Looking to start a new job, but overwhelmed and unsure how to start the job search process? If you find yourself asking questions like, “How do I begin my job search?” or “How do I prepare myself for a successful job search?”, here are 11 steps to a strong job search that will help you improve your chances of getting the dream job you’ve always wanted! Reflect on the jobs you’ve had in the past. Ask mentors for feedback on your work ethic, strengths and areas of improvement. Research and establish what your ideal roles are. Determine where you’re going to job search. Network online and offline. Update your resume. Build on the skills you’re missing by taking on extra, relevant responsibilities. Prep for your interview. Refresh and clean up your social media pages. Determine when to notify your boss. Think of who you’ll want as your references. 1. Reflect Reflection is a valuable and often forgotten aspect of the job search process. Rather than jumping right into the job boards, step back and evaluate why you’re looking for a new job. This helps you frame what your next best move should be. You can start by first taking these 3 where's regarding your career into consideration: Where have you been? Where are you now? Where do you want to be? Analyzing why you want to switch jobs will bring clarity to what the RIGHT job looks like for you. In addition, think about your experiences in your past roles. Which responsibilities did you enjoy the most and which could you do without? WHY did you like or dislike them? Was it the organizational culture? The work itself? The lack of support and/or experience needed to truly succeed? What did you learn from your past jobs that can help you in your next role? What are your current skills? How have they helped you in your career? Will they be enough to serve you effectively in the next stage of your career? Asking these questions at the beginning of your job search process will help you establish a clear vision for what you want your “next ideal role” to be. Write down your observations to serve as a reference point when you’re conducting your job search. This will help you align your professional interests, aspirations, and skills to the jobs that fit you best. 2. Talk to Mentors Get feedback from the people you know and trust. Set up meetings with your mentors, senior leaders, colleagues or close friends who are familiar with your work and talents. Ask them to give you frank feedback on your skills, strengths, weaknesses, work ethic and professionalism. Make sure it’s someone who isn’t afraid to offer constructive criticism. Sugar-coated advice isn’t good for the health of your career. What do they see you doing? How do they see you transitioning into this dream role you’ve established? Gaining a candid understanding of who you are and how others see you can help you better position yourself for your next best opportunity and identify what you need to refine in order to get there. In addition to receiving feedback, it’s good to get an understanding of what your ideal roles require. If you know someone who has your dream role, ask to shadow them for a day or conduct an informational interview to get a better grasp of what the job entails and how to prepare for it. 3. Research & Solidify Job Preferences   To streamline your job search, it’s important to focus only on the specific types of jobs in which you are genuinely interested. The more the job resonates with you, the more likely you are to stay with the organization, produce good work and optimize your professional growth. Take into consideration all the things you mentioned during your reflection time and how it compares to where you see yourself in the future. Think about: Your Impact: At the end of the day, what kind of impact do you want to make in your community? How would you like your role to change the lives of the children and families you’re serving? What solution do you want to solve as it pertains to the kid’s educational well-being? If you need help pinpointing this, you may want to spend more time analyzing why education is the right space for you. Your Role : What things did you enjoy about the roles you’ve had before? What were the things you were really good at and would you want to do them again? What work would you delegate to someone else if you could? Were you satisfied with the roles and responsibilities you had? What activities, challenges, and responsibilities do you want to do/own in this next role? Your Organization : Did you like the organizational structure of your past jobs? Do you prefer working with smaller, intimate teams who do a little bit of everything or do you prefer working with larger companies where the work is more structured and predictable? Your Location: What are your preferred locations? Do they provide activities that are conducive to a good work/life balance? Are there opportunities for career advancement there or will professional growth be limited? Are these location preferences must-haves, or are they nice-to-haves? Your Pay : What is your preferred salary based on your personal and professional aspirations? What is the minimum salary you’re willing to accept? How does it compare with your current and anticipated cost of living? Does this salary match the industry norm? Once you have a good idea of what your ideal role will look like, narrow down the absolute necessities of your dream job. By necessities, we mean that if these basic elements were in place, you would be content and confident that you’re in an environment where you both enjoy today and are preparing for your ideal career of tomorrow. Limiting yourself with too many “nice-to-haves” disguised as “must-haves” may eliminate great prospective roles. After you’ve clearly defined your job necessities, pinpoint the roles that most align with your list. Then, research different organization types where you could potentially perform that role. According to your list, you may prefer one organizational type over the other based on structure, culture, work style, a barrier to entry, etc. If you need help finding out where to start, sites like O*NET do a great job of explaining what is required for certain positions within the education space including, tasks, technology skills, knowledge, abilities, work activities, work styles, salary and much more. It even shows which positions have projected growth in the future. Here’s an example for Education Administrators.   Summary Report for Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary Schoo l Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of public or private elementary or secondary level schools. Sample of reported job titles: Athletic Director, Elementary Principal, High School Principal, Middle School Principal, Principal, School Administrator, School Superintendent, Special Education Director, Superintendent, Vice Principal Median wages (2017): $94,390 annual Employment (2016): 251,000 employees Projected growth (2016-2026): Average (5% to 9%) Tasks Evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and use, and to ensure that school activities comply with federal, state, and local regulations.   Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.   Direct and coordinate activities of teachers, administrators, and support staff at schools, public agencies, and institutions.    4. Determine where you’re going to look Find out where your next opportunity is and how you’re going to get there! In determining where you’re going to look for these opportunities, take these two things into consideration: How can I find the most opportunities? How can I find the opportunities that closely align with my ideal roles ? One way to optimize your job search is to look for roles on niche job boards and/or professional association websites. If you use websites that specialize in curating roles in the education sector, you’re more likely to find jobs you’re truly interested in, faster! The Spring hiring season is the best time to start applying for roles, but you have to know where they are. If you’re interested in working in education, but you’re looking to exercise your talents outside of the classroom, job searching through teacher-centric job boards can be a little difficult and at times frustrating. TrulyHired is a great way to discover the hard to find, non-teaching jobs in education you’ve been seeking. To confidentially stay abreast of current, relevant jobs in education, you can sign up for job alerts here . Another way to optimize your job search is by using industry-specific staffing or recruiting agencies. These agencies allow you to articulate your professional wants and needs to someone who will seek out opportunities on your behalf. If you’re looking for jobs in education, specifically non-teaching jobs, WorkMonger is a great way to receive job matches about a variety of non-teaching jobs that match your professional preferences. All you have to do is complete a JobSeeker profile. Managing your job seeking activities is also pertinent to your search success. Organizing your job searching process can help you keep track of: When to follow up: Know when you need to circle back with an employer so you can stay top of mind during their process. Who to follow up with: Following up with the right people during the process helps you build rapport with the hiring team which allows you to stand out. Where you applied: If you see that one website is getting better results than the other, then that’s a good indication that employers are actively looking for candidates on that platform. That’s where you want to be. Communication trends: Keep tabs of your progress and track communication trends such as which roles you’re getting traction on, which ones are taking a little longer, how people prefer to contact you for different stages of the process and how long it takes for employers to generally get back to you. Observing and acting on these trends will help you be more proactive and strategic in your follow up efforts. Your perceived brand : Once you have good records of all of the roles you have applied for, eventually you will get a good sense of how your resume is performing and how you’re being perceived. For example, imagine you’re applying for both middle management and seasoned leadership roles, but you keep getting callbacks for only the middle-management positions. This likely indicates your resume isn’t highlighting the skills required for upper-level management. Organize and control your job seeking process by using a spreadsheet like this .  5. Network Another way to optimize your search is to find the people who can help you get there! Reach out to people in your current network to see if they know of any job openings in your areas of interest. If they’re not privy to specific job openings, see if they can lead you in the right direction with a reference, an event to attend or an organization to join. Let them know what you’re looking for, why you’re looking and what you would like to bring to the table. If you’re new to the education space or the people in your circle aren’t connected with anyone at an educational organization, join a professional association or a MeetUp group. Likewise, you may want to start getting familiar with people in ed-centered Linkedin or Facebook groups. These are great ways to surround yourself with people who are familiar with what you want to do. Attending education conferences and local networking events can also help widen your net to find relevant opportunities. 6. Update your resume As you’re applying for jobs, you want to make sure you have a fresh, relevant resume that resonates with your audience - the hiring managers. Your resume should tell a story of what you’re interested in, what you’re doing to advance yourself, and where you aspire to go. It should also reflect a track record of your results, skills and how you were able to make a positive impact on both your team and the communities you serve.    A great place to start is to identify a few job descriptions for roles that you are very interested in. Then, analyze the job descriptions in depth, paying special attention to a) the break down of day-to-day responsibilities, b) the experience required, and c) the aspects that you know align closely with your experience, skills, and talents. With this information in mind, tailor your resume to highlight in concrete ways why you’re the best person for jobs such as these. As you’re editing your resume, remember to focus on including the most relevant information. For help on how to structure and optimize your resume , read this blog. 7. Fill in the Gaps If you start to see a number of gaps between the job description and your resume, you may not be ready for this role, at this point in time. However, there a few suggestions on how you could fill those voids. If the gaps are knowledge-based, seek out an online course, classes or licenses that can help you fill the void and add value to your resume. If your gaps are experience-based, think through how you might gain the requisite skills at your current place of employment. Perhaps volunteer for a cross-functional team or ask your supervisor if you can begin to take on new projects that will allow you to grow in the areas in which you are interested. You can also look outside your current employment for experiential growth, such as serving in small roles in one of the education associations we spoke about earlier. Collectively, these steps can help improve your skills and add the experience you’ve been missing on your resume.   8. Interview prep Practicing your interview skills is a must to help you land the job you’re seeking! Now that you have a good idea of what the role generally requires, find ways to sync your experience and aspirations into your interview storyline. Research information about the organization ahead of time. Then, weave your narrative into what they’re looking for. For example, if you’re applying for a leadership role, be sure your stories demonstrate your awesome leadership skills, such as guiding your team to reach a common goal, delegating assignments based on your team’s strengths, creating an agile execution plan, etc. Review your resume and reflect on your past experiences to determine which stories you’d like to highlight in your interviews. Be able to explain what you’ve done (use concrete, measurable outcomes whenever possible), why you included it on your resume and how it relates to the job you’re applying for. Remember, the only thing the hiring team has to go on is your application, resume, and social media presence (we’ll get into that later). Also, you’ll want to reframe how you think of interviews. Rather than being interrogated by someone on the other end of the desk, think of it as a candid conversation. Anticipate building rapport and making a genuine connection with the interviewer. Remember - interviews are a two-way street; you’re evaluating them just like they are evaluating you. Having the right perspective can help you mitigate anxiety and create an opportunity to have open, insightful conversation about a role you both find equally intriguing and important. To start, try to find out who you are interviewing with in advance if at all possible. Once you know, look up information about them on LinkedIn and on the company website. In addition to making sure you understand their role, jot down the information you can use as rapport points, like universities you’ve both attended, organizations you’re both members of, roles you’ve both held or experiences you’ve shared. Once you have a good idea of who the person is and how they contribute to the mission of the company, figure out what you’re going to say by conducting a mock interview. It’s a great way to decrease interview anxiety and increase your confidence in how you’re going to respond to the interview questions. You can do a practice run with close colleagues. Or, for feedback from talent professional knowledgeable on the education sector, check out WorkMonger’s resume review and interview prep career services . Since finding jobs in the education sector is our forte, we can help you streamline your story for distinct opportunities you’re seeking. For more great tips on how to prepare before, the day of AND after the interview read 12 Steps to a Great Interview here .   9. Refresh your Social Media More and more, employers are using social media as a part of their candidate “background checks”. When you’re working in the education sector, understanding who your candidates are inside and outside of the organization is very important. Not only are you representing yourself but you’re also a reflection upon the kids, staff and communities you’re serving, so make sure whatever social media pages you have that are accessible to the public are cleaned up and acceptable for the organization you’re applying to before you apply. One of the best ways to positively place yourself on an employer’s radar is by utilizing LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a valuable tool that most professionals fail to maximize. Not only are employers checking your page after you apply, but recruiters are also specifically seeking potential candidates for jobs they have available through LinkedIn. If your page isn’t updated, more likely than not, you’re not going to be included in that outreach number. Who knows, an updated and accurate LinkedIn profile could land you your dream job! LinkedIn is also the perfect social media platform to showcase everything you couldn’t fit on your resume. It’s a great way to highlight your knowledge, expertise and professional voice, on your terms. So it’s important to keep your Linkedin updated with current responsibilities, share and comment on industry related news, offer sound advice and opinions on things going on in your field and connect with other professionals in your lane. If you need help figuring out the best way to utilize your LinkedIn Page, here are a few LinkedIn hacks to get you started.   10. Determine when to notify your boss If you’re thinking of leaving your current job sooner rather than later, determine when you should give your boss a heads up. Most of us are familiar with the 2 weeks notice rule. But if your position is a little more complex, you may want to reconsider when you need to notify your employer so they can properly prepare to delegate your responsibilities and find a replacement. In this WorkMonger blog, how to break up with your boss , we break down the appropriate notification time based on your management level: “In most mid-level roles, four to six weeks is appropriate while with more senior roles you might be more around two to three months’ notice, ultimately reaching as much as six months’ notice for c-level positions. Put some thought into how much notice to give though based off your unique situation; too little and you’ll leave on a bad note and not set your organization up for success. Too much and there won’t be the urgency to replace you.” Hopefully, you’re parting on good terms. But in the event that you’re anticipating a bad breakup due to retaliation, hostile work environment or other unfortunate circumstances, you’ll want to explore your options and what’s in the best interest of you and the parties involved. This is especially important when you work in such a close-knit sector like education. You don’t want to burn bridges, but you do want to make a clean, cordial and professional break. 11. Think through your references The last step is to create a solid list of positive and supportive references. If the hiring managers and/or recruitment agencies call these individuals, make sure they are talking to people who are familiar with the scope of your experience, work ethic and overall value of what you bring to the table. Choose 2-3 individuals who can offer relevant insight as it pertains to the role you’re applying for. It’s helpful if they can speak on your behalf from a macro and/or micro level point of view. This will give the hiring manager and/or recruiter a well-rounded perspective of who you are as an employee. If you don’t know who to add to your reference list, consider: Your current manager or supervisor Past managers or supervisors Leadership team members you worked with frequently Current peers or colleagues familiar with your work Happy clients Mentors / Advisors Professors / Teachers Friends who are familiar with your work and talent Now, of course, you don’t want to just add your references to the list without telling them. Be sure to notify them in advance. Let them know you’re looking for opportunities and ask if they would be willing to serve as a reference and, if so, how they prefer to be contacted. Nowadays, people are reluctant to answer numbers or emails they don’t know, so make sure they’re aware someone might be contacting them to get some input on your qualifications. Explain the overall premise of the jobs you’ve been applying for, what they’re looking for in a candidate and the key points you want them to highlight if and when the hiring team calls. By doing this, your references will have more time to conduct research on the companies, curate stories as it pertains to the roles and properly prepare for the reference interview questions. BONUS: Stay tuned to industry publications that share job searching strategies Keeping up with blogs like ours for current news, trends and job-searching strategies will help you stay ahead of the game! The more strategies you implement, the closer and faster you get to your desired end goal.  It’s not very common for people to research how to do an effective job search; most candidates just dive in. Knowing that, be sure you check in frequently so you can sustain your advantage. As a fun bonus, we wanted to share this great podcast we ran across. In this episode of “The Job Search Podcast”, Amy Adler describes 5 simple mental strategies you can use to prepare for a successful job search. You can listen to the episode here . We wish you the very best in your search for your dream job! If you have another step you’d like to add, let us know! Comment on the blog below, message us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter! Don’t forget to share this with your friends who are also job seeking! We all want to find an impactful job that we love at a dynamic organization doing work that makes a difference. So share the wealth! Until next time, stand out. Do good!

Wouldn’t we all love to know how we did in an interview that same day? If only! Unfortunately, that rarely happens. In fact, not only do you rarely hear the same day, many times a week or two (or longer!) can go by with no response. If/when this happens to you, here are some circumstances that can take place during the hiring process that may be the cause of the delay. We’re counting down the 4 main reasons here.   Supply and Demand May be In the Organization’s Favor If you interviewed for a position in a popular city or at a prominent organization, more than likely the hiring team is swamped with an influx of interested jobseekers. This means it may take longer for the team to sort candidates which in turn may prolong their turnaround time for calling you back with a decision. More applicants, especially quality applicants, means the decision makers must allocate even more time to analyzing each person before narrowing down their top prospects. Although this is a good problem for an employer to have, it creates increased work for the hiring team which entails sorting through dozens (sometimes hundreds) of resumes, cover letters and emails. And that doesn’t include scheduling and coordinating interviews with their colleagues, you, AND all the other qualified applicants as well. This process can take several weeks to organize.   Too Many People Are Involved in the Decision Making Process The number of people involved in the interview process can also dictate how long it takes to hear back from an organization. The hiring team can range from one person to a full committee that evaluates every candidate and decides on a prospect together. Bureaucratic company hiring procedures can be lengthy depending on the importance, immediacy and intricacy of the role. The more responsibility the role requires, the more time and input will be put into making a decision. In our industry, it’s common for education non-profits, school districts, charter schools, and other education-support organizations to have multidimensional and multi-touch hiring processes. Consequently, after you finish the interview process, serious consideration for a candidate could possibly take up to several weeks to a month before you hear back about a position.   The Hiring Process Begins to Get Complicated or Convoluted If you’ve been involved behind-the-scenes when it comes to the hiring process, you know things can get tricky really quick. There are several factors that could throw the entire operation off and postpone an organization’s follow up time. Here are a few examples: The company changes its mind about the role and closes the position in the middle of the process. Something popped up that shifts their attention. The process is put on hold until the situation is handled. This can be a temporary or indefinite pause. A significant grant proposal is declined and eliminates the position. The hiring manager quits and the role you applied for is put on hold until his/her replacement is hired. The team has little to no formal experience conducting a structured hiring process. Believe it or not, although the individual team members may be great at their respective roles – hiring might not exactly be their forte. Rather than conducting an organized, strategic and timely hiring process, their steep learning curve on how to hire well is causing a delay in responsiveness.   You’re the Runner-Up Perhaps, especially if you’ve participated in a multi-level interview process, it may have come down to you and another strong candidate. Unfortunately, if it’s taking really long to hear back from an organization, there’s a good chance that they have offered the position to the best fit candidate and they’re now awaiting a response from that person. The eagerness, availability and interest of the applicant can impact how soon he or she provides an answer to the organization. The longer the person takes to make up their mind, the longer it will take for you to get your update. Sorry. It’s just how it goes.   Follow Up Protocol We know post-interview anxiety can be the worst and it’s tempting to try to pull a response out of a company within a few days. But realistically, you may have to wait longer. It is a good idea to follow up with a thank-you note within 24 hours after your interview. We talked about this in our blog  12 Steps to a Great Interview . A sincere but concise email will suffice. Other creative follow-up tactics that would help you stand out include briefly expounding upon a discussion topic you really enjoyed or providing a small work sample that attempts to solve a problem that was mentioned in the job description and/or the interview. If you would like to see where you stand after the interview , a good rule of thumb is to wait at least 2 weeks to follow up . An exception to this rule would be if you have been offered a position elsewhere. It is okay to let the hiring team know that you remain very interested in joining their team, but that you have an offer from another company and that your timeline is now shorter. It’s human nature – people want what they know someone else wants. Knowing you have another offer will actually make you more desirable. It just might boost your chances AND speed up their decision-making timeline. We hope this information helped mitigate some of your anxiety and gave you a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of the interview process. Until next time, stand out & do good!

If you’re on the hunt for a new job, we can assume one of two things. Either you don’t like where you are now and you’re looking for a way out. Or you’re okay with your job, but you’re yearning for something more fulfilling. Regardless of your reasons, you’re spending countless hours online searching for the next best thing in your career. During your search, you may hesitate to apply for roles that spark your interest because you’re not sure if you qualify. You start asking yourself questions like, “Do I have enough experience? Do I have the  right  experience? Should I apply even though I’m lacking in key areas?” When these moments occur, try using these 3 simple pre-qualifying steps to make this judgment call. This process will set the groundwork for how you navigate and approach new and intimidating job opportunities. 1. Create a Career-Impact Checklist Creating an impact checklist is a great tool to utilize when you want to gauge how a role will move you closer to your ideal role. Think of it as a moral compass for your career. It will capture, streamline, and measure your career goals and aspirations against the job positions presented to you. This checklist only requires four questions and the answers don’t have to be convoluted. Just jot down a few sentences underneath each prompt: What kind of work do you want to do? What do you want your work to accomplish? What does your ideal company look like? (company culture, compensation, etc) What kind of impact would you like to have at that company? This may sound simple, but these four questions carry a lot of weight. Keeping them in the forefront of your job search can help you decide which opportunities and organizations best align with your life’s work. Now, we’re not telling you to dismiss every role or company that doesn’t fit perfectly into your plans. However, this step will allow you to quickly identify which role and organization is the best fit for you. 2. Evaluate Your Resume; Read In-Between the Lines Most job seekers are aware that their resumes should highlight their strengths, accomplishments, and passion. Your resume should document the story of who you are, who you want to become, and the steps you have taken to reach that goal. If you need support in this area, here are a few tips that will  whip your resume into tip-top shape . But here is the kicker. Though many eager candidates update their resumes, rarely do they take the time to actually evaluate them. Let’s dig deeper, shall we? Evaluating the opportunity gaps reflected in your resume is a strategy you can use to enhance the effectiveness of your job search. What do we mean by opportunity gaps? Opportunity gaps are clearly identified areas of improvement that indicate what needs to be done in order to take you to that next level in your career. So, how do you pinpoint your opportunity gaps? Evaluate each role and the responsibilities that came with it (as it pertains to your dream job). Write down the areas where you would like to grow, advance or shift professionally. If you’re tired of doing the same ol’ tasks you’ve done for the last few years, make a note of it on the side of your resume, and then cross it out to indicate you’re moving on to something more challenging. If there are certain aspects of your past roles you would like to do more of or learn more about – highlight the duties you would like to take on in the future. If you’re thinking about  shifting functions or careers (especially from the private to the education sector), first – circle all of the transferable skills that can be implemented in your next role. If you feel like you’re lacking in experience, education or skill set, write down everything you need to do in order to make yourself competitive in this new space. Then, set tentative deadlines and steps to proactively close the gap. You’ll also want to list out what you liked and disliked about the previous organizations you’ve worked for. Think of the roles you’ve held and the  actual  responsibilities that came along with them. You know, the ones that weren’t included in the initial job description. How did you like the role and how it was structured? What was the leadership like? Did the company culture make you feel like you belonged? Was there room to grow and advance in a way that was conducive to your goals? All these questions are important when you’re looking to join a dynamic team at your future dream organization. Documenting your evaluation process will help you map out what you really want to see manifested in your next role. This information is crucial as it will be the driving force behind how you execute Step 3. 3. Align Your Goals and Your Gaps With Your Research Now that you have a clear idea of what you want to do and what you need in order to get there, use this information as your reference point during your job hunt. As you research new roles and organizations, compare them with the notes you took down on your Career-Impact Checklist and your resume. Bookmark the jobs and companies that align with your areas of growth and advancement. Having your checklist and evaluation notes present during your job search can increase your focus and improve your decision making. Knowing exactly what you want to gain from a role and how you can contribute to an organization will allow you to narrow down, expand and/or eliminate your options in a clear, quick and confident manner. Plus, it will take the edge off of wondering if you’re qualified for a position. At that point, the question will shift from “Am I qualified?” to “Based on my goals, my areas of growth, and my experience – is this truly the right fit for me?” See! Way less intimidating right?   Until next time: Stand Out &  Do Good!