You want a job that's one or two levels higher than your current job. How do you apply? Well, definitely not through an ATS.
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are designed to find exact matches, and if you are trying to land a higher-level job, you are not an exact match. But the good news is I can give you a workaround.
Lots of people get hired into higher-level positions, but not through applying online.
2 Steps To Get A Higher-Level Job
Step one in this process is to learn to go around the ATS. You need to connect with people who work at the company. Not the recruiter. Not even the hiring manager. You need to connect with people who would be your peers in the organization.
Then, you need to focus on step two, which is to tell a great connection story. A connection story is how you feel connected to the mission of the company. What would get you up out of bed every day and want to crush it for them? You need to identify with these people who would be your future peers.
After you've found a handful of future peers to connect with, put together this connection story and send it to them via LinkedIn. Ask them to connect. Here's an example of what that connection request message should look like:
"Hey! Can we connect? I have a story I'd love to share about your company."
Then, when they accept, message them and share the story about why you're a huge fan of the company, and that's why you're really interested in the XYZ position, the higher-level position.
This going to prompt them to check out your LinkedIn profile and more than likely just forward it to the hiring manager, saying something like, "Hey, this person reached out to me. They're interested in the job you've posted."
Why does this matter? Because the ATS is run by recruiters who are told to find exact matches, and they're going to screen you out. If your LinkedIn profile gets forwarded to the hiring manager from a person who works in a totally different department, you're not going through that same screening process as other applicants who apply online. In fact, they're elevating you because they're saying, "This person made the effort to reach out and tell me their story. You might be interested in them."
Now your story gets in front of the hiring manager, and the hiring manager thinks, "Oh, love the story. Looks like they might be able to do the job. Let me pass them to the recruiter." And then the recruiter sets up an interview because even though you're not a match, they were told by the hiring manager to do so.
I've seen a lot of people get higher-level jobs when they follow these two steps. But let me be clear: When you're applying online, there's no resume fix or cover letter or LinkedIn profile tip that I can give you that's going to get you through the ATS and get you a shot at that job because you don't meet the requirements.
If you believe you can do the job, you've got to tell a connection story and talk to other people in order to get in front of the hiring manager.
This job search strategy works. If you don't believe me, sign up for Work It DAILY where I'm working with thousands of job seekers right now—and these tips are working. Try us free for seven days.
These tips will help you conduct a proactive job search. It is a game changer, and it's really needed in this job market, especially if you're trying to get a higher-level job. You can do it, but you need new and better techniques to succeed. And I would love to teach them to you.
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.