The irony of job search advice: There’s so much available that you don’t have to spend more than four seconds Googling before you land on some nugget of wisdom or another.
Yet, at the same time, there’s so much available (some of
which completely contradicts other advice you’ll find) that it can easily
overwhelm you. Which, in fact, is probably the exact opposite outcome you’re
looking for when you go sleuthing for genuinely useful counsel in the first
place.
So let’s do this: Let’s boil things down to a shortlist of
sound, timeless job searching tips that’ll help you fine-tune your strategy so
that you may sail through the process (or at least cut out some of the
unnecessary time and frustration).
1. Make Yourself a “Smack-in-the-Forehead” Obvious Fit
When you apply for a job via an online application process,
it’s very likely that your resume will first be screened by an applicant
tracking system and then (assuming you make this first cut) move onto
human eyeballs. The first human eyeballs that review your resume are often
those of a lower level HR person or recruiter, who may or may not understand
all of the nuances of that job for which you’re applying.
Thus, it behooves you to make it very simple for
both the computer and the human to quickly connect their “Here’s what we’re
looking for” to your “Here’s what you can walk through our
doors and deliver.”
Tip
Study the job description and any available information you
have on the position. Are you mirroring the words and phrases in the job
description? Are you showcasing your strengths in the areas that seem to be of
paramount importance to this role? Line it up. Line it up.
2. Don’t Limit Yourself to Online Applications During
Your Job Search
You want that job search to last and last? Well, then
continue to rely solely on submitting online applications. You want to
accelerate this bad boy? Don’t stop once you apply online for that position.
Start finding and then endearing yourself to people working at that company of
interest. Schedule informational interviews with would-be peers.
Approach an internal recruiter and ask a few questions. Get on the radar of the
very people who might influence you getting an interview.
Tip
By lining up with people on the inside of the companies at
which you want to work, you will instantly set yourself apart. Decision-makers
interview people who come recommended or by way of a personal referral before
they start sorting through the blob of resumes that arrives by way of the ATS.
3. Remember That Your Resume (and LinkedIn Profile) Is
Not a Tattoo
Yes, your new resume is lovely. Your LinkedIn profile,
breathtaking. However, if they don’t position you as a direct match for a
particular role that you’re gunning for, don’t be afraid to modify wording,
switch around key terms, and swap bullet points in and out. Your resume is not
a tattoo, nor is your LinkedIn profile. Treat them as living, breathing
documents throughout your job search (and career).
Tip
If you’re a covert job seeker, remember to turn off your
activity broadcasts (within privacy and settings) when you make edits to your
LinkedIn profile. If your current boss or colleagues are connected to you on
LinkedIn, they may get suspicious about all the frequent changes.
4. Accept That You Will Never Bore Anyone Into Hiring You
Don’t get me wrong—you absolutely must come across as
polished, articulate, and professional throughout your job search. However,
many people translate this into: Must. Be. Boring.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Realize that few people get hired
because they had perfect white space on their cover letters, memorized all
of the “correct” interview questions or used incredibly safe, common
phraseology (i.e., clichés) throughout their resumes. All of this correctness
is going to make you look staged and non-genuine. Instead, give yourself
permission to be both polished and endearing. Memorable,
likable candidates are almost always the ones who go the distance.
5. If You’re Not on LinkedIn, You Very Nearly Don’t Exist
Considering that more than 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn as
their primary search tool, this is not an understatement. If you’re a
professional, you need to not only be on LinkedIn, you need to be using it to
your full advantage. Don’t believe me? Think about it this way: If tomorrow
morning, a recruiter logs onto LinkedIn looking for someone in your geography,
with expertise in what you do, and you’re not there? Guess who they’re going to
find and contact? Yes, that person’s name is “not you.”
Tip
If you figure out how to harness the power of no other
social media tool for job search, figure out LinkedIn. It’s (by far) the best
resource we have available today for career and job search networking, for
finding people working at companies of interest, and for positioning
yourself to be found by a recruiter who has a relevant job opening.
6. Thank You Matters
I once placed a candidate into an engineering role with a
company that manufactures packaging equipment. He was competing head-to-head
with another engineer, who had similar talents and wanted the job just as
badly. My candidate sent a thoughtful, non-robotic thank you note to
each person with whom he’d interviewed, within about two hours of leaving their
offices. The other candidate sent nothing.
Guess why my candidate got the job offer? Yep, the
thoughtful, non-robotic thank you notes. They sealed the deal for him,
especially considering the other front-runner sent nothing.
Tip
Consider crafting, original, genuine thank you notes (one
for each interviewer) the moment you get back to a computer, following the
interview. The speed with which you send the notes, and the quality, will make
an impact.
And finally, remember that the interviewer cares much more about what you can do for them than what you want out of the deal. Certainly, they’re going to care a bunch about what you want once you establish your worth. But during the interview, you must demonstrate why you make business sense to hire, period.
Now, go forth and show your job search exactly who is the
boss.