It has been said that looking for a job is a job in itself, well, this cannot be far from the truth. A lot of hard work goes into hunting for a job. With the rising innovations in technology, every job seeker must equip themselves with job hunting skills and techniques to improve your job search and land you a job offer commensurate to your skills set, qualifications and talents.

Your skills-set play a very critical role in determining the kind of job to search for, therefore, every job seeker should carry out a jo search in line with your skills, competencies, talents and strengths.

Research shows that in today’s career world, people take an average of four years on a job before they change to another career. The world is constantly evolving and the same applies to jobs and careers. With the constant restructuring of organizations and companies and layoffs, there is now need for professionals to continually acquire new skills to position themselves in merging opportunities and face the constant changes in the job market.

For a successful and effective job search, each job seeker requires proper planning and strategies in place. Below are some tips for job seekers looking to land themselves an opportunity.

1. Career Plan - Firstly, have your career plan in place. This is a roadmap and blueprint of where you are at now, and where you plan to go with regards to your career. The plan must have clear steps to help you achieve your career dream. Your career plan should clearly outline your short and long-term goals to steer your career to higher heights.

2. Write a profession CV and Cover letter – your CV must clearly outline your career profile, objective, educational background, experience and achievements. Select a professional format for your CV and cover letter to make it attractive and appealing for any employer looking at it. Research and learn how to adjust both your CV and cover letter for different job applications.

3. Career testing and assessment rest – Undertakes a skills assessment test to enable you match your skills with job options that suit your interests and values. Skills assessment tests are designed to help you discover yourself after which you will make better career choices and position yourself better for job interviews. The test will also help you gain more confidence and know what you want with regards to your career.

4. Network, network, network – with all the technological advancements around us, embrace and make use of technology to network and spread your net wide in your job search. Apply for jobs on company websites and job and hire sites. Create a LinkedIn profile and expand your social networking circles by making new friends and joining professional groups. Get people to give you great recommendations and referees to put in a good name for you if contacted by a potential employer.

5. Search for jobs online – today, the jobs that appear on traditional sources like newspapers are now posted online. With the many job listing sites available, widen your knowledge and skills on how to search for jobs that match your skills, register with as many job listing companies as possible. Search engines will also offer other jobs related to the job you are searching for. Explore the related jobs such as (online paid advertising manager vs social media manager) and see what suits your skills. Going through related jobs could also be an eye opener on the skills demand in the job market.

6. Continually learn new skills in your field – there is never an end to learning. Based on what your career goal is, create also a professional growth and development plan and take up short courses to learn new skills in your area and increase on your knowledge base. Online resources like Coursera, Khan Academy, Code Academy, LinkedIn Learning offer a wide range of skils trainings to help beef up your skills-set.

7. Research on interview techniques – this is a very critical part of your job search. Know what to wear to an interview, how to present yourself confidently, how to respond to common and tough interview questions, how to carry out phone interviews, what questions to ask at an interview and all matters pertaining to interviews. To grasp interview etiquette, participate in mock interviews to help you prepare well for an interview.

8. Motivate yourself to continually apply for jobs – take a moment to continually apply for at least 5jobs each day. The more jobs you apply for, the higher your chances of being invited to an interview and landing yourself your dream job.

All the best in your job search. It might look like an uphill task, but with proper planning, preparations and positioning of yourself, you will surely land yourself your dream job.