How to narrow down your job search

Narrowing down your job search is often a very difficult thing to do, because it can also involve figuring out what career path you want or what you’d like to do with your life in general.

Every few minutes there are more positions coming up on job boards that you could potentially apply for, which often works to overcrowd the job market and make it tougher for you to find the perfect role.

Once you see there are a list of jobs out there readily available for you to apply for, your next task is to narrow them down into just the ones that peak your interests. This is usually the most tedious part of the entire journey. However, it is a vital part and can be exciting; after all, you will need to know what you want to do before you turn up to an interview. 

How to search for jobs

Seeing that a role has been posted online and that you fit the criteria isn’t enough reason to apply for the job straight away. Try not to rush this process, even if you are facing a pretty desperate situation right now. If you apply to work somewhere without first undertaking a bit of background research, you will be doing it for all the wrong reasons.

Here, you will be performing an action for reasons such as money, the title, or to get you out of financial trouble, which are all more than understandable. Although ideally you should look for a business that holds similar values to you and where your skillset will be appreciated and used correctly.

Humans are very diverse beings, and because of that there are a large number of jobs we would be well placed to work within.  Choosing just one for the remainder of your working life and expecting it to keep you satisfied forevermore is a near impossible task. This will take a lot of pre-planning and looking into what it is you want from your work life.

Understand the position you’re searching for

It’s something to be attracted to a thought of everyday activities and something else to know a title and department. Invest some energy looking into changed situations in the space you’re searching for. Marketing, promotion, and business advancement have an astounding measure of jobs available today. Figure out what aspect of the timeline you enjoy the most, whether it’s finishing a product or sale, meeting a customer, or brainstorming how to spread your marketing. 

Find the industry that’s right for you

Whatever part of a business you’re keen on, each industry offers various difficulties and challenges. You will be faced with a mammoth task of discovering a role that is right for you if you are not yet even sure what industry you want to be a part of. This should be considered during the early stages of your job search and will be one of the earliest narrowing down methods you can utilise before going into the deeper areas of the job searching journey.

Once you have gotten past this stage you will be more than ready to start narrowing everything down even earlier and making things a little easier for yourself. Spend a considerable amount of time planning and researching here; you may surprise yourself when looking into areas you had not previously thought about.

Looking for something new while you’re already in employment?

People do not only search for new jobs when they are without one. Perhaps you are no longer satisfied working where you have been for quite some time, which is a common occurrence amongst many employees in the UK. If you start getting the feeling you would enjoy starting on something new, then there are a wide range of options available to you.

Be clear about what it is you want to do next

As you’re already in employment, don’t go wasting your time and energy with positions that fail to tick the majority of the boxes on your wish list. What’s the point leaving a role for another that will also fail to keep you satisfied? You simply need to be picky here and ensure that you are heading into the right next step for your career.

Make sure you are absolutely clear on what it is that you want before going headfirst into the application process. If you are leaving employment for something new, it should lead you to a new type of journey, one that will take you to new places and award you with interesting experiences you haven’t been through before.

Keep your job search discreet

If you don’t want everyone else in the office talking about why you are thinking of leaving, choose to not let them know until something is set in stone for you. Avoid the potentially awkward tension that would be caused by this within the workplace and make the whole journey an easier ride for you to go on.

Choose not to post your CV on public job boards, and instead only go through the application process of roles you have actively sought out and would like to obtain. Again, this will help you to land the position you really want and help you to steer away from another job that will fail to hold your attention for long.

Don’t use work equipment to search for new jobs

Consider any gear that is claimed by your manager forbidden with regards to your pursuit of employment. That implies, never use a business phone, PC, or email address. Try not to go online through the Wi-Fi in your office. There’s a decent possibility your manager could be checking your correspondence in the work environment.

On the off chance that you need to direct any business identified with your pursuit of employment while you are busy working, use your own mobile phone to do so. Ensure it’s anything but a piece of business equipment; this will help you stay respectful if nothing else. Rather than signing into the company Wi-Fi, use your own connection when you get back home whenever possible.

To send email, simply use your personal account rather than anything that relates to your current position. Never give your work email address to speak with forthcoming businesses. Just think that using your work equipment should only be used for work purposes, that’s really all there is to it. Choose to be respectful to your current place of work and have a better chance of leaving with the owner’s blessing when you do eventually move onto something new in the future.

Try before you apply

As we have previously mentioned, choosing the next step in your career can be extremely tough, but there are a few ways that you can test out a role before taking it on permanently. This is a way many people help to narrow down their job search in the modern world.

• Shadow someone in a workplace

If you want to test the waters in a sector or industry you think could potentially be right for you, you should think about shadowing a worker. Yes, that’s right, work shadowing isn’t just for people at school that want to get a taste of what working life will be like in the future. Utilise this if it is available to you, as it may lead you to some very good experience and narrow down your job search completely for you.

If you want to shadow a worker at a company for a few days, all you have to do is ask. If worse comes to worst, you will be told “no”. Although all that will mean here is that you’ll have to ask elsewhere, so this option is always likely to be a fruitful one in this sort of situation.

Attempt to meet someone at the job you think you’d enjoy, and spend time observing what they do on a daily basis. You can get a feel for if it is the kind of work you would want to do in the future or not. It is key that you set up expectations and place a time limit as you go to ask the business owner about this form of opportunity.

Be clear about how many days you would like to shadow someone for and state the purpose of your visit. This may even lead you into a job at the place you are visiting if you are lucky and go at the right time.

• Speak to someone working there

If you want to find out more about a place of work without first actually becoming employed there yourself, there are many things that you can do. One example would be to try and speak with a current employee of the company and find out from them what it is like to work there. Here you will receive the most honest answer on what a workplace is like without having to visit it yourself.

Many people grab hold of this opportunity and ask all of the wrong questions. They try ask about how to get a job there in the near future. That should not be your main concern at this point in time. What matters right now is developing your understanding of how all business and work is conducted within the company and how you would feel about working there.

Would you fit in with everyone else? Does the company have good morals? Is it a nice working environment? Is the business owner approachable and understanding? These are the types of things you will need to figure out for yourself.

Consider your commitments

If you arrive at the point where you know what you want to do, you should also think about what skills you have and what level of role would you be suitable for. For example, would it help you to go and get some extra qualifications or a degree?

After this you should be thinking about where the place of work is and whether or not you’d be able to easily commute each day. If you cannot commute as far as required, are you able to work remotely or from home? These are some of the questions you can think about asking should you need to.

Clearly understanding your willingness to travel to and from each and every day work will help you further narrow down opportunities to focus your job search. You may also have other more personal commitments that limit your working scope, such as children you need to look after. This may work in your favour to once again narrow down your job hunt, so try not to be too easily disheartened. 

Don’t waste time, focus on your job search 

If you are currently in the depths of a job search, or just about to start that journey off, be sure to avoid wasting precious time, as open positions don’t stay that way forever. Narrow down your job hunt by using the tips we have provided you with throughout this article.

To help you keep your search narrowed down, please consider the following:

• What you want to do if you could do anything.
• How your existing skills can help you find a new job.
• What level of job you should be aiming for? If you need to adjust the level for any reason, why is that so?
• What is realistic and can be managed with your lifestyle and commitments?

Find the roles that are right for you and apply what you know to them before you apply. The more research you do about a company or a certain area of the business world, the better prepared you’ll be to land your next job.