How to Start a Job Search in 5 Steps | FlexJobs (2024)

Starting a job search feels a lot like standing at the bottom of a giant mountain. You know the view from the top will be thrilling, but it’s going to take a lot of climbing to get there, and sometimes, taking the first step is the hardest part!

To make your trek up the proverbial job search mountain a little easier, we’ve pulled together a few steps to help get you started.

5 Steps to Start Your Job Search

1. Prep Your Resume

Your resume is the staple of your job hunt. If it’s been ages since you’ve even looked at your resume, the first step of your job search should be a thorough resume update.

Though you’ll want to tailor your resume for each job you apply to, having an updated resume ready to go makes it easier for you to tweak the details for each application.

Add current employment dates to your resume, and include any new positions, skills, or achievements that you want hiring managers to know about. Also, double-check your contact information to make sure those are up to date too.

2. Polish Your Profiles

In today’s digital age, you can bet that one of the first things a hiring manager will do after reviewing your resume is look you up online. And you want them to be impressed by what they see.

Start by ensuring that your social media accounts are clean and professional. While they don’t need to be strictly business (you have a life outside of work, after all), you definitely don’t want anything offensive or incriminating there. Think of it this way: if you wouldn’t want your grandma to see it, you don’t want a hiring manager to see it either.

Next, explore some ways to elevate your online presence—rather than just cleaning it up. Could you add some more projects and examples of your work to your LinkedIn profile? Should you ask some previous colleagues to post recommendations? Is it worth setting up a personal website to promote your skills?

There are tons of things you can do, but the key here is to make sure that your online reputation is something that you’re proud of.

3. Touch Base With Your Network

No matter how cliché it sounds, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” really is true. Your network can be a tremendous asset when you start looking for a new job.

You never know who your connections are in touch with or who might be in the loop about open roles that would be perfect for you. The more people you can have in your corner, the better. Personally reach out to some select people in your network to let them know that you’re seeking a new opportunity.

Let them know exactly what you’re looking for. Do you want a mid-management position? Are you only interested in certain industries? Do you need something remote? The more details you can give them, the better they’ll be at pointing you in the direction of opportunities that could be a fit for you.

4. Find Your Favorites

The job search can sometimes feel overwhelming, and much of that is because there are so many resources out there. Should you look for jobs within your network? On LinkedIn? On one of the hundreds of job boards out there?

As with anything else, the smartest thing you can do is target your efforts so that you can maximize your time. Start by being clear on what you’re looking for.

For example, if you know you want a flexible or remote role, you can spend most of your time perusing a site like FlexJobs that will only show you positions that fit your criteria. You can even use FlexJobs’ advanced search to hone in on exactly what you’re looking for—from desired work schedule to career level.

Similarly, there are plenty of other niche job sites out there that only post specific roles—like web development, healthcare, and media—that will make it easier to cut through the clutter and find what you’re looking for.

5. Set Some Goals

Obviously, you have one large, overarching goal for your job search: get a new job. But that can take some time—and it’s easy to get discouraged when you feel like you aren’t making any progress toward that objective.

To help yourself stay on target and not lose sight of that goal, map out a job search plan. Do you want to apply for a certain number of jobs each week? Do you want to schedule a specific amount of informational interviews each month?

These smaller milestones will keep you on track and accountable while also giving you plenty of opportunities to celebrate some smaller wins. It’s a great way to keep your chin up when the job hunt can be discouraging.

Start That Climb

They say that often the first step is the hardest. Hopefully, these five small actions can inspire you to take the first step on your climb up the job search mountain.

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