As you might know, 2024 didn't end the way I wanted to. I lost my job, and as I took the time to reflect and process my emotions, I realized I was feeling super burnt out.
After having some time to rest and rejuvenate, I am ready to head back into the market—to hunt for a job. I know it's not going to be easy, but I am not someone who backs down in a challenge that easily.
As mentioned in my previous post, I began job searching since 2023, but I would always get either rejected or ghosted from recruiters. Losing my job at the end of 2024, didn't make me feel any better as panic and anxiety surge over me due to the state of the economy.
That being said, I changed my tactics. And after 141 applications later (since 2023), I am happy to announce that I will be starting a new position starting on February 10th, 2025! I'm super excited, and I am here to share the steps I have taken in hopes of helping others.
Before I share my strategy, here are some things to remember before we get lost in the job search process:
- Set a routine (remember job search is also like a full-time job)
- Set goals and maintain a positive mindset via meditation, affrimations, etc
- Explore new interests, hobbies, and develop new skills
- Modify your budget
Now without further ado, here are the steps I have taken during my unemployment journey:
1.
File for Unemployment Insurance ASAP. To quality, you must meet the following criteria:
- you must have earned a minimum amount during your base period
- be unemployed through no fault of your own
- be able and available to work
- and lastly, actively seek employment
2.
Update your Resume and Cover letter. When updating my resume, I trimmed my resume from 2 pages to 1, since employers only have about 30 seconds to review your resume. That being said, when modifying your resume, make sure you quantify your experiences as well as customize it, bypassing the company's ATS system. On that note, if you have a LinkedIn account, remember to update your profile using the "Open to Work" feature (from this approach, a couple of recruiters reached out to me via email).
Here are some tools I used during this process:
3.
Re-evaluate Goals and Upskills. During this time, I also updated some of my skills by obtaining certifications such as QuickBooks Online (I was an accounting associate/bookkeeper). If you are having trouble deciding where to pivot next, you can also take a career quiz. Here are a couple:
4.
Once you are ready, it's time to submit job applications! While I was submitting my job applications, I made sure I submitted my applications directly on the company's website. There were also a few where I used the "Easy Apply" feature on LinkedIn (in fact, for my new position, I applied using this feature so it definitely does work). These were the main job boards I used:
That being said, during this stage, make sure you set a daily goal of the amount of applications you want to submit during the day (I aimed to submit at least 25 applications a week), and most importantly, reach out and network with other recruiters. To maintain efficiency, save your job application questionnaire responses on a notepad or Word document, so you can easily copy and paste your responses (like a template) to other similar questionnaires and make adjustments as you see fit. And lastly, I haven't done this in awhile, but it is recommended to customize your resume based on each job description (ensuring your resume contains "buzzwords")—I didn't really focus on implementing this.
Well, 2024 certainly didn't end the way I expected, but I am excited for 2025. During my job search, I have also decided to launch my business (taking it more seriously), and I am excited to see where it goes. That said, for those who are still looking for new opportunities, please remember to never give up and hopefully some of the tips that I shared today will be useful or helpful to someone.
As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
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