A 40,000-Foot View of the Job Search

Today, I want to give you a high-level view of the job search, focusing on solutions for the mistakes I repeatedly see people making.

In the 14 years since I left higher education career services to do this work full-time, I have never heard such frustration and lack of motivation about the job search. One of the things I hear most frequently is “I’ve always gotten my job through my connections – I’ve never actually had to LOOK for a job until now.”

What’s actually going on? From my perspective, it is a combination of massive layoffs in the government due to the new administration and the accompanying economic uncertainty, coupled with a broken job search system that has largely removed human touch in an effort to be more “efficient.”

Add in the idea that people don’t know what they don’t know and you have a recipe for disaster. One of the questions I ask clients when they schedule a consult with me is “other than job boards, what strategies will you utilize in your job search?” So often, I get either blank stares or they talk about what they are doing on the job boards.

Here, then, are the 7 mistakes I see people making in their job search:

Relying solely, or primarily, on job boards.

I covered this point extensively in last week’s episode, so rather than repeating my formula for how much time you should spend on job boards depending on your experience level, let me talk instead about WHY this is so ineffective.

-You are entering THE most crowded auditorium there is and trying to get the attention of the people on stage.

-You are coming to the employer as an unknown – and companies prefer to hire people that have been referred/recommended to them whenever possible.

-You will be measured a) against the laundry list of qualifications and skills someone decided you MUST have to be considered for this position, and b) every other candidate.

-You may be putting hours of effort into applying for a job that either doesn’t exist or that they already have identified a candidate for.

-Finally, your resume has to score high enough in the ATS for the humans to get to see your resume – or, depending on the system, the humans may see your resume, but the ATS has ranked you so far down the list that the humans won’t consider you as a serious candidate.

To be clear: Unless you are at the executive level, there ARE jobs for you on job boards – the challenge is to make job boards a part of your overall strategy and not the totality of your job search.

Just applying online like everyone else.

The +1 Approach is you doing one more thing in addition to just applying online like everyone else. Reaching out to the recruiter, asking someone to put in a good word for you, leveraging your connections in the company are but a few examples of the +1 Approach.  

Not only does the +1 Approach increase your chances of getting attention, it also serves as a guardrail for you to apply ONLY to jobs you are really excited about and at least 75-80% qualified. When a job doesn’t meet BOTH of these qualifications, you aren’t likely to go out of your way to advocate for yourself for that position, so you are better off spending that time applying for something else and giving that position your all.   

Not customizing your marketing documents.

Let me paint a picture that illustrates how important this is. You are in sales, and the product you sell is lighting. If you try to give Ms. Mullins the same sales pitch for the can lights she wants in her home as you do Ms. Jones, who needs lighting for a park the city is refurbishing, you will probably not be relevant to either one of them.

My goal with my clients is to get their resume 95% of the way to any job they would apply for as long as they stay within the target for which that resume was written. That leaves 5% for the client to customize depending on the specific requirements of the job, the company, and the industry – I tell them to expect to spend 30 minutes customizing their resume and another 30 minutes customizing their cover letter.

I will talk in another episode about tips and strategies for customizing these documents but suffice it to say this is an incredibly important step in your job search and should not be overlooked.

Not networking – or not being strategic about your networking.

Problem #1 is you never tell anyone you are looking for a job. Problem #2 is you aren’t telling the right people that you are looking for a job.

There is value in reaching out to former coworkers, bosses, and colleagues to let them know what you are looking for – and remaining in contact with them so they don’t forget about you. 

The key with this type of networking is to be specific – let them know what type of job you are looking for, at what level, and what you bring to the table. Give them a copy of your resume – and ask them on the spot for advice as to who you should speak to next. Whenever possible, ask them to make the referral.

The next level of networking is starting with the end in mind – where do I want to work? Who is the decision maker or makers I need to speak to at those companies? How can I connect with them?

This level of networking is completely separate from whether that company has a job opening for which you are interested and qualified; this is about finding the companies YOU want to work for and having conversations about how you are the solution to their problem.

Phoning it in once it’s “taking too long.”

Here’s what happens: You decide at the outset of your job search how long it’s going to take – based on nothing other than air. Then it takes longer than that.

When consults start lamenting about the length of their job search, it is typically because they are only utilizing job boards – which clearly aren’t working for them. So I ask them what they are doing to solve for this problem, and their answer invariably is “I’m applying to more jobs online.”

So we’ve found the thing that isn’t working and we’ve doubled down on it.

This is the time to up your game – review your job search strategies and make some adjustments. Ramp up your networking efforts or try some different networking strategies. Get the help of a career coach like me.

The graph of your job search efforts should be on the incline – not the decline. But here’s the thing: your efforts MUST be strategic and logical for the level and type of position you are seeking. You can’t be throwing darts in a dark room and hoping you’re hitting the bull’s eye – there’s an excellent chance you’re not hitting the dartboard at all.

Underutilizing LinkedIn.

My mantra is: “LinkedIn should be your best friend in your job search.”

I’m not talking about applying to jobs on LI, but rather the incredible networking tools the platform offers.

Here are just a few examples:

-Finding decision-makers at your target employers, connecting with them and beginning a conversation

-Finding the person who previously held the role you’re applying for so you can get some intelligence about the position and company

-Following companies you are interested in – you’ll get the inside scoop, and they will see that you are engaged with them

-Looking up the people you have an interview scheduled with prior to the interview

-Seeing how you are connected to someone – you can ask your mutual connection about the other person, or ask them to introduce you to them

If you didn’t realize any of these were possible on LI – they are! And so much more.

Letting your brain run amok.

This is perhaps the biggest one, because it drives everything you do.

During consults, I frequently uncover what people are thinking during their job search – about themselves (“I’m too old”), about their marketability (“I don’t have an MBA), about the job market (“no one is hiring in my field”).

Might these thoughts be true? Sure. Is there any upside whatsoever in thinking these thoughts? Nope.

One of my coaches used to say “We’re all delusional, so we might as well be delusional in our own favor.”

Thinking thoughts about yourself or the job market that you cannot change – you are the age you are, for example – is demotivating.

I HIGHLY recommend a daily journaling process during your job search. Here are the steps:

1.    Begin by dumping out all the thoughts you are currently having about yourself and your job search. Good, bad, ugly – write it all down.

2.    Decide whether you want to keep thinking each of those thoughts. Practice being more aware of your thoughts and intentional about what you want to think going forward.

3.    Decide on two adjectives that you want to guide you for that day. Examples might include Confident, Determined, Tenacious, Focused. Write those words in a sentence where you will see them throughout the day. For example: “During my networking meeting today, I will be confident and curious.”

Finally, surround yourself with friends who will support and uplift you during this time – you have no room for naysayers or people who will agree with you when you begin your negative downward spiral.