How to Find A Job Fast: 10 Expert Tips and Advice on Following Them

It takes an average of three months to find a new job. But when you’re looking for a new position, that can feel like a lifetime. So, how can you speed things up?

Even in a good job market, it’s not easy to get a job quickly! Unfortunately, when you’re between jobs, you need to find your next move–fast.

If you find yourself out of a job and are feeling the financial pinch, you need to know how to get a job fast. Fortunately, we have the tips you need to get things moving speedily.

ZipJob is a premier resume writing service that has been helping job seekers create job-winning resumes since 2016. Our network of 100+ professional resume writers are experts in all industries including IT, Business, and Marketing/Sales. In the following guide, we will cover the 10 ways you can speed up your job search and how to do each of them.

1. Leverage your network

Networking is the fastest way to land a job. One survey revealed that 85% of jobs are filled through networking. That’s right, 85%!

Don’t panic – you’ve got this. If you have spent any time in college or the workplace, you already have a network of professionals. You have contacts, co-workers, bosses, and other connections. You should use that network to your advantage. Reaching out to the right individuals is one of the quickest ways to get a job fast.

Often, your contacts will have inside knowledge of job opportunities that you might otherwise miss. Employees and management know about job opportunities long before they show up on a job board. Let your network know that you’re in the market for a role.

LinkedIn is a great place to network with friends, family, and former colleagues. Remind yourself who you’ve already connected with, and add additional former coworkers or peers you haven’t yet connected with.

Here is a good template you can use when reaching out to your network for a job referral:

Hope all is well with you. (Insert something personal)
I was wondering whether you have any contacts with your company’s hiring personnel, and if you would feel comfortable making an introduction. I’m looking for a new job so I’m reaching out to my network to see if anyone knows about a possible opening.

Don’t be abrupt or brisk when asking for a favor. Be sure to thank your contacts politely, even if they can’t help you with what you asked.

2. Update your resume, LinkedIn, and cover letter

When we talk about how to get a job fast, it’s important to get the basics right. Before you submit any job application materials, make sure that your resume is updated and polished.

Your resume is the most important tool for your job search. You don’t want to send anything out if it isn’t up to date, accurate, spell checked, and reflects your career goals.

Expert Tip

Make sure your resume is ATS-friendly!

To pass the ATS resume test, make sure that you use a standard resume format so that the ATS could easily read the resume. You should also include keywords (hard skills) that are relevant to the position.

Comb over your resume and update any job accomplishments, experience and skills, and any other details that seem outdated. Next, do the same for your LinkedIn profile and cover letter. Of course, you will still want to tailor your resume for each different job submission, but that will be an easier task once you have a solid resume .

3. Reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn

Recruiters are tasked with finding the right candidates for a job opening.So why not reach out to them directly? Contacting recruiters and headhunters on LinkedIn is a very effective way to quickly land interviews. Here is how you do it:

Step 1: "Search for people" on LinkedIn

You may have to enter a search term before selecting "People." Try "hiring" or one of the job titles suggested in step three. Often, recruiters and hiring managers will include "I'm hiring" or "we're hiring" in their LinkedIn headlines, but so might other employees. Read on to learn how to filter your results.

Step 2: Click on "All Filters"

When you have done the above, you can click on the “All Filters” tab at the side of the search bar. That will give you more options.

Step 3: Enter extra details

To get the results that you need, you should enter results in the following fields:

Locations
Industries
Title

For "Title," you would enter "Recruiter" or related job titles such as "Talent Acquisition Specialist," "Talent Management," or "Recruiting Coordinator." If your first search doesn't come up with multiple pages of results, try one of those titles or broaden your location.

You should see a list of dozens (if not hundreds) of recruiters in your location and industry. Continue to filter through LinkedIn or manually until you have a list of 10 or so recruiters you want to contact.

Consider the companies they're associated with, whether you have any shared connections, and how active they appear to be on LinkedIn to narrow down your list. The key to success here is to be specific, not spammy. Here’s a quick example:

As a long-time marketing consultant in the Fort Worth area, I am interested in learning more about the types of positions you typically handle. My goal is to further develop relationships within my industry community. I would appreciate any suggestions you may be able to offer, and can return the favor by referring candidates from my network to you. Thank you for your time and consideration.

4. Look in the right places

You need to use job boards. That’s a given. Indeed is by far the largest job board in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2004, Indeed serves nearly 250 million unique job seekers per month. The website is very simple to navigate and contains job postings from Indeed as well as hundreds of other job boards. Other sites you should be searching:

LinkedIn
Monster
Glassdoor

You can also do Google searches for "best job search sites for _______" and replace the blank space with your industry, job title, location, or career level. Here are some lists our team has curated to help you out:

Here are some lists our team has curated to help you out:

When you are considering how to find a job fast, job boards are a great starting point. You can gauge how popular your industry is, but they also have a really slow response rate. It can take recruiters weeks or even months to get back to candidates. Increasingly, job seekers simply never hear back about job applications.

At ZipJob, we offer a 60-day resume writing guarantee: if your resume isn’t getting you more interviews in 60 days, we will rewrite it for you. Learn more about ZipJob’s resume writing services.

5. Treat your job search like a job

When you’re out of a job and need to find a part time or full time job fast, your job search becomes your job. As a result, you should treat it that way. Don’t let unemployment be an excuse to sleep in late every day. Instead, work on maintaining your good work habits.

Get up every day as you always have, eat breakfast, and get to work on finding a job. Try to create a daily schedule that breaks down time spent on the various aspects of your job search efforts.

Above all else, don’t just sit at the computer waiting for a job to come to you. Yes, you should use internet resources to help locate jobs–but you also need to pound the pavement (virtually) and work for it.

6. Contact employers directly

Make a list of 10 to 15 target companies you would like to work for. Now check the company websites to see what jobs are available.

If you can, email your resume directly to the hiring manager or HR department. Try to reach out to support to get the right email address for the hiring manager or HR department. This won't work at all companies, but it is a fairly easy way to stand out if you can reach out directly to introduce yourself. Here is a good template to use:

Dear Employer,
My name is John Smith and I’m writing in response to your ad seeking an Executive Assistant.
I have over 3 years of diversified business experience in office procedures involving liaison with executive staff, preparation of results and correspondence, and project and event management.

I am currently seeking work as an administrative or executive assistant. For further review of my qualifications and experience, please see my attached resume.

As I welcome the opportunity to meet in-person to detail my experiences and discuss my ability to meet your employment needs, I hope to hear from you.

Thank you for your time and review of my credentials.
Sincerely,
John Smith

When it comes to how to find a job fast, this technique works best when you spend some time researching each company. Do your homework and answer the below questions:

How much should you expect to make?
Are there aspects of their culture that appeal to you?
Are they involved in exciting work that inspires you?

Research can help you to learn more about a potential employer and provides new questions that can help to shape your job interview performance.

Related read: Best Email Subject Lines When Sending a Resume (Examples + Tips)

7. Be flexible

It’s often impossible to find the perfect job when you’re working under any time constraints. It’s equally impossible to ensure that you get the exact salary that you expect under those circumstances. You have to be flexible here.

It's ok to take a job outside of your usual field, level, or pay grade. It's ok to freelance, take part time work, or try out temp and seasonal positions. It's hard to find a job, so if you're met with an opportunity you should seriously consider it.

So, when time is a critical factor, be flexible enough to manage your expectations. You may need to take an imperfect job that has the potential to turn into something better. Think about the long game as well as the short term realities.

8. Don’t forget to take care of yourself

Feeling overwhelmed? That’s natural. The stress of any job search can take a toll on your health and well being. Unfortunately, that can negatively impact your ability to keep up the job search pace. Make time to take care of you.

You deserve self-care. Find time for leisure, reflection, and rest. Take the weekends off to recuperate from your week of job searching. Remember to eat healthy foods and keep up with your personal grooming. When you feel good, you’ll be more confident.

There’s no way you can find a job fast if you are feeling burned-out and under pressure. Ease up on yourself. Understand that this will take time but you can get there in the end.

9. Avoid desperation — even if you’re desperate

It’s easy to look desperate, especially when you need a job fast and feel desperate. However, that doesn’t mean that you should let potential employers see that desperation.

No matter how desperate you may feel, never let that fear of failure show. Always approach each application and interview with sure-footed confidence and patience.

Remember that looking for a new job should be an exciting period of optimism. You don’t know where your professional future will take you right now, and that is exciting.

10. Look before you leap

This last one is critically important when you need to find a job fast, though it seems counter-intuitive. Look before you leap.

Research, ask questions, and make sure that the job is right for you. Are they offering you enough money? Do you see yourself leaving that new job any time soon?

Consider these and other factors before you accept the first job offer that comes along. No matter how much you want to find a job quickly, you still need to think through your options to avoid potential long-term mistakes.

Summary

It is possible to learn how to find a job fast. Whatever your personal circumstances, you can use the approaches we have outlined here to your advantage. While searching for roles can be scary, try to reframe this as a positive period. You have the chance to find a new position that aligns with your skills, values, and professional future.

When you’re searching for a new job, a killer resume is your secret weapon. Make sure yours is hitting the mark by using our free resume review tool now.

How to Find A Job Fast: 10 Expert Tips (+Examples)