Are you looking for strategies that will accelerate your job search? Have you submitted your resume and cover letter countless times and you still don’t have the job offer you’ve been waiting for?

If this sound like you, tune in, because today you’ll learn my top 5 job search strategies that will help you tap into your professional network and fast track your job search.

If we’ve never met before, I’m Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career Club on Facebook, and here, I share simple solutions to help you build a business or launch a career you love.

The 6-Second Resume

Your resume is one of the most important documents you’ll create in your lifetime. Download your free resume template to make yours stand out!

Before we jump into my top 5 job search strategies, remember that the key to a great job search is in your professional network.

If you want to improve the quality of opportunities in your job search, it all comes down to who you know. In fact, it’s been reported that 80% of open positions are filled by referrals.

Let’s jump in to my top 5 job search strategies.

1. Use LinkedIn to network with others in your industry

One of the quickest ways to land a new job is to network with others in your same industry and LinkedIn is the perfect platform to do this. I have two super simple strategies to use LinkedIn to expedite your job search.

First, pinpoint positions you want to for apply or company’s you’d like to work with.

Then, do some research to find out if you know someone that works for the company or if you know someone that knows someone that works for the company.

Reach out to your connections letting them know of your interest in the position and if they would be okay putting you in touch with the hiring manager or human resource personnel.

If you’re unsure about how to do a job search using LinkedIn, I created a step-by-step tutorial just for you. Take a look at the tutorial right here!

If you’re initiating a new connection, customize your connection request to that person by saying something like:

“Hi Sally, I recently discovered you are a Senior Account Representative for Corporation XYZ. I admire your company’s vision and mission. I’m currently building my network and would love the opportunity for us to connect here on LinkedIn.”

Your name

This is the first step to building a relationship.

The second part to using LinkedIn to expedite your job search is to join groups and engage in high-quality conversations.

Sharing your thoughts, ideas and opinions in a group is a great way to get to know others in your industry. This will allow you to connect in a more natural way.

To get super involved, follow the company page that you would like to work for. This only reiterates your interest in the company and is a great way to learn the latest news from the company, such as positions they are hiring for or events they are holding.

2. Get your career documents ready

Make sure your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile are all up-to-date and ready to go. You want to be able to quickly customize each item if needed and send it through to the correct person if a position comes up.

The last thing you want to be doing is updating your resume and LinkedIn at the ninth hour. The chance of you having a misspelled word or bad grammar increases if you’re trying to get these things done in a hurry.

3. Develop your 30-second elevator pitch

Your elevator pitch is an essential resource for your job search. It’s the perfect way to quickly let others know what your expertise and qualifications are and what problems you can solve.

Having a 30-second elevator pitch ready will give you more confidence when you’re networking with others for potential job opportunities. The key to a great pitch is to make sure it aligns with your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Think of it as your career story.

Here’s the cool thing… If you don’t have 30-second pitch yet, no worries. I have a video that will walk you through the exact steps for creating your pitch. I also include a template for you to follow that will help with your very own pitch. Take a look at the video right here!

4. Conduct informational interviews

Of all the job search strategies I’m sharing with you, this is by far my favorite and the one that has worked the best for me.

Informational interviews are one of the fastest ways to develop relationships and find meaningful work.

An informational interview is an interview you initiate based on a position you’d like to have in the future or an industry you’d like to work in.

Target two to three people that are doing what you want to do or that have a connection with others doing your ideal type of work.

Reach out to those people using LinkedIn and ask them if they’d be interested in an informational interview. Don’t let this step intimidate you. Most people are willing to connect through an informational interview because believe it not, people love to talk about themselves

You can ask questions like…

“What do you like most about your position?”

“How did you get to where you are now?”

“What advice would you give me?”

A large part of the time, this information interview can lead to your new job.

5. Follow-up

Keep track of the positions you’ve applied for or the connections you’ve made and follow up.

We are all inundated with emails, connection requests and text messages. It’s easy to forget about a conversation we had last week or the week before.

To keep yourself at the forefront of someone’s mind, follow-up within a few weeks or even a week and then don’t let that be your last form of contact. Continue to follow-up after that.

Don’t just follow-up to find out what that person can do for. Make it a meaningful two-way conversation. Maybe the person mentioned a birthday they had or something they were doing with a family. member Bring those types of things back into the conversation.

Think of this step as establishing your network and building relationships. This does take some time, so be patient with the process.

In conclusion

To get it right when it comes to your resume, remember to download the 6-Second resume. It’s a downloadable resume template that you can grab today and customize for the next position you apply for.

The 6-Second Resume

Your resume is one of the most important documents you’ll create in your lifetime. Download your free resume template to make yours stand out!