6 Out-Of-The-Box Ways to Find a Job

6 Out-Of-The-Box Ways to Find a Job Photo Via: Pixabay.com 1. Networking Your network is going to work big time for you in this department. Networking is the key to everything, and it’s true that the more people you know, the better off you are, really in any industry. Make sure you’re networking on campus, at job fairs, at internships and in any other locations in which networking would be applicable for you. You never know who has a connection to a company that you would love to be a part of, and it’s not until you call in those favors that you’ll find out! So what are you waiting for?! 2. Social Media Perhaps one of the newest and most unique methods to this list, using social media to apply to new positions is a tactic that has actually worked rather well. Whether a friend is simply looking for someone to do some freelance work or to interview for a full-time position at a large company, posting this information on social media is actually rather common and effective. Think about it: if you work in HR at a company, you’ll post job openings everywhere, so why not on social media as well? Then, you’re likely getting an applicant that you already know (at least to some degree) and that makes it much more likely that person would be a personality fit. Again, this isn’t a foolproof means of applying, but it’s definitely one to consider and keep an eye out for. 3. LinkedIn On the same train of thought, LinkedIn is a pretty common platform for networking and keeping your options open. However, LinkedIn also provides applicants a means of finding companies they like and applying to them directly. This essentially means that you can pinpoint exact companies, exact positions and apply to them all on the same website. This makes the entirety of the job application process a breeze, so you should definitely consider this method if you haven’t already. 4. Look to Your Past Sometimes, your past experiences will do a lot for you in the future. So look at your past jobs or internships as more than just that look at them as an opportunity. If you have any internships that you worked during college, reach out to your past managers and see if there are any openings for full-time positions. In addition, if you worked at a company in the past and left on good terms, don’t hesitate to revisit that option. It’s not always a step back and, in most cases, you’re more likely to get the job than not. 5. Cold Calling/Emailing Everyone hates cold calling; it’s a pretty universal truth. However, reaching directly out to a company without any prior contact isn’t a bad idea. At the very least, it gets your name in front of them when there isn’t an opening, so they have you in mind when there is one. Again, some companies aren’t too fond of this, but in other instances, this will work wonders and ensure your name is at the top of the application pool. Don’t knock it ‘till you try it! 6. Word of Mouth Last, but definitely not least, there’s the method of word of mouth. More than social media and networking, word of mouth requires direct contact with a person that knows of an opening. The likelihood here is less than the other methods, but the odds of you landing a position through this route is more likely. Think about it: when a friend hears about a position and tells you about it, they likely have a connection there that they can use to network and get you an interview. Just from this communication alone, you’re looked at more highly as a candidate than someone that applied online. Again, it’s not the most likely method to come your way, but it’s one you definitely want to take advantage of if it does. Again, it’s not always easy to find a new position, especially when everyone is using the same job search engines and going through the same overall application process as you are. Plus, you can only fill out your work history so many times on those application sites before you get bored. However, there are still out of the box ways of applying for jobs that you may not have considered up until now. So rather than following suit with everyone else, think outside of the box and use these six methods to land your next job. I promise, you won’t be sorry you did! Happy hunting!