Optimism is the most important (and hardest) thing to maintain during a job search. We want to land that amazing job, provide a better life for our family, and feel like our talents are appreciated. Which is why it's SO frustrating to interview for a position, think it went well, and not hear anything back!
Related: How To Prepare For A Job Interview
"What's wrong with me?" you ask yourself.
The answer? Nothing. A hiring manager passing on you is rarely a reflection of a personal failing. Instead, it usually boils down to issues within the following areas:
1. You Come Off As Desperate For The Job
Look, obviously you want the job. You wouldn't agree to an interview otherwise. But no one wants to hire someone who seems like they're willing to say or do anything for the offer because a) it prevents them from getting a genuine understanding of his or her strengths, and b) it fosters a low-value impression. Employers don't want low-value. They want to feel like they nabbed an in-demand professional who'd be a genuine asset to the company.
Solution
Set the right standards before you ever set foot in the interview. Create a resume that's confident, targeted towards the job, and emphasizes quantifiable accomplishments with minimal fluff. Set clear time limits for phone and face-to-face interviews: if you agree to a 15-minute call, set a timer and cut the call at the 15-minute mark (giving up free time makes you seem needy). At the end of the interview ask, "Is there anything in my answers or background that would prevent you from furthering me as a candidate of choice?" This shows major confidence and allows you to proactively address red flags head-on.
2. You're Not A Match With The Culture
Aligning your presentation and style of communication with the in-house culture of a company can pay off big time. Time and time again, studies show that likability plays a huge role in hiring decisions, often winning out over who's the most experienced for the job. Why? Because we want to work with fellow members of the tribe, not outsiders.
Solution
Do a social media deep dive (tweets, FB posts, LinkedIn company page) to get a sense of what's important to the company and how they communicate.
Show up a little early and listen to how employees talk to one another.
Research the company on Glassdoor.com for information about a company's culture directly from current and past employees.
Pay close attention to staff photos, and dress in a style that's in-line with that.
3. You're Going To Need A Lot Of On-The-Job Training
Generally speaking, companies want people who can hit the ground running upon being hired. If you're spending precious time during an interview trying to convince a hiring manager of how quickly you can learn new skills or adapt to their working practices, you're actually doing yourself a disservice. All they hear is, "This person is going to require additional time, that I don't have, to get up to speed." This will often result in a pass.
Solution
In addition to analyzing the job posting, do some research on the company beforehand to get a sense of the major challenges they're facing, and come in with a game plan of what you can do immediately to move the ball forward. Ask questions designed to get a closer read on their situation, and tailor your answers to address them. No one is expected to know 100% of a job before they're hired; just don't harp on what's missing.
One last tip: withhold questions about salary and benefits during a first interview. Keep it focused on the value you can provide, not what's in it for you.
Wishing you much success!
Anish Majumdar, CEO of ResumeOrbit.com is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, LinkedIn expert, and interview coach. Surveyed clients report a 40-60% reduction in placement times through working with him, and typically secure offers at least $10-40K higher. Schedule a free LIVE Resume Critique with Anish, or connect with him on LinkedIn.
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.