Finding too many job opportunities can be just as bad as finding too little. When you’re inundated with vacant positions that you feel qualified for and intrigued by, it can make focusing your application efforts a real challenge. You end up applying for too many, too quickly and come off as a lesser caliber candidate as a result. Make the strongest impression by only pursuing the best opportunities out there. Here’s what those look like:
A Match for Your Career Goals
It’s important to think about not just the position in front of you, but the position that will come after it. Ideally, your career will be a steady march forwards and upwards, but not all jobs direct you where you want to go. Start out by figuring out what you want from your career in 5, 10, 30 years. Then consider any new job from that perspective. Does it offer you the opportunity to advance, make more money, pick up new skills, or work on prestigious projects? The best opportunities further both your short and long-term goals.
A Match for Your Current Skills
This one may seem obvious, but it’s more complicated than many job seekers realize. Of course, you want to seek out jobs that require your specific credentials because those are the jobs you have the best chance of getting. But remember that includes both hard and soft skills – personality traits. You might have the technical abilities to succeed but lack the character traits desired in an ideal candidate. Consider, too, that you may be able to get a job that doesn’t match your current skills but will find that it is either too easy or too stressful. The goal is not to find just any job, it’s to find the best available job.
A Match for Your Cultural Preference
No two companies are exactly alike. Ideally, your new employer will share your mission, values, goals, and style. Working in an environment that reflects your professional preferences puts you in a much better position to succeed. Conversely, working in an environment that clashes with your preferences only makes your job unnecessarily hard and inevitably creates conflicts and frictions. It may not be worth it to take a great job with great pay if it’s with a company where you know you will feel uncomfortable.
It’s a challenge to find the best opportunity in any job market. Take advantage of resources to help you separate the good from the bad by partnering with The Squires Group.
