6 Steps to help in the Job Hunting Process

1. Job Hunting
6 Steps to Ace it

2. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Job Hunting – Can be
Overwhelming

3. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
The 6 Steps to Successful Job
Hunting
 Analysis
 Documentation
 Networking
 Interviews
 References
 Offer/Resignation

4. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Analysis
 What type of position do you want?
 What are you qualified for?
 What type of Company do you want to
work for?

5. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Analysis – What are you
looking for?
• Education
• Experience
• Leadership
• Interest
• Permanent
vs Contract
• Full Time vs
Part Time
Company
Location
• Close to Home
• Downtown
• Work Remotely
Type
• Large Corporate
• Family
• Start-up
The type of position you want is based on the following 3 things:
Skills, Company and Type of Work:

6. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Documentation – Get it Ready
Resume Cover Letter/Email Thank You Notes
This is your Sales Presentation. Your product is
you. These 3 documents need to be top-notch
All 3 of these documents need to be fine tuned to
the position and company you are applying to

7. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Your Resume – This needs to
open the door for you
 Entice them with your resume, don’t bore
them. Keep it to 2 to 3 pages. So they
want to know more
 Pertinent information geared to the job
description and company. DON’T LIE
EVER, but you can fine tune your resume
to appeal to the job description.
 Key Words to help you get past those
nasty ATS systems.

8. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Your Resume – Key Ingredients
Profile
• A 2 or 3 line
introduction
paragraph
• 3 or 4
detailed
bullets at the
most
Education Skills Positions
• Degrees, starting
with highest first
• Certifications
• Training
Too many just put the
pertinent Certificates
/Training in.
These should be
currently used skills
and skills that you
have that are
needed for the
position. Key
Word Time
• Dates
• Company
Name
• Position
• Achievements
1 small
paragraph &
5 to 6 bullets
4 Key Sections – Total 3 pages maximum
Remember Entice, they can learn more in the interview

9. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
The Cover Letter/Email
 Lots of controversy over whether it is needed or not. My
philosophy is it doesn’t do any harm.
 It allows you to enhance your resume, don’t just repeat your
resume, give them new information
 You can highlight how you are qualified for the position and what
you know about the company. Tweak it for each position you
apply for, don’t just change the contact info !!!!!!!!!!
 Put the cover letter as the first page of your resume – so yes that
means the document can be up to 4 pages 
 3 paragraphs
 1st paragarph – list the position and job number and why are you
applying
 2nd paragraph – list your qualifications for the position and they better
match up with the job description
 3rd paragraph – thank you for taking the time and let them know how
and when you are available.
 Keep it Professional and remember spell check and grammar is
just as important here.

10. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
The Thank You Note
 Yes – “Politeness” is still a valued skill.
 Send a “Thank You” after everything promptly.
OK – not the automated responses.
 Telephone Interview – email Thank You is perfect
 Interview – now decision time, email or hard
copy. This depends on the job, if it is a
graphic/design position you might want to get a
little fancy with your Thank You.
 Panel Interviews – send a Thank You to everyone
on the panel.
 Hope you didn’t forget to pick up business
cards from everyone 

11. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Networking
Friends/Family
How many times
have you heard, “I
know someone
who knows
someone, who …”.
People love to help.
Social Media Recruiters Direct
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
Keep your SM sites
professional. Join
Groups. CONNECT
Recruiters
specialize, so find
the one that can
help you.
• IT
• Finance
• Admin
• Government
• Banks
• etc
• Company
Webpages
• Job Boards
Don’t be Shy - Connect

12. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Interviews – Be prepared
Telephone
These are usually
conducted by
HR/Screeners/Recrui
ters
• Do you have the
skills and
experience for
the job
• Communication
Skills
F2F Interviews
Video Interviews
are becoming
more popular, but
usually these are
conducted in
person. Average
interviews to a job
offer is usually after
the 3rd one. Be
prepared for each
one
Every Interview is Important
1st Interview – HR is
verifying your fit.
Recruiter is preparing
you if you are a fit
2nd Interview – with your
Direct Report (future
boss). This could be a
panel interview with up
to 3 interviewers
3rd Interview – Hopefully
a job offer comes with
this one

13. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
References
 3 References ready to go
 Have up to date contact information and the
best times to call
 Don’t put them on your resume or in your cover
letter
 Don’t hand them over until you are near a job
offer
 Make sure your references are ready for the
call
 Go over the job description with them
 Let them have a copy of your resume

14. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Offer/Resignation
 Verbal Offers are great, but things can fall
through, don’t resign until you have the offer in
writing
 Take the time to read the offer through and make
sure everything you want is in there, ie salary,
benefits, vacation, hours. Make a list so you can
check everything off. It’s easy to get caught up in
the excitement of the offer
 Be prepared for a “counter offer” from your
current company. Think carefully before
accepting the counter offer, statistics show that
most people who accept the counter offer only
stay for another year and then start looking again

15. Planet4iT – First Contact for IT
www.planet4it.com
Good Luck Job Hunting
 We are an IT Recruitment company
based in Toronto, so give us a call if you
need some help or advice
 www.planet4it.com
 @planet4it.com
 416-363-9888, yes we still use the phone
 http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_re
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