The Right Way to Job Search
Practical tips and advice from a recruitment expert
We’re in the middle of tough economic times right now, and there’s a good chance that either you or someone you know has had their job impacted by this global pandemic. Not since the Great Depression have so many people been out of work. As of this writing, there are 38 million people unemployed and the national unemployment rate is 14.7% (April 2020) and likely to go higher. To put it in simpler terms, a lot of people are looking for jobs right now. We all know that job searching isn’t the most fun and at times can be downright frustrating. As someone who has spent close to the last decade in talent acquisition, I’ve seen common mistakes from the job seeker end when it comes to the “right way” of searching for a job. Sometimes job searching is a mix of art and science. The tips below will save countless hours and tons of effort in searching for your next opportunity.
Only Apply to “New” Jobs
This may sound straightforward, but many job seekers continue to apply to stale jobs that have been posted for quite some time. Recruiters are people, and they’re likely going to try to fill their jobs with the first handful of candidates…not candidate #84 who applies 3 weeks after the job was posted. Save yourself the hassle and exclude jobs in your search filter that are more than a week old. The first few applicants will already have a leg up on you and be farther along in the hiring process.
As a general rule, only apply to jobs that have been live for less than a week and in best cases only apply to jobs that have been posted less than a few days. This will guarantee you are among the first group of people that a recruiter is evaluating, and potentially among the first to start interviewing. Being first in the interview process is key, and significantly increases your chances of getting hired! According to research from the job board, StartWire, more than 1/4 of jobs in a research study were filled by candidates who applied within the first two days of posting. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. If a job is in a rural market, more specialized, or is your next dream job, consider applying. You never know!
Add a Personal Touch
Many people think that job searching is spending countless hours scrolling through job postings and filling out lengthy application forms. Doesn’t that sound fun? Instead, try reaching out to recruiters or hiring managers. It doesn’t have to be on LinkedIn either. Many connections can be made on Twitter or through other social channels. Job searching doesn’t have to just be the traditional way. Use your existing network to reach out to people and express interest in their work, or strike up a genuine conversation about what they’re doing and mutual career interests. Remember, cold asks rarely work. Coming in with a well-researched background on the person in addition to offering value can make a difference between a response or no response. Give to get and your next opportunity could happen without even applying for a job.
Use Data to Know Where You Stand
At the end of the day you are only in competition with yourself…or so the saying goes. When it comes to job searching the reality is you are in competition with every other applicant. Using a premium job seeker insights and analytics tool can be an advantage when it comes to evaluating the type of candidate profile a company is seeking, or how you stack rank with other applicants. One such tool is the Premium Career plan offered by LinkedIn. The Premium Career plan offers personalized insights where your profile matches a job’s skill requirements, who’s viewed your profile, access to LinkedIn Learning, and most importantly, competitive intelligence regarding your candidacy in comparison to others for the job.
There is a $29.99 monthly charge for the premium upgrade with an option to engage in a 30-day free trial if you haven’t trialed a premium LinkedIn plan before. If you’ve been recently laid off and $30/month isn’t in your budget right now then don’t worry. LinkedIn has been offering free Premium Career subscriptions upon request for those impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Message a small group of LinkedIn employees you have shared connections with or who work in the marketing or customer success division, and see if they can share a subscription pass.
Make the Jobs Come to You
Moving away from the traditional job search is where job alerts come into play. I mean why refresh job listings every day when you can set custom alerts for your dream job? This will save you time and only allow for relevant jobs to come into your inbox or job search site. Google has a simplistic jobs UI that allows for easy activation of job alerts and allows you to consume these alerts on your own time with the option to receive instantly, daily, or weekly.
By pairing alerts with active job seeking, you’re able to “job search” even while not physically scrolling through job postings. Job alerts are perfect if you want to be notified when your targeted company posts new jobs or if a specific job title / role is what you’re searching for.
The tactics listed here should give you a competitive advantage over other applicants and the end result means you’re one step closer to landing that next role or dream job. Job searching doesn’t have to be a pain. All it takes is combining a few simple tips and stacking the deck in your favor. Here’s to many interview requests to come!
Have a useful tip or advice? Feel free to comment below.
