Get Lucky Job Hunting This St. Patrick's Day

With March 17th just around the corner, you may be looking for ways to increase your luck when it comes to finding your dream job. Here are some things you can do to bring some of that St. Patrick’s Day luck to your job search.

If you're in search of additional platforms for job opportunities, refer to our guide showcasing the best job posting sites.

Attend A Networking Event

Networking events are a great way to meet and get to know people in the industry. However, job searchers often have trouble finding local networking events relevant to them. Here is a list of popular websites for networking events searching:

• Meetup
  • Made specifically for searching for networking events, this site allows you to look up networking events by sector.
• Eventbrite
  • Despite not being specifically created for networking events, this site is a popular destination for hosts of networking events because of its ticketing system.
• Women for Hire
  • This site holds career fair-like events where women can meet other talented women, enriching their careers.
• eWomenNetwork
  • In addition to allowing users to search for networking events, this site also gives women a place to seek guidance if they need it.
• Mediabistro
  • This site is specifically aimed towards those in a media-related careers. Not only does it give you job postings, but also courses to help build up your skills.

Spruce Up Your Resume and Cover Letter

One way to increase your chances in your job search is to ensure that your resume and cover letter is the best that they can be. Here are some ways to optimize these important documents:

• Resumes:
  • Direct your resume towards the job you are aiming for, making sure to include relevant work experience and skills.
  • Pepper keywords throughout so that electronic applicant tracking systems will pick up your resume.
  • Place an elevator-pitch-like summary at the top (with keywords) so that potential employers can take in your experience and achievements with one glance.
  • In your work experience descriptions, use quantifiable statistics to convey how you contributed in your previous jobs.
• Cover Letters:
  • Find the specific person your cover letter should be addressed to, instead of “To Whom It May Concern”.
  • Keywords should figure prominently throughout to show you know what someone in your industry is looking for, and will also help your application get past Applicant Tracking Systems.
  • Write to the job posting, making sure to address the requirements they are looking for.
  • Research the company and incorporate the knowledge you gained about the company’s values or goals into your letter.

Also, remember to check for spelling and grammatical errors! Nothing is more of a put off than not having enough attention to detail or patience to submit an error-free resume and cover letter.

Enhance Your LinkedIn Visibility

Possibly the most well-known professional networking site, LinkedIn is a useful platform for staying up-to-date in your industry and for potential employers to notice you. Here are some tips to make sure that your LinkedIn profile isn’t lost in the crowd:

• Fill out your profile as much as possible.

• If you don’t have at least two previous work experiences listed on your profile, it will be considered incomplete by LinkedIn.
• The summary section gives you the most freedom to elaborate on who you are and what you do. Make sure to infuse it with keywords.
• Don’t neglect to upload a professional-looking profile picture. This makes your profile more memorable and helps with first impressions.
• Keep keywords on your mind.
  • Change your custom URL to your name so that you’re easier to search for. Your name is also a keyword, so think of it as personal branding.
  • Use keywords in your job titles and descriptions. This helps draw your profile to the top of search results.
  • Select “Other” when filling in your websites. Then, label them with titles containing keywords.
• Look for ways to develop your network.
  • Regularly check the My Network section to add new connections because new users join all the time.
  • Searching on LinkedIn greatly relies on your own network, so the more people you are connected to, the higher you will appear on people’s searches.
• Be an active participant!
  • Join groups on LinkedIn and contribute in discussions.
    • Helps you build connections.
    • Shows others that you know your stuff through the content you share.
    • Social Media Examiner has a helpful list of how to effectively participate in LinkedIn groups here.
  • Publish articles on LinkedIn.
    • Easily let your name become known by people in your industry.
    • Publishing LinkedIn articles allows users from outside LinkedIn to know of you and your writing because Google often prioritizes LinkedIn articles in searches.
    • Don’t forget to tag your posts to make sure that people can find them.
    • If you’re curious how to get your article featured on LinkedIn Pulse, you can find some pointers here.
  • Share articles regularly.
    • Interact with your connections by showing how you can contribute to your industry.
    • If you share your own articles, you drive traffic to your own content.
  • Update your status habitually two to three times daily.
    • Allows you to stay visible.
    • Shows that you are engaged in the community.

Give Job Boards a Second Chance

Want to find a whole bunch of job options collected in the same place? These job boards are the go-to for many job searchers:

• Indeed
• SimplyHired
• Monster
• Job of Mine

Instead of forcing the user trawl through a bunch of irrelevant job postings, these sites simplified the job search process by giving you the option to refine your search by location, keywords, and sometimes even salary range. Not to mention, they are all free to use!

If you’re looking for a job in a specific area of expertise, The Balance has an informative list of top niche job sites here.

Check Out New Job Search Apps

Looking for a job on the go? Good luck could strike even as you’re browsing for jobs on your phone. Ranging from the more traditional to newfangled apps geared towards Generation Z, here are a few job search apps that could help you out:

• Glassdoor
  • Like the desktop version, the Glassdoor app allows users to read current and past employee reviews of the workplace and gives salary information.
• LinkedIn Job Search
  • Since your LinkedIn profile already has all your career information, this app allows job searchers to simply click once to apply.
• Switch
  • Often compared to the Tinder, this job search app works the same way with employers and job searchers swiping right on each other to connect.
• JobSnap
  • Discarding the use of resumes, this app asks its job searchers to make a short video introducing themselves. Employers can then swipe to accept or reject the applicant.

Best part of all is that none of these job search apps cost anything to download!

Looking for assistance to begin? We have assessed the top online services for resume writing.

Hopefully, these suggestions will lend you a hand when job searching this St. Patrick’s Day. Best of luck!

Lauren McAdams is a hiring manager, career consultant, and lead writer at ResumeCompanion.com. She’s been quoted by sites like Forbes, Fox Business, and TechRepublic, and her resume templates and career advice on Resume Companion have helped hundreds of applicants find their dream jobs. When she’s not busy enriching the lives of job seekers, she’s either sipping on coffee or a glass of wine - depending on the time of day of course.