This article was written by Marianne Grady, a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), on behalf of the Happy Grad Project.
When my children were young, they would use the word “bajillion” to describe when there was a lot of something. I would bet that at this point, you have heard a bajillion pieces of advice on how to conduct your job search. Am I right?
Related:7 Common Job Hunting Mistakes Students Make
As a business and interview coach, I too have come across a plethora of information on this subject. For recent grads like you, this may be overwhelming once you begin the hunt for your dream job. Where do you begin? To help you crack the code and focus on the most important stuff, I have boiled it down to three things all recent grads need to do when job searching...
1. Be prepared.
Every day until you get a job, you should be spending time preparing. Doing research on companies you would like to work for, knowing the challenges they face, practicing your answers to the most common interview questions, developing your network and crafting your elevator pitch. This way, when opportunity comes a knocking, you’ll be ready. The amount of time you devote to preparation will have a direct correlation to the amount of time you take to find the right job.
2. Know your value proposition.
What is it about you that makes you stand out from the rest? Why should I hire you instead of Joe or Sue? Knowing how your education, skills and accomplishments can help the company you are interviewing with can give you a big edge in an interview. Instead of blathering on about yourself, you are connecting the dots for the interviewer. My experience on the debate team has helped me develop strong analytical skills. I am confident that these skills would allow me to hit the ground running and I would be able to add value on day one. Connect the dots for the employer.
3. Bring your enthusiasm and passion.
Nothing frustrates me more as a hiring manager than when the interview is coming to a close and I cannot read the candidate. They seem “meh”! I should never have to ask, "How does this sound to you?" During the course of the interview, make sure you are smiling and showing your passion and enthusiasm about the job. I want to hire people who want to work for our company; not just get a paycheck.
The conclusion that I have drawn is that recent grads, in an effort to be “professional," check their personality and passion at the door. They are often too serious. It is the worst thing you can do. The interviewer is adding you to their established team. They need to like you if you want to get hired. Make sure you enthusiastically reiterate your interest in the position at the end of an interview.
Getting the job can be tough. If you do the work, you will not only get a job, you will get THE job. Prepare for every situation and opportunity, learn how you can be valuable to prospective employers and get fired up with passion and enthusiasm. You will soon be on your way to a satisfying career.
Download Your FREE E-Book!
Graduating? Know someone who is? As a perk of the Happy Grad Project, we're offering a FREE download of our e-book, "The Recent Grad's Guide To Getting A Job." This e-book is JAM-PACKED with tips from experts and recruiters, videos, and additional help. Don't put off your job search any longer.
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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