Confession time: although my job involves helping people network, promote themselves effectively, and land better jobs, I am an introvert by nature.
Related: Networking Tips For Introverts: Get The Ball Rolling!
How much of an introvert?
When I was starting out, it would take me up to 20 minutes to "psych up" for a simple phone call. I avoided face-to-face meetings at all costs. And each and every action I took was accompanied by enormous amounts of self-doubt.
Sound familiar? Researchers estimate that up to 50% of the population are introverts. And yet many of them, like Bill Gates and Barbara Walters, have gone on to achieve massive career success.
If you're struggling to "come out of your shell" and start locking down new job opportunities, here are some tips that can help:
Focus On The 4 R's:
1. Research.
Research jobs and employers thoroughly before submitting your resume and accompanying materials. Have a clear sense of the message you want to send - what are the core elements of the value you're bringing to the table, and does your resume communicate that? Expert tip: before an interview, look up your contact on LinkedIn and the company website to find nuggets of information that can serve as an ice breaker.
2. Reframe.
Don't think of it as an interview (with all the anxiety that accompanies it) but a working meeting. Create a "value presentation" prior to the interview which highlights your fit for the role and how you'll help accomplish strategic objectives. That way, instead of worrying about answering questions in the "ideal" way you can launch right in and actively demonstrate value.
Some elements you can include within a value presentation:
A list of key job requirements (you can pull this directly from the job posting) and how you match up with them.
Additional Areas of Expertise you bring to the position (otherwise known as "differentiators").
Success Stories - Examples of how you added value, major accomplishments, and so on. You can also include some great testimonials here.
Personal Success Factors - Personal qualities and strengths that will ensure your success on the job.
A 30/60/90 day Strategic Action Plan - Here's where you outline your goals for "hitting the ground running" and rapidly delivering value to the company.
3. Reward.
Celebrate the effort, not the outcome! Challenge yourself to do one networking (call it "socializing" to reduce stress) activity each day that's outside of your comfort zone. Take a colleague or mentor out for a coffee. Cold call a recruiter in your industry. Reward yourself with a little treat after each action, regardless of how it goes.
4. Repeat.
Practice is essential for anyone looking to land a better job, but it goes double for introverts. Review and rehearse common interview questions, especially ones that stump people like, "Tell me about yourself?" or "What's your greatest strength?" (Expert tip: answer in the form of a story that highlights a core quality you wish to communicate). Chunking together similar activities can also control anxiety. For example, if you have a big networking call to make, make two "everyday" calls beforehand to loosen up.
Here Are Some Additional Tips:
Maximize your presence on social media. The more visible you are, the less convincing you'll have to do to establish credibility with an employer. Start by building a competitive LinkedIn Profile and regularly offering status updates on useful articles, tips, and feedback on industry trends (Expert tip: run an "Advanced Search" for highly visible competitors and model how they present themselves and engage with others). The ultimate goal here is to be perceived as a thought leader in your field.
Remember that social actions (ex. informational interviews, calls) lead to way more results than non-social actions (ex. responding to job postings). In other words, devote the bulk of your energy to social moves instead of consoling yourself with low ROI activities like applying to a certain number of postings per day.
Be sure to schedule "recovery periods" throughout the week. Introverts recharge from alone time.
Play to your strengths. Introverts are generally good listeners and great at "reading" people. Use your talents to forge meaningful relationships and create a bond with others. People work with those they like and those who are similar to themselves.
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. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Bigstock
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.