Landing a job is difficult, I get it, I really do! I sympathize with you because your struggle is real. If you are a job seeker, you must understand that finding a job IS a FULL TIME JOB. Sending your resume to every single job you come across on Indeed, Monster, LinkedIn, or whichever job board you use will not work, I repeat, IT WILL NOT WORK! I spent three long months searching for a job and during those three months I spent 10 hours a day just applying to jobs. That included, but was not limited to: researching companies, readjusting my resume, getting in contact with hiring managers, having back to back phone, and in-person interviews (I once had seven interviews in one day #WonderWoman #TheFlash), and sending out countless follow up emails (shout out to the recruiters who actually replied to them! #cheers). Here are some tips you should consider while on the job hunt and may the odds be ever in your favor.
1. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! I cannot say enough how important it is do to proper research; this obviously includes what the company does, what the job would entail, and where they are located. If I pre-screen one more person via phone who tells me that the location is too far from them or that they did not read the job description prior to applying and are no longer interested in the position, I AM GOING TO LOSE IT.
2. Your Resume: If your resume still has mention of that time you were a camp counsellor in 2007, we have a problem. One should be careful to only mention the most recent and relevant work experiences to the job you are applying for. I don’t care if you were a chef in 2009, when you are applying for a job as an accountant in 2017, take it off.
3. Cover letters: Don’t write them. It’s a waste of time. Any company that requires you to write a cover letter, run for the hills. Ain't nobody got time for that!
4. Stalk: LinkedIn is your best and ONLY friend when you are on the job hunt. Search the company’s profile on LinkedIn, view all employees that work there, then get in contact with anyone who has the job title: Recruiter, Talent Acquisition, and anything with “HR” in it. Connect/add with each and every one of those people and message them saying that you saw the Job posting blah blah blah, express your interest in the job, yada yada yada. Someone will respond and experience shows that you are more likely to get an in-person interview this way. In every instance in which I added a person on LinkedIn and direct messaged them regarding a job, I got either a phone or in person interview, EVERY TIME! Trust me, I got this. I also suggest that you try LinkedIn Premium for a month (try the trial for free and cancel it once you land a job). LP allows you to direct message anyone on LinkedIn with out having to add them.
5. Be honest. Instead of focusing on saying what you think we want to hear, just tell us what you really think. We can tell your nervous, its obvious, we didn't just assume you spoke fluent gibberish but you would be a lot less nervous if you were not worried about what we are going to think of you and you stopped guessing what I want to hear.
6. Timing. Do not arrive to your interview more than five minutes early. Why? Because if you do arrive 10 minutes early I will feel pressured to start your interview 10 minutes earlier then expected and I did not prepare for that, so...I already don’t like you.
7. Quality over Quantity. Let's say you are a recent graduate who unfortunately has very little to no work experience in your field, what should you do? My best advice is that during your interview talk about the quality of your work experience and how the skills you developed there will help you at the job you are applying for. It is a mistake to stress over quantity, instead stress quality.
8. References. Make sure your references are up to date and notify them every time they should be expecting a call. This may seem obvious to you but I was about to make a job offer to one candidate and she provided me with eight references; I called every single one, and not one of them still worked at the company they previously were all employed at. The job was given to someone else who was able to provide me with a more robust reference #SorryNotSorry.
Side Note: Believe it or not, a recruiter experiences similar feelings finding suitable candidates to what you are feeling when searching for a job! While searching for candidates we make numerous calls a day just to find out that the majority of people didn't really pay attention to what they were applying too and are subsequently not interested in the position. Trust me when I say it is an emotional roller coaster. Not to mention that there are always the instances where recruiters get rejected as well! We get a happy/excited feeling when we write up the job offer and when the candidate rejects our offer it can be heartbreaking #Crushed. From my perspective, I dedicated a lot of my time to read through hundreds and hundreds of applicants, interviewed a dozen people, and felt that out of EVERYONE I've seen, YOU were the best fit and then you decline our offer and I have to go through the entire process all over again! How could you not take that somewhat personally, am I right!? I once gave a four hour health and safety orientation to a new hire only for him to quit the next day! he stayed for 48 hours! So please just remember when you are searching for a job, that rejection can go both ways even in this field. We want you to work with us just as much as you want us to work with you!
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