Job Search Tips from Andrew Hudson

In recognition of our recent Andrew Hudson Job List/CSU Global: Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Finding a Job event, we’ve highlighted some of career expert Andrew Hudson’s top job search tips. Andrew Hudson is the founder and CEO of Colorado’s popular job search site andrewhudsonsjobslist.com.

The job-seeking process can feel overwhelming, time-consuming, and even frustrating at times. But keep in mind that the effort and resources you put forth are an investment in your future career. That’s why it is important to pursue jobs that are rewarding and fulfilling, in companies where you can see yourself staying for a long time.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed in your job search, here are a few strategies that’ll make it more manageable:

Focus on the Jobs You’re Qualified For

Only apply for the jobs where your skills, background, experience, and accomplishments match at least 75-80% of the requirements outlined in the posting.

Spend your time doing research to make sure the jobs and organizations you’re interested in are an appropriate fit for your skills, experience, values, and goals. Then, begin customizing your resume and cover letter. Remember, these tools should adequately describe why you are a match and why your background and skills would be valuable to the organization and the position for which you are applying.

Step Away From Your Computer

Some job seekers sit in front of their computers for hours on end, randomly sending out resumes to job postings on online job boards, and and they have very little interaction with other people.

Online job boards can be helpful to find opportunities, but finding a job relies less on the quantity of jobs you apply for and more on the quality of the jobs. Reach out to friends, career counselors, former supervisors, former co-workers, mentors, colleagues, clients, vendors – anyone you know who can help with your job search by providing job leads and opportunities to connect with potential hiring managers.

Prepare Your Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Talking Points

Your resume, cover letter, and the interview are the three most common touch-point opportunities a job seeker has to influence an employer to want to hire them. These tools are how you persuade the employer that you’re the best match for the requirements of the job posting and that you will add value to the company and to the department.

The resume and the cover letter are often the first points of contact in applying for a job, and it is up to you to connect the job-posting requirements to what you can bring to the position.

The interview is commonly the most challenging stage of finding a job. Focus on talking points such as your major career accomplishments, your top skills, and your willingness and ability to contribute positively to the position you’re interviewing for.

The Bottom Line

Concentrate on the value your skills and experience bring to potential employers, reach out to people who can help with your career advancement, and spend quality time applying for jobs that align with what you are able to bring to them. The process of finding and applying for a job doesn’t have to be frustrating or difficult, when you use the resources, tools, and your knowledge of your own experience and skills that are available to you.