• Answering the interview questions better.
• Negotiating for a better salary.

Here’s how you can do your research:

First, check the company background information. Here’s the information you should be looking for:

1. What’s their product/service? Do you have experience working with something similar? If that’s the case, you’d mention this in your cover letter or interview.
2. What’s their company culture like? You can learn this from GlassDoor reviews. Is the culture the type you’d get along in? Mention this in your interview or cover letter (and explain how/why!).
3. What’s the latest news/developments at the company? You can mention this at the interview to “wow” your interviewer!

Then, read the job description in-depth, and really understand what the role is about:

1. Do you have all the skills & work experience mentioned in the job description? If so, does your resume reflect this?
2. Did you mention all the must-have skills in your resume? 
3. Is this position a good match for you at this current time? I.e. Do you have the skills and years of experience for it? Or are you overqualified?
4. What are the most important experiences required for the role? Make sure that you make them “pop’ on your resume & cover letter.

Finally, you can also research the following:

1. What’s the average salary range for this role with your years of experience?
2. What’s the average salary for a similar position to yours in the company? You can find this information on GlassDoor, and use it as a salary negotiation leverage.
3. Does the company really seem like the type of place you’d enjoy working? You can learn this from reading up online reviews.

Step #6. Write a Tailored Cover Letter

A cover letter is a one-page document that you submit as part of your job application (alongside your resume).

The average cover letter is approximately 250 to 400 words long, and it acts as a pitch for your resume.

See, your resume is just an objective account of your past experiences, skills, and education.

A cover letter, on the other hand, is a written document on how you’re going to use these experiences and skills to help the company you’re applying for.

A well-written cover letter should be structured as follows:

As for your cover letter contents, here are some of our best tips:

Tip #1. In your cover letter, mention: 

• The role you’re applying for.
• Your top skills (that are relevant for the role).
• Top 2-3 biggest achievements that are going to help you succeed with your new role.
• Why you’re passionate about working for the company you’re applying for. Is it their product/service? Their company culture? Mission?

Tip #2. Don’t sound robotic. Look at the cover letter as a personal letter to the recruiter in charge of the hiring process. Convince them that you’re the right choice!

Tip #3. Tailor your cover letter to the role. For each position you’re applying for, either completely re-write or tweak your cover letter.

Tip #4. Want your cover letter to stand out? Use one of our well-designed cover letter templates.

Tip #5. Need some inspiration? Check out our top cover letter examples. Or, here’s one for good measure:

For more top content on cover letters, check out some of our best articles:

• How to Start a Cover Letter
• How to Write a Motivational Letter
• How to Address a Cover Letter

Step #7. Tailor Your Resume to the Role

Most job-seekers create a single resume and apply to dozens of positions with it.

That’s actually a wrong approach - you want to tailor your resume to each position you’re applying for.

Chances are, you’re not just applying for this one specific type of role. E.g. if you’re a sales professional, you could be applying for 4+ types of positions:

1. Sales specialist
2. Sales team lead
3. Outreach specialist
4. Pre-screening sales specialist

And depending on which role you’re applying for, you’d want to tweak your resume.

If you’re applying for the role of a sales team lead, for example, your resume should talk about your experiences with managing a team, rather than personal sales results.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to work as a sales specialist, you should focus more on your personal sales skills and results, even if you have managerial experience in the field.

Here’s how you tailor your resume to a specific role:

1. First, read the job description for the position. Identify which skills/experiences are mandatory for the position, and which ones aren’t.
2. Go through your resume and change your job title to the exact role you’re applying for.
3. Then, mention the essential skills in the “Skills” section.
4. In your resume summary, mention your years of experience with the position.
5. In your work experience section, talk about your top achievements that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.

Step #8. Ace the Interview

Even the biggest extroverts tend to hate interviews, and for good reason too.

Image sitting there in a strange place you’ve never been to before, having your entire career and educational background judged by strangers you’ve never met.

Then, they throw one complicated question or another, and you’re just sitting there bumbling nervously.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way! With the right practice and dedication, interviews CAN be easy.

Here are some of our top tips for acing the interview!

Interviews 101

First thing’s first - let’s talk interview basics & etiquette. 

Before you even go to the interview, do some preparation. This includes:

• Get a good night’s sleep before the interview. You will both feel better, less stressed, and leave a better impression on the interviewer.
• Eat a healthy breakfast so you’re energized for the interview.
• Check the location of the interview, and prepare your route. Make sure you can physically get there on time.
• Dress for the job. Applying for a job in a bank? You can impress the interviewer with the classic suit & tie. Innovative startup? Business casual (or even a t-shirt and shorts) can cut it.
• Prepare the clothes you’re going to wear the day in advance, so you don’t end up spending too long deciding what you want to wear.
• Don’t over-caffeinate. It might seem like a good idea to drink that double-latte so you’re energized for the interview, but it might also make you jittery and anxious.

During the interview, be courteous and professional. Here’s how:

• First off, relax. Take a deep breath, empty your mind for a second, and focus on one question at a time.
• If you’re the anxious type, try to slow down. Don’t pressure yourself to answer the questions super fast, take your time, and really think about your answers.
• Keep in mind that the interviewer is your friend. They want you to succeed just as much as you do!
• Be humble. Don’t brag about your achievements, talk about them objectively.
• Leverage your body language. Make eye contact with the interviewer (but not too much), sit upright, speak slowly, and try not to fidget.

Finally, we also recommend practicing and memorizing some of the most common interview questions and learn how to answer behavioral ones. 

Here’s what they are:

Common Interview Questions

Most interviewers ask pretty much the same questions. So, if you’re prepared for them, you’ll have a much easier time answering.

The interview questions you should prepare for include:

• Tell me something about yourself
• Why did you decide to apply for this position?
• What are your biggest strengths/weaknesses?
• Why should we hire you?
• Do you have any questions for us?
• What’s your biggest achievement?
• What kind of work environment do you work best in?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

For a complete list of all common interview questions and answers, check out our article.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions are a bit different than the traditional interview questions, so we thought we’d cover them too.

These are the questions that start with:

“Tell me about a time when you…”

These questions are tougher than the rest because they’re all about YOUR experiences. If you don’t have the experience, you won’t be able to answer it correctly.

There is, however, a strategy you can use to tackle the behavioral interview questions:

The STAR Method

Here’s how this works. For each behavioral interview question, your answer should be structured as follows:

• (S) Situation - What’s the context of the situation? What was the problem you had to solve?
• (T) Task - What’s the task(s) you had to complete to fix the problem?
• (A) Action - What actions did you take to fix the issue?
• (R) Result - What were the results of your actions? How did the company benefit from this?

Other Job Hunt Tips

#1. Set Aside Time For Your Search

Don’t expect to land the very first job you apply for - job-search is a lengthy process that can take (on average) up to 5 months.

Set aside 2 to 5 hours every day where you’re going to specifically be looking for and applying for positions.

#2. Don’t Limit Yourself to Online Resources

While online job-search is the most popular method in 2022, it’s not your only option.

Here are some other ways you can conduct your job hunt:

1. Add local recruiters on LinkedIn, and ask them to help find you a job.
2. Reach out to your professional network and ask if their company is hiring for your role.
3. Ask your close friends if they have an opening in their company and if they can refer you.
4. Attend job fairs.
5. Reach out to companies you’re really passionate about and ask if they have an opening for you. If you’re convincing, they might hire you even if they don’t have an opening.
6. Attend networking events.

#3. Take Advantage of LinkedIn

Don’t have a LinkedIn profile?

Well, you’re definitely missing out!

LinkedIn comes with a ton of awesome uses for a job-seeker:

1. You can use it to keep in touch with your professional network.
2. If your profile is well-optimized, recruiters can find you and contact you with job offers.
3. You can see where your friends and acquaintances work, and reach out to them for a reference if their organization is hiring.

Job Hunt FAQ

Still have some questions about the job hunt process? We’ll answer them here!

Key Takeaways

Phew!

And that covers just about everything you need to know to succeed with your job hunt.

Now, let’s recap all the important info we covered in this article:

• Job hunting is a process. Dedicate free time to it, and apply for 5 to 10 positions every day.
• Want to significantly boost your chances of getting the job? Learn as much as you can about resumes, interviews, and the job hunt process in general.
• Don’t limit yourself to online job boards. Apply to jobs in real life, via LinkedIn, through referrals, and any other potential sources.
• Don’t spray and pray with your application - hand-pick roles you’re a good fit for.

Suggested Readings:

• How to Write Your First Job Resume [For 2024]
• 31+ Resume Headline Examples [You Can Use In 2024]
• How to Write an Internship Resume [w/ Examples]