By Mariam Mehboob

Are you just starting your career? Or are you looking for a new job but aren’t sure where to start?

Job hunting can be challenging and stressful because we are now facing some incredibly competitive markets. But that doesn’t mean getting your dream job is impossible. You just need to design a great plan to maximize your effort and cut through the crowds.

So are you ready to get started? Let’s go.

Create a great foundation:

The first step in your job hunting is to craft an immaculate CV. Tailoring your CV to every position you decide to apply is essential. It is not a one-for-all document! Focus on your skills, expertise and achievements. In our previous post we mentioned the ingredients of an immaculate CV. Read here.

Work on your personal mission statement

Nailing your personal statement is the key to success in your job hunting. You will have to answer the question “So, what do you do?” a thousand times! So it’s better to master the answer in advance This is the most important answer; you cannot just throw in random shots or give one word answer. You need to have a clear and concise mission statement to hit the target. A mission statement is also an essential part of the cover letter.

Work on your current opportunities

I have seen most graduating students feeling stuck, even those with a job: they think/assume that they don’t have opportunities. Are you one of them? You don’t need to feel stuck now, because this  exclusively effective tip will help achieve your milestones. Spot some experienced and reliable people in your circle, search out some opportunities, then try to turn those people or opportunity into action. It’s simple.

Example:

• Talk to Ashraf Chaudhry about sales opportunities in Pakistan
• Follow up the conversation to seek advice on working in sales career

Another example:

1. List your favorite companies you want to work at
2. Search for information on their website
3. Try to connect with their professionals on social media
4. Finally, take notes on their environment, language, mission and opportunities
5. Grab the opportunity. Remember, answer is always ‘no’ if you don’t ask the question! Likewise, there is no opportunity if you don’t search for one. Create a mind map preferably on a paper and work accordingly. Assign yourself deadlines and be accountable to yourself regularly. This way things will be sorted out and easily traceable. You can avail the expertise of experienced career coaches to save your time.

Discuss your idea with confidants

All this is not easy. You can hope for the best, but at times you may fall back, and that’s okay. So make sure you have friends and family on your side during your highs as well as lows. At Ashraf Chaudhry Associates, we are here to help you, whenever you need. It will be an honor for us!

Wondering how we can help you?

If you want your CV to be evaluated, we’ll do the technical evaluation for ‘FREE’.

If you want a professional CV, we’ll craft an immaculate “Guerrilla CV”.

If you want to receive updates on job opportunities, like our Facebook page.

If you want to boost your motivation, attend our seminars. They are regularly held nationwide. The schedule for seminars is updated on our Facebook page.

Ms. Mariam Mehboob, a graduate in Economics, is a wonderful colleague of Ashraf Chaudhry. She loves to help people achieve more in career. She is based in Islamabad.

You might be interested to read the following article.

What “The Craft of Selling Yourself Holds?