I have a good piece of advice – stop looking for a job. Yes, you read that correctly – structuring one’s activities around trying to land a job increases one’s frustration level, as well as the likelihood almost every day will end in failure.
Those in search of a “job” are constantly throwing away opportunities to meet more people, to increase their visibility, and to position themselves as a solution to an employer’s problem – instead of a problem in search of a solution. Job seekers look for openings, and if they find none, they have nowhere else to turn.
Or they find an opening and then cast it off (it’s too far away, it doesn't pay enough, they want someone with more education/experience, they know someone who worked there and they didn't like it) the self-imposed roadblocks continue to foil any possibility of succeeding.
My recommendation: Structure every action you take around a more rewarding goal – to get an interview. Ideally, one should strive to have 20-30 interviews a week. “ It can’t be done,” you might be thinking, “I keep sending out my resume and no one calls me.” It’s time you retire your outdated definition of an interview as something that happens to you as a result of an employer reading your resume and giving you a call.
Proactive job seekers know an interview is any conversation with anyone about their profession, industry or target list of companies and the skills, and experience and knowledge. These are conversations they initiate to gather and share information. What kind of information?
Information About Your Profession
What are the current trends in your profession? What skills are currently in high demand? What training or education is required to remain marketable? What is a realistic wage for someone with your skills and experience in the geographic region where you are targeting your search?
Information About Your Industry
What changes are taking place in your target industry? Are employment opportunities on the rise, or is the industry becoming obsolete? How does the Internet and/or globalization impact your industry? Who are the industry leaders – and industry lagers?
Information About You Target Companies
What are their products or services? Who are their competitors? How long have they been in business? What is their current financial status? Are they growing or laying off? What are the current issues they are struggling with and their goals and objectives for the coming year? What are the people like that work there and what is the company culture?
What is their organizational structure and does it include the kinds of positions you would be interested in? What is their pay scale and what is included in a typical compensation package? What is their hiring process?
Information About Your Marketing Strategy
Does your resume accurately reflect who you are, what you do and what you can do for an employer? Are your marketing letters about you and what you want/need or are they about the prospective employer and what you can do for them? Are there companies you can add to your target list of employers or people you can include in your network of contacts? Do you have strong answers prepared for typical interview questions?
If a job is really all you want (and the answers to these questions are irrelevant), I can get you one today. But I sense you want more – you want a rewarding career that satisfies your personal interests, abilities, and values.
Structure your daily activities around getting interviews and gathering information. I guarantee every day you will go to bed satisfied that you met your goal. Stop asking about openings and start asking for information instead. (Most people love sharing information, and appreciate that you are not asking them for a job.)
Stop waiting for interviews and find people to you can talk to. The more people you talk to, the more visible you become. Employers prefer to hire people they know. Become known and opportunity will knock on your door because of your efforts.
The vast majority of employment opportunities were never really “openings” advertised to the masses. They came about because an individual in control of their own career communicated who they are, what they do and what they can do for an employer – and they were heard and appreciated.
Make interviewing your number one goal – a new job is waiting to unfold.
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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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