Experts share 9 simple but underused tricks to make your job search as painless as possible

woman working laptop computer

Your job search doesn't have to be frustrating or enervating.
Here's the best expert advice we've heard on finding and landing a new role.
For example, stand out from other candidates by building your personal brand and choose a job based on the people you'll be working with.

Looking for a job is stressful. There's no way to get around that.

The key is not letting it overwhelm you to the point that you'll take any decent-sounding gig, or that you lose hope about ever landing an offer.

Below, we've compiled a list of the best job-search advice we've heard from savvy sources including cofounders of The Muse and TopResume's career expert. You'll find simple writing exercises, practical e-mail tips, and surprising insights on what makes a job great.

Read on to find out how to make your job search as efficient and painless as possible:

Stanford professors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: Do the 'mind mapping' exercise to expand your notion of what you could do

Burnett and Evans teach a course called "Designing Your Life" at Stanford University's design program. In 2016, they published a book by the same name.

One of the exercises featured in the book is "mind mapping." Here's how it works:

First, choose an activity that gives you pleasure. Next, take five minutes to write down five things related to that activity, then five things related to each of those five phrases, and so on. Circle a few of the phrases in the outer ring that stand out to you, and try to mash them together into new ideas.

The goal is to generate new and unexpected job and career possibilities.

The Muse cofounders Kathryn Minshew and Alex Cavoulacos: Let your network know when you're looking for a new role

Minshew and Cavoulacos are cofounders of career-advice and job-search site The Muse. Their 2017 book is "The New Rules of Work."

In the book, Minshew and Cavoulacos recommend a job-search strategy for anyone who's thinking about making a career change. Simply send an email to people who know you well, either socially or professionally, and let them know you're looking for a new job.

You can see a template here, but the email should include details like the type of position you're looking for and your experience so far.

If there's someone who works for one of your dream companies, or someone who can help you in a very specific way, you can email them separately with a targeted request.

Greenhouse CEO Daniel Chait: Stand out from other candidates by building your personal brand

Chait is the CEO of Greenhouse, a recruiting-software company whose clients include Slack, Airbnb, Venmo, Pinterest, and HubSpot.

According to Chait, most job candidates don't do anything to stand out among a sea of talented applicants — they simply submit their resume through a website and hope for the best.

But Chait said there's a relatively easy way to draw attention to yourself and up your chances of landing the role you want: Be active in your community and build your personal brand.

For example, you might go to Meetup events for people in your industry, or contribute to open-source projects if you're interested in a tech role.

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