While there are so many different strategies in regards to job searches, job interviews, work style, etc, there is one thing critically important and should be a number one strategy in all these areas. Do you always do as you say will do? While this strategy is important in every area of your life, “doing as you say will do” and having a 100% "do as you say ratio" is noticed more often than you think during your job search and in the workplace. Harmless statements people throw out there such as “I’ll call you later,"“I’ll bring that article in for you,” or “I’ll follow up next week,” are oftentimes just that. Statements. But, the people who actually follow through and do them are the people who end up standing out. Doing what you say you will do seems so simple. But so many people don’t follow up and execute on their promises. When you are in the job market or at work, you are expected to follow through on your statements. If you write at the bottom of your cover letter that you will follow up next week then you need to follow up next week. Sometimes a hiring manager might be interested in you as a candidate but will not call you and will wait and see if you actually do "follow-up next week." It’s all part of the assessment of you as a candidate. Do People Even Remember All the Little Promises? Sometimes your promises or statements are small things and don’t matter all that much. Maybe you are at work one day and someone mentions how good the cookies were that you brought in a few months ago. You might say, “Thanks! I’ll make some up this week and bring them in." But, you don’t. You won’t get disciplined or written up for that but people who remember what you said are taking mental notes (and people tend to remember great cookies!). Subsequently, the more you do not deliver on your promises, the more trust people start losing in you. Even if you just neglect to follow through on the small stuff, but you do deliver on the important stuff, your lack of follow through on any one thing can hurt your career brand. And if you make promises on the big stuff and don’t deliver? You will likely be disciplined and if you continue to fail to deliver, you can be terminated from your job. It comes down to this: if you throw out a bunch of casual statements and do not follow through, it may or may not be brought to your attention. Whether it is or not depends on how important it is. But even if it isn’t, if you have a history of not doing what you say you will do in relatively unimportant things, your manager is likely to take that into consideration when evaluating whether or not you should have increased responsibilities or could handle a higher level position. This is a perfect example of "past behavior predicting future success." If you always do what you say you will do, no matter what it is, you will earn great trust and respect from those around you. The ironic thing about this is that it’s almost “normal” for people to throw out empty statements sometimes (such as “Let’s plan a time to have lunch sometime,” or “I’ll see if I can find that e-mail and forward to you”) and never do it. Normal meaning, it is very common. But when someone always follows through, it is impressive! It definitely gets noticed and really helps build up a strong career brand. Most importantly, always doing what you say you will do creates integrity and integrity is a crucial and necessary trait to have and a core value in most workplaces. When you think about it, this concept is so basic. It’s such an easy way to build up your brand and command respect and trust from everyone around you. Sometimes people just operate on auto-pilot and not following through on their promises in unintentional. They get caught up in conversations, they say things and then move onto to the next task or next conversation and simply forget about all the different little promises they made. If you want to have a 100% “do as you say” ratio then you need to really think about the things that come out of your mouth. When you are about to say something that you will do, stop yourself and ask yourself the question, “Do I have any intentions of actually doing this?” If the answer is no, then just don’t say it. If the answer is yes, then to assure you don’t forget about it, write it down. Sometimes some of the things that are necessary to build up a strong career brand are basic common sense items. This one is an easy one – just be intentional about what you promise and always deliver on your promises. Other people’s trust in you is critical to your career brand. Jessica Simko, is a senior level human resources professional and a leading career brand and job search expert/strategist. She is also the founder of Career Brand Authority. You are invited to visit her blog and download her FREE e-book, "Top Strategies that Get Job Interviews."Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expertImage from marekuliasz/Shutterstock
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
BigstockMake 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
BigstockAre 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.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
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
BigstockYour 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.