Finding the right job can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. And with a lot of hay to sift through, it can be tough whittling down the best opportunities. Not if you know where to look and how to look for it.
Agilec in Orillia helps candidates searching for their ideal job.
Starting off can be intimidating, but their job coaches assist job seekers with strategies to hone in on the right job and put their best foot forward.
Kailene Lohnes is an employment coach with Agilec Orillia and she often advises job seekers to start in one of two places when looking for a job locally. Agilec has their own job board for positions in the Orillia area, and there’s the Work in Simcoe County website.
“It’s good if people can apply for as many jobs as they can, but at a certain point the quality of the application is going to start dropping,” Lohnes said. “Then they should probably just focus on a few.”
With hundreds or even thousands of positions available, it’s more about the quality of the job you’re looking for, rather than applying in quantity. Focusing in on the most desired positions is a good place to start, and then fan out from there.
If you’re targeting jobs in a specific area, entering your region in the search will save you a lot of time from having to sift through positions outside your region. Sticking to the search bar on these job boards will also yield the best results.
When you get into your search, sorting by the newest positions in the search is a good strategy to ensure you aren’t applying for out-of-date positions. If searching on a job database like Indeed, check to see when the position was posted at the bottom of the listing under “Hiring insights.”
Rarely will job seekers ever apply for one position, so having applications organized is paramount. Keeping a digital or physical log of which positions you’ve applied for will prevent you from applying for the same position twice.
There’s a lesser-known way of applying for jobs, and that’s through accessing the hidden job market. This is learning about positions which haven’t been posted on sites like Indeed and are not readily accessible.
“One really great way to access the hidden job market is if people come into service with us, there’s the potential that we will do an employer liaison referral,” Lohnes said. One of Agilec’s in-house employer liaisons can refer your resume to an employer if they deem it a right fit.
That’s one way you could gain the inside track into a job, but something as simple as cold calling a business or showing up in person could be another way to get a lead into a potential opening at their company.
Before you start your job search, Agilec offers synchronous and asynchronous workshops on cover letters, resumes, job search strategies, and how to access the hidden job market.
Speak to a local Agilec job coach or employer liaison in Orillia or visit Agilec.ca.