How to Tailor Your Digital Job Search to Meet Your Goals and Expectations

Nancy Anderson
Posted by in Career Advice


Goals are a crucial part of your job search. With clear expectations of what you hope to achieve, you can streamline your job search utilizing digital platforms, job databases and mobile applications that streamline the process and help you meet your goals quickly and efficiently. Tailor your digital job search to soar above your goals and land you the ideal position you are seeking.

Digitize Your Goals

One way to stay on task with your job search is to make your goals public. Integrate your career goals into your online profiles and social media accounts. For example, when launching a profile on job platforms, list specific goals for your job search in addition to your skills and qualifications. Add a tagline to your LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook profiles that clarifies your goals. A statement like "My goal is to support non-profit organizations with marketing and promotions by utilizing my extensive skills in community outreach and social media and my strengths in building positive relationships" offers employers insight into how you can benefit the organization. It also publicizes your goals to keep you accountable.

Identify Key Actions

Your goals are more effective when you tie them to specific actions and steps. Identify key activities that are necessary to reach these goals. For instance, if one of your goals is to expand your professional network, make a list of your existing contacts. Research local networking events and online forums where you can mingle with people working in your desired field. Sign up for online group chats hosted on Twitter and social media sites to expand your network. Take advantage of the convenience of digital applications designed for networking. Remain professional when introducing yourself, and refer your contacts to your profiles on social media.

Maintain a Professional Online Presence

In addition to creating social media profiles, you also need to establish yourself as an expert within your field online. Accomplish this goal by creating a professional website or online portfolio that displays your skills and experience. Upload your resume, provide sample work and detail your accomplishments. Show your professionalism online, and engage with others socially to let your personality shine through. Creating an online profile on job platforms is not enough to meet or exceed your goals. Establish a presence so you can make a solid impression with people who can lead you to open positions that are a good fit.

The digital age has changed the job search process and has enhanced how job seekers can gain exposure and build their own personal brands. You can meet and exceed your goals during the job search by taking advantage of the online and mobile technologies that help you simplify and expand your exposure.

Photo Courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Comment

Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    Eileen if you are interested in having your resume tweaked, you could contact John at JScott@Beyond.com. He will be happy to review your resume and discuss the next steps with you.

  • Eileen Parker
    Eileen Parker

    help with tweaking my resume.

  • William Browning
    William Browning

    I don't know if publicizing your goals is a way to go. What if you're already employed and your boss finds out you want to leave the company? Perhaps publicizing your goals can mean simply sharing your professional aspirations with close friends and family who can keep motivating you to reach higher.

  • Shannon Philpott
    Shannon Philpott

    This is really interesting. I'm curious, though, about subtle ways to publicize these goals. For example, if a job seeker has created a website or portfolio, what is the best way to gain traffic from people in the industry?

Jobs to Watch