4 Ways to Improve Your Job Search in Digital Learning

A job search can be stressful and overwhelming. That’s especially true if you need to quickly replace lost income. But finding a new job in digital learning doesn’t have to be difficult. A few smart adjustments can help you speed up the process. You might even be able to create a situation where employers come looking for you.

Here are four things you should do if you want to position yourself as an expert and spend less time searching for a digital learning job.

Step 1. Optimize your resume

If you’re using the same resume you’ve had for years, it might be time for an upgrade. You don’t necessarily need a fancy new format. Focus on the content instead.

Employers in digital learning expect you to have a range of skills, but they also want to know that there are one or two things you’re particularly good at. Make sure you know your skills and how to share them. In other words, don’t just dump these into your skills section. Make sure you mention them in your summary paragraph and include bullet points under each job to illustrate your expertise.

Beyond skills, think about how you can highlight the projects and positions that are most impressive. Remember, your resume doesn’t have to explain every job you’ve ever had. The goal is to show potential employers why you’re a good fit for their open roles.

Apply these tips to optimize your resume:

• List your most impressive experience first in a highlights or key skill section.

• Remove jargon and overly formal or businessy language?

• Think beyond what you did in each role to capture how you did it and how those actions impacted results.

• Will this employer help with tuition or support other personal development goals?

• Download our guide to resume writing for digital learning professionals.

Step 2. Prepare your portfolio

The best way to show employers what you can do is to show them what you’ve done. Build out a portfolio that showcases your best work. This will save you and potential employers a ton of time since you can just share the link to show them what you’re capable of.

If making a portfolio sounds overwhelming, you might be overthinking it. You don’t need advanced design skills or an expensive website. Try a free website builder like Wix or even create a simple portfolio on a Google doc. Unless you’re a graphic designer or web developer, you can skip the fancy formatting.

Just grab three or four of your best samples and add them to the page. You can include live links if the work is publicly available or screenshots for content that’s normally behind a login. Including a list of clients and job titles can help show your range, and don’t forget to include a testimonial or two if you have them.

Apply these tips to prepare your portfolio:

• Keep it simple. Each entry just needs a title, a short descriptive paragraph and a link or screenshot of the content.

• Respect NDAs and copyright, only share work for which you have permission.

• If you don’t have work you can share, create samples similar to what you’ve done in the past.

Step 3. Activate your network

A job search can seem like a lonely activity, but it’s easier when you ask for help. Reach out to people in your network and let them know you’re on the hunt for a new opportunity. Ask them to spread the word to others who might be looking for someone like you.

Remember that your network isn’t just your close friends. You’re more likely to find an opportunity from a second or third level connection. Why? Because if your close friends knew about an opportunity, they would probably already have told you about it. Many jobs are never posted publicly because they are filled through personal and professional connections.

If you feel the need to be discreet for now, maybe because you don’t want your current employer to know you’re thinking about leaving, it’s a little hard to activate your network. In that case, you might want to call in a talent placement agency like Teamed to expand your reach while protecting your privacy.

Apply these tips to activate your network:

• Let friends, family, an associates know you’re looking for work.

• Set yourself to “open to work” on LinkedIn.

• Reach out to a talent agency for help.

• Attend networking events, conferences, and job fairs.

Step 4. Target your efforts

If you’re relying on general job boards, you might spend more time sifting through search results than actually applying for jobs. A more targeted approach could save time and minimize frustration. Instead of relying on general job boards, look for ones that focus on your industry.

The employers on these boards are motivated to find employees with your specific skill set. At the same time, you’ll know that the jobs there are relevant to what you’re looking for. Although these types of job boards have fewer listings, they’re far more targeted.

Apply these tips to target your efforts:

• Focus the bulk of your time on specific job boards.

• Check out the Teamed Job Board to start your search.

Here to improve your job search in digital learning

At Teamed, our goal is to connect qualified digital learning experts in education and corporate learning and development with their next job opportunity. If you don’t see the perfect job on our job board, send us your resume and we’ll be on the lookout for the right opportunity.