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A major part of any successful job search is knowing what you’re going after and channeling all energy & resources accordingly. However this can sometimes be the most challenging part of the job search if you’re one of those people who is still trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up (btw try these pointers if this is you). Knowing what to pursue in your next career move can also be challenging if you’re someone who hasn’t searched for a job in years, a career changer or someone in a rapidly-changing industry or profession. The remedy for figuring out your next career move is a healthy dose of research and focus. Without it, you might find yourself overwhelmed by online job boards or fumbling precious networking opportunities. In this blog post I will share my top 6 picks for tools to help you find your next career goal.

1. LinkedIn – Find Former Colleagues

Most people think of LinkedIn as a networking platform or job board but there is a powerful research component you might be missing if you haven’t spent your research hours here. If you’re in the exploratory phase of your job search and trying to understand which opportunities exist for someone like you, have a look at the profiles of past colleagues or people who have worked at the same companies as you, earlier in your career. (To do this: Click “connections” and then filter by company).

Where did they end up? Are there any common themes in the types of companies or roles they moved into? You can take it one step further and reconnect with these old colleagues to do a little networking or catch up over a quick call. This is a great way to get on other peoples’ radars with the shared interest of moving out of the shared company in question.

2. LinkedIn – Follow Companies

If finding the perfect company fit is more your goal, LinkedIn also provides ample resources. You can search using the main search bar and selecting “Companies” from the dropdown. A simple keyword search will then bring up all the relevant companies on LinkedIn. Take some time to follow companies of interest and spend time on their company pages. Here’s my company page as an example. Please follow me to try this out, once you’re there! You’ll even be able to sample job openings and identify your connections employed by the company. This is a great tool for building out a networking strategy especially once you find your dream company.

3. LinkedIn – Join Special Interest Groups

If I were to select the most under-utilized LinkedIn feature, it would probably be LinkedIn Groups. Most people don’t see the value in groups but this can be a hidden gem where research is concerned. LinkedIn allows you to join up to 50 groups and it’s to your benefit to do so. Consider trying groups outside the professional realm and more around your interests. If you’re into cause-oriented companies, you may consider joining some of these groups. Once in the group, have a look at the other member profiles to see what others, with a similar interest our outlook have ended up doing in their careers. You might be surprised at what you uncover. When you find an intriguing profile be sure to tag it and set a reminder for follow up. If you are able to leverage the common interest group for a phone call or informational interview, this is the best-case scenario. Another great strategy is finding and joining recruiter groups. These are my top recommendations for groups with recruiters!

4. Job Titled for Discovering New Career Paths

*As of March 2021 this website seems to no longer exist.

JobTitled.com is a great resource for anyone in need of research around the various titles that exist and corresponding career paths. Visually simplistic and similar to Google, this search engine allows you to gain insight into a plethora of titles you may come across on LinkedIn or in the online search. It provides information on salary, education requirements, career level, trajectory and industry to name a few. It also provides alternative or synonymous titles – which will be very useful in uncovering hidden opportunities when you’re conducting your online job search.

5. Indeed.com for Research (not just the job search)

Indeed is a great resource that I promote for the online job search but did you know it also offers incredible resources when it comes to research? If you scroll to the very bottom of any page, in the site footer – you’ll find tiny links to some major career management topics. The research tools available include: salaries, industry trends, and even forums filled with job seekers sharing insights around the hiring process for specific companies.

6. Career Clarity Coaching & Assessments

While free tools are great, sometimes it takes a financial investment to achieve big career breakthroughs. Clarity Coaching is one investment that may be completely worthwhile if you’re feeling super confused and starting to feel your confidence drop. The reason I love Clarity Coaching is that instead of just guessing where to go next with your career, you’re using tried and true assessments to add more of a scientific approach to the process. For example by taking the Clifton’s StrengthFinder assessment you can view your career fit through the lens of your strengths. By uncovering just this piece of the many pieces that make up you, you may experience a huge boost in confidence. Clarity Coaching clients have also been able to more accurately understand the exact direction of where to take their careers. This is just one example of how Clarity Coaching and assessments can benefit your job search. There are tons of assessments out there and this means there are tons of ways to slice and dice the data around you! The best way to get a good sense of fit is to talk to a coach and see what he/she recommends based on your career scenario.