In the Philippines hiring and employment as we know it has been upended not just by the pandemic, but by long-term trends in market behavior and the use of technology. The very way we hunt for jobs has also been affected, and strategies that worked in the past are no longer as viable as they used to be.
Thankfully, there are still plenty of things that you can do that can significantly improve your chances when looking for a new job. The job hunting tips below include some tried and tested strategies, as well as some novel ones:
1.) Invest in a decent home internet connection
If you can afford it, upgrading your internet plan may be worth considering. The world of the 2020s and beyond is going to have a workforce that is less tied to any single geographical location. Work from home arrangements and close collaboration with people who may be on the other side of the world will become more and more common. Even today, the stability of your home internet connection can mean the difference when it comes to having a smooth initial job interview— or one that gets you passed over.
2.) Create a job-hunting spreadsheet
Whether you use a spreadsheet program like Excel or Google Sheets, or a prefer a simple pen and paper setup, organizing your job hunting efforts can enable you to do more in much less time.
Log each viable opening and take note of the contact details, a link to the posting, the job description, name of the referrer, the date you applied, when they last responded, the channels you used to communicate, application requirements, as well as resume and other documents you plan to use on that specific job. You can use more or fewer columns depending on your needs.
This simple tip is over overlooked by job hunters, but it can enable someone to handle multiple job applications and better contextualize their situation.
3.) Keep your resumes focused and unique to each application
Job hunting experts and job hiring managers have been telling us to ditch generic resumes for decades. This is advice that is still applicable in the digital age. Generic resumes tell hiring managers almost nothing about an applicant, which can hurt their chances. Made sure to tweak your resume to closely match each application and resist the temptation to put more info than you need.
4.) Use localized job search sites
Job sites that offer good localized searches are your best friend. A lot of job sites have poor localization, which means they are likely to give you irrelevant results far from your geographic area. While not a problem if you plan to work from home or if you’re interested in leaving your hometown, this can be an issue if you need your next job to be in a specific city or neighborhood. The problems with the lack of adequate mass transportation systems in the Philippines also make better localization especially important for finding jobs with short commute times.
5.) Leverage your social media presence
Don’t rely on on job site listings. Your contacts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media sites may have access to unlisted job openings that you’re qualified for. Given that most job openings tend to be internal or handed over to recruiters rather than shared in public, using your personal and professional contacts on social media can widen your pool of choices.
You can also work towards making your profile appear more professional, months before you decide to look for a job. Join social media groups and engage regularly to expand your professional contacts. Post photos of yourself in professional events and meetups to further improve your chances of being seen as a good addition to anyone’s team.
A word of caution though — don’t publicly announce that you’re looking for a job before you’ve quit the one you already have!
6.) Check out which jobs are likely to be automated in the next 10 years
Automation is likely to hit the Philippine job market hard, especially the BPO industry. Artificial intelligence is already replacing many customer service jobs, as well as other support jobs that were traditionally handled by humans. Even if your field isn’t under imminent threat from AI, it may be worth checking out developments in the area and diversifying your skill set to future-proof your employment prospects.
7.) Curate your online presence
Old blog posts, questionable comments on message boards and forums, as well as regrettable social media posts can all work against you. Regularly do an online audit of your online presence and delete or hide anything that could be misinterpreted and taken against you. This may take time because may have been active online for decades at this point. Still, it’s worth doing, since old posts are still often treated as if they have been put up yesterday, even if you’ve already changed and moved on since then.
Hopefully, these tips will help you find more and better choices for that next step in your professional career. If you have more tips and tricks that we haven’t touched on, don’t forget to send us a message or comment below! (PR)
