Applying–Job Search Lessons Learned: 12 Key Take-Aways (10)

Finally! After nine (9) steps you are ready to start applying for the job of your dreams. Welcome to your new part-time job. If you have a job, and you are looking for a new one, you want to spend about five (5) to ten (10) hours a week networking and applying. If you do not have a job currently, welcome to your new full-time, 40-hour work week. We are going to be pulling out of the tools in our job search toolbox and get to work. What will you need?

Let’s get started.

I know it was mentioned in the Networking and Referrals article, but it bears repeating. I use the job boards (Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Dice, and LinkedIn) to upload my advertised résumé and create alerts that meet my criteria. My goal is to reach out to my network as much as possible prior to applying. A blind application is the last thing you want to do. If you are skeptical on whether black holes exist, you can rest assured that if you apply online, whether it is on the company’s site or a job board, you will see a black hole in action. You may still have some success and headway through blindly applying online. But the odds are not in your favor. That being said, there are still certain things you must do regardless.

Goal

Your goal should be to have quality over quantity. Do not spray and pray, concentrate on one at a time and putting in the diligence it needs to stand out and be recognized. You have spent so much time prepping for this, let’s not shortcut the actual task.

We are going to be researching, writing a custom cover letter, updating our résumé to better articulate that we can perform the role, and we are going to follow-up.

Research

Description

Don’t:

Just look at the title.
Skim it.
Fully read it once.
Simply hit the ‘Apply’ button.

Do:

Fully read it twice or more.
Answer the following questions:
- “Have I performed the majority of the tasks before?”
- “Can I perform the majority of the tasks?”
- “Do I want to perform the majority of the tasks?”
- “Is there an obvious gap? If so, do I feel comfortable in overcoming it and can I explain that?”

Company

Utilize websites such as the following to conduct research:

LinkedIn.
GlassDoor.
Google.
Social Media sites.
company’s website.

What are you looking for?

Employee feedback and reviews.
Employee growth.
Financials and/or stock price history.
Vision and Mission Statements.
Core Values.
Management.
News and Events.
Products and/or Services.
Clients and Competitors.

This yields two major results. First, now that you have this information, is this a company you would like to work for? Second, if it is, now you are more prepared to apply (you can use the information in your cover letter) and more prepared for the interview (you can use this information to dig deeper beyond what is publicly known).

Salary

Based on the information you can find, will this job support your financial needs? You can utilize:

In my experience, this is not necessarily straightforward. The job title advertised might not be a common one. You might not be able to find that exact job title, even if it is common in your industry. So you will have to weigh in some of your own expertise while reviewing the results.

Also if there is a common title across industries, be careful of that, too. Such as “Service Manager”. If you are looking for “IT Service Manager”, make sure you are not viewing “Automotive Service Manager”.

Does all your research satisfy what you are looking for? Did you update OneNote with all of your notes and findings? If so, let’s move on to the next step.

Custom Résumé

This depends on how you have your advertised résumé structured. In 2017, mine was more task bullet points then accomplishments. Therefore, I spent time ensuring bullet points matched up where applicable to the job description. I was demonstrating that I could perform the role. In 2018, my résumé is now 100% accomplishments. I have worded it in a way that is already targeting what I am personally looking for in my next role. So, I do not find myself spending a lot of time, if any, on customizing it. When I do, I save a copy of that résumé, so I have the specific on available for the interview(s).

Regardless of your approach, take a step back. Have the job description and your résumé side-by-side. If you were the hiring manager, would you interview you, let alone hire you? Is your experience, education, accomplishments, and strengths demonstrated in such a way that the person on paper could be successful to the person being looked for?

Cover Letter

You can spend hours searching the web to help with writing the perfect cover letter. There are even unique ones such as a Disruptive Cover Letter or a Pain Letter. Regardless of which how you structure it, this much is for sure, you should do it. Many, maybe even most, do not take the time to write one. So immediately, you will be more visible. Even if it is not read, the fact that you took the time to go above and beyond the minimum requirements says something about you as a candidate.

My cover letter is going to be a very similar format to my résumé. The contact information will be formatted and positioned the same, and my first heading will be that of the job title being applied for. Then, it will go into your typical formal letter format.

Apply

Now you are ready and have positioned yourself for the most success. You have reached out to your network and asked for a referral, if applicable. You have done your research, and on paper, you feel like it would be a mutually beneficial fit. The job description and potential salary range are satisfying. You have customized your résumé and cover letter to match you to the role and company and has positioned you in a way that not only can you meet the requirements, but go above and beyond.

Click that ‘Apply’ button.

Follow-up

From the previously done research, hopefully, the hiring manager’s or recruiter’s name has come up. Mark it on your calendar to follow-up in the next three (3) to five (5) business days. If your initial research did not yield those results, try again. Look at the titles of individuals working at that company on LinkedIn. Who would you assume you would report to? Does someone have an HR (Human Resources), Recruiting, or Talent Aquisition title that you could reach out to? Worst case scenario, you call the main number and ask.

The company, depending on size, may have over 100 positions open, with the possibility of the same number of applicants per opening. The company is also doing its own research and not simply waiting for the right candidate to apply. You need to ensure you are demonstrating that you are wanting this opportunity and are a good fit for it.

So here is a question to the community:

“What application process have you had the most luck with?”

Thank you for your time,

Volume 9 Issue 11 (52) 
Original Post: 04/27/2018 
Updated: 04/27/2018

Job Search Lessons Learned Navigation

Intro.

Before

01) Social Media. It is time for a clean-up and health check of your online presence.
02) Self-Discovery. As the famous rock band, The Who, once asked: “Whooooo are you? Who, who? Who, who?”
03) What do you want? It’s not all about them, you are a unique snowflake and you should be confident about that.
04) Networking. If you take only one thing away from this series, it HAS to be this.
05) Résumé Information. The source of truth for your résumé(s), applications, cover letters, and interviews.
06) Résumé. How should it look? I don’t know, has the person reviewing eaten lately? What day of the week is it? Which season is it? Did they recently take time off? Did they get a good or bad review? How was traffic this morning?

During

07) Tracking. Release the OCD!
08) Social Media. Yes, you need to use it. Don’t fight it.
09) Networking and Referrals. That is how important this is, I talk about it twice!
10) Applying. I’ll just tell you now, it feels like a black hole sometimes.
11) Interview. The moment you have been waiting for!
12) Professional Assistance. Sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees.

Conclusion. That’s a wrap.