A client recently connected with me because he's finding himself cast adrift in his job search.
“Every time I think I've figured out which direction to go, I find out it doesn't work after all," he said.
He's taken career assessments, gone on informational interviews (I really dislike this term and the process underneath it, and I have a different framework – but that's another blog post), and even landed interviews. He's got a pretty impressive list of ideas he's considered and discarded, so he reached out for help with this process.
My first reaction was to acknowledge his courage in getting support for his career exploration. Many people don't overcome their concerns that they should just innately know what's a good fit for them, and they spin their wheels and sink deeper into despair. Whether you connect with a career coach or access other resources such as powerful books, online forums, or circle of friends, it's vital to get input so that you don't stew in your frustration.
Second, I listened as my client confessed in our first session, “I'm afraid I'm like the princess and the pea and I'm hyper sensitive. Maybe I'll never be satisfied."
Fair enough. That's a valid concern.
It's also the voice of your fear, which isn't the best springboard for career exploration.
To get the ball rolling on tackling this quandary, I asked my client three questions:
Can you categorize your objections to the jobs and fields that you're considering?
I would put them into low, medium and high concerns, or to have more fun with the categories, perhaps you could use labels such as Pesky Irritant, Red Flag, and Dealbreaker. Once you begin to sort your reactions to the areas that you're exploring, you'll have more definition about what's giving you pause.
How do you respond to your own objections?
Many people either throw out their ideas completely and reject them with disgust, or (at the opposite end of the spectrum), they try to talk themselves out of their concerns. Neither of these approaches works, and there's a middle ground where you probe for what's at the heart of your reaction. When you explore at a deeper level what's causing you to react so strongly, you'll uncover what really matters to you and you can use that information to steer your job search.
Can you describe your own temperament?
Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you react strongly to external stimuli either because you get distracted or you find your nervous system activated and in hyperdrive? Do you want to organize your world carefully and with precision or does chaos actually provide a wonderful platform for your creativity to express itself? If you can't describe the environment where you thrive, you'll continue to sputter as you race around to different options because you don't have a foundation that guides you (like a north star) to the spot where you'll fit. I describe it as matching your personality with your natural habitat – that's an essential part of a career exploration.
My client exhaled as he considered these questions. He was relieved because he recognized that he could respond to these simple questions and develop his own litmus test for potential careers and positions. Once he was armed with this information, he was ready to reactivate his search because he was equipped with what he needed to assess each new idea that he generated.
You can shift gears just as easily, too. Write down your responses to these questions and use them to steer your search.
Career coach Maggie Graham banishes Credential Gremlins in her forthcoming book Skip the Next Degree: Career Change without Debt and Despair. She points mid-career professionals in the direction of their next steps and defines a road map to take them there. Job seekers will find an ally when they seek support for landing their next positions.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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