By Jerry Grohovsky, Copyright 2022. JPG & Associates, Inc.

During the great recession that began in the 4th quarter of 2008, almost everyone I interviewed during that period put the blame for their unemployment on the stagnating job market. Certainly, the economy at that time was a major factor in being unemployed or underemployed.

Fast forward to 2022 and an entirely different environment. We now have an expanding economy, extremely low nation-wide unemployment rate, historically high numbers of job openings in many states, and a wave of retiring boomers. Perfect conditions for finding that next tech. comm. dream job!

Yet, with all these positive events coming together, there are still job seekers who are having a difficult time finding employment in a timely fashion. Most of these obstacles are usually self-made, and therefore easily fixable by making some adjustments and improvements in the job search process.

Here are some tips to help you make your job search more successful:

  1. Re-examine your resume. It is a living-breathing entity. Do not ever consider it “done.” Work on revealing to the reader the skills and experiences that are relevant to your career objective. Also, it is highly recommended that your resume be customized to fit a particular job for which you are applying. And let’s not forget to keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date as well.
  2. Update your skills as necessary. Keep reading, watching, listening, and networking as to the latest trends of what is “hot” and what is “not”. A seminar, webinar, college course or certification—most can be fairly inexpensive, yet can add a lot of credibility to your resume. Continuous learning is here to stay.
  3. View your job search like a job itself. Be disciplined and methodical. Each day that passes is a day lost to a potential opportunity.
  4. Communicate, communicate, communicate! This is one of most abused job-seeking practices. Everyone seeking new opportunities (particularly those out of work) should have the basics—a cell phone and easy access to email (particularly email that is synced to a phone or other personal device.) Check messages on your phone regularly.
  5. Respond quickly to voice, text, or email messages. In today’s fast-hiring climate, seizing an interview request or job opportunity can sometimes be hinged on a matter of hours.
  6. As a technical communicator, make sure your portfolio is up-to-date with a well-represented variety of project samples. Develop an online version as well, and also build a list of PDF versions and/or web links you can email or provide on a flash drive.
  7. Consider each interview a practice session for the next one, and so on. Be sure to self-evaluate, learn, and make corrections after each interview—what not say, what to say, what to ask, and so on. There is always room for improvement.
  8. Be diligent in completing the process loop. Once the interview is complete, many candidates do not engage in a proper follow-up. Make sure you follow up properly—letter of interest and reaffirmation (if interested), doing incremental follow-ups with right the contacts.
  9. Pace yourself. In any of the job searching steps, be assertive, but not overly aggressive; be confident, but not over-bearing, be communicative, but not to the point of being an annoyance.
  10. Do your research. It is important to vet each company and study each job posting carefully so that so that you don’t waste precious time trying to land an interview with an opportunity that is out of sync with your experience, skills, and career objectives. Prior to an interview, do your homework and learn more about the company history and products so that you can ask the right questions—they will expect it, and respect you for it. And prior to an interview, it is best to arrive early—not just on-time.