Here are effective job search tips to help land a new job quickly.
When searching for a job (remote, hybrid or local) the name of the game is “reduce competition”. If you are doing the same thing 5,000 other candidates are doing, it will be harder and take longer to find a job/ get hired.
Searching smarter means applying for jobs that very few people have applied for, or even know about. Here are 7 tips to improve your job search, and get hired quickly.
1. Referrals
Referrals are hands down the quickest way to get a new job. Do some networking with former colleagues, or people you trust to share that you are looking for a new opportunity. Join Facebook Groups, and check industry specific job sites and forums.
2. Apply Quickly
There are SOOOO many jobs out there that say “be the first to apply” or “be among the first 25 candidates”. These keywords indicate that no one has applied yet, or less than 25 candidates have applied. These are golden opportunities, because it means less competition.
Additionally, recruiters and hiring managers are not reviewing over 100 resumes, more over 3,000 resumes. You are more likely to get an interview if you are in the first 1-50 group of candidates to apply for a job within 72 hours of the posting.
3. Find Unadvertised Jobs
This is a tricky one. There are jobs just sitting out there on company websites, or vacancies that haven’t been advertised on the big job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn or Glassdoor. There are a few ways to find these jobs, apply, interview and get hired quickly (because there is no competition).
One way is to make a list of companies in your niche/ industry and check out their career pages.
4. Interview Strategically
In the famous words of John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. Stop making the interview all about what you want. No one likes a narcissist. The way you conduct yourself in an interview, is how the company thinks you will conduct yourself as an employee. Being respectful still goes a long way.
When I interviewed candidates, I always waited to see if they were genuinely interested in the role, or the company. If they only asked questions about pay and benefits, I knew that was a sign. If they came prepared with great questions about the role and the company, I would consider it a sign that they were looking for a long term relationship.
You can still ask about pay and benefits, but ask those questions AFTER you ask about the role and the company. A great question would be: what are some qualities of your more successful Account Managers? OR, what are some accomplishments you’d like in your ideal candidate? Versus, how long is lunch?
Pro Tip – last question suggestions:
- Have you started scheduling second interviews?
- What is the anticipated start date for this role?
- Do you have a date by which you expect to make a decision?
- Do you communicate if a candidate is not selected?
5. Make Your Resume ATS Friendly
You don’t have to do this for every single job submission, but it helps to do it for the ones you REALLY want. Simply add keywords from the job description to your resume before applying for a position. The company’s ATS (Applicant Tracking System) tends to weed out the resumes that don’t have keywords that align with the job description.
If you are applying for all the same jobs, then this doesn’t need to be done for every single application.
6. Add Keywords to Your Cover Letter
Your cover letter is your time to shine. Highlight your skills, without boasting (unless you’re applying for sales positions). Use your cover letter to share your soft, and hard skills along with your accomplishments. Sprinkle in a few keywords from the job description.
7. Follow up. Follow up. Follow up.
Most people send their resumes out into cyberspace and just hope to hear back. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. Granted it is harder these days to actually reach a hiring manager, but it is still possible.
If you apply through Linkedin, you can contact the person who posted the job. If you apply to a small to medium sized company, you can find their number on their website and reach out. Tell them you are calling to “confirm receipt of your resume”.
If the person who answers doesn’t want to transfer you, don’t push it, ask for an email address. Gatekeepers are more likely to share an email address than they are to transfer your call. When you get in touch with the right person and they confirm receiving your resume, ask when they are scheduling interviews so you will have an idea if you are being considered.
When you call, be nice. No one likes entitled, pushy people. The first person you speak with, may be your key to getting your foot in the door.
BONUS
If you need help with finding jobs the same day they are posted, finding unadvertised jobs, connecting with networking groups, or cleaning up your resume, download my JOB SEARCH PDF. It will improve your job search substantially.
