Knowing how to get a job and being able to take the right actions is more essential than ever. You need to know the straightforward actions that will drive your job search forward. However, this is hindered by endless fluffy feel-good tips that skirt around what you actually need to do to succeed in your job search.
These are often unhelpful pieces of advice that add unnecessary pressure such as ‘show your likable side’ or ‘always send a thank you note’. In reality securing your next job is going to be driving for a few simple yet strategic actions.
I’ve also come across articles that list 50 individual pieces of advice and whilst this might look and initially feel good to find so many useful tips. However, when engaged in a job hunt it would be a challenge to effectively implement all of them and actually scatter your approach. Therefore it’s important to take action that will have a direct and significant impact.
If you are looking for an article with conventional solid advice, then this article is not for you. This is more like an anti-job post which exploits the path of least resistance into your next job. Having been through the job hunting process twice in the last year and 5 times since graduating in 2013, I can give you my own unique perspective on what actually works and not what ‘should work’.
Have You Been Made Redundant Or Are You At Risk?
Graduating into a tough job market in 2013 with youth unemployment at an all time high and second in a job market where unemployment is rising and opportunities falling gives me unique insight into what works.
More than this, I have experienced the pressure and pessimism that can be associated with applying, interviewing and landing a job during a recession. At a time like this, it can feel like the job market is shrinking, that there are many more qualified or overqualified people out there and that you are throwing your line out into a sea devoid of fish.
Don’t Panic
You might be going into emergency mode and you feel like you are not putting your efforts in the right places and this can result in panic.
It’s also likely that you may get disheartened because you’re not hearing back from your applications or you’ve been unsuccessful. Therefore I wanted to write about a straightforward strategy that requires simply the habit and practice of getting your CV out there every day to someone new.
People who write tips such as ‘show your likable side’ clearly don’t remember the struggle of applying for a job in a recession.
1. Apply If You Meet A Minimum Of 20% Of The Job Advert
No person writing this type of article for a respectable job board or organisation would write this but in my eyes it’s the truth. Apply for any job where you think you might have a chance, even if you only meet a fraction of the job specification or job advert.
When I have applied for a job where I meet 95% of the job spec, I’ve been unsuccessful. By contrast, when I’ve only met 20% are the ones I get an interview for. In fact, I barely even understood the job spec for the last role at a FTSE 100 company. After working in the job for nearly two years I realised that it was pretty much complete garbage.
Which just goes to show that how the role is described and what the hiring manager is looking for aren’t necessarily the same thing. So don’t put off my complication jargon or requirements. The truth is, if you are put off then the chances are that so will a lot of other people, and this only narrows the playing field in your favour.
At the end of the day, every application is half chance and probably depends on your matching with the right hiring manager. It doesn’t mean that you are lying or embellishing your experiences, it just means that you are putting yourself out there by giving someone access to your skills and experiences. After that, it’s up to them.
2. Why You Should Apply To Each Job With The Same CV & Cover Letter
This is probably another piece of advice which contradicts the usual advice to cater and show genuine interest in every job you apply for. In reality, amending your CV to cater to the perspective of every HR recruitment specialist that writes a job spec is a waste of precious time you do not have in an urgent job search.
This is because often, these adverts make little sense to the people that write them. As I mentioned above, both myself and colleagues in a previous role all agreed that the job spec for our role was so convoluted and full jargon that few potential employees would understand it.
Furthermore, if it does turn out that you meet the whole job spec then you must be some kind of superhero. Businesses often write their ideal employee but rarely have the budget to afford or attract them.
Rather than distort your skills and experiences to meet the job spec, spend time outlining what you have to offer in the best way possible. You might even demonstrate some key skills and experiences your potential employer hadn’t even considered.
The Riches Are In The Niches
As Pat Flynn often says; the riches are in the niches. If you are writing two or three cover letters to apply for jobs then it’s very likely that you are not niching down enough to a specific job market that focuses on your relevant skills and experiences.
It can be attractive to think that the more diverse your job search the better your chances are. However, in reality your chances are stronger punching away at jobs that meet your skills and experiences. These will deliver you better pay.
Therefore, both in writing and in your mind you need to outline:
- What key skills do you have i.e. presenting, project management, software based
- What are your key strengths & things that you enjoy
- What key and/or unique experiences do you have
Understanding what your genuine strengths and weaknesses, work styles and company attitudes that align with you will help you in the interview stages too.
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3. How To Get A Job With Key Words
In order to maximise your likelihood of success, your CV needs to impress. To do this your focus should be around the inclusion of keywords and transferable skills. These should be most relevant for your chosen job market and type of role.
You should include 60 words, 4 to 5 line summary which contains your number of years experience, which sectors you’ve worked in, two or three unique and transferable skills e.g. presentation insightful information to stakeholders. In addition, confirm that you have worked in the relevant environment of the jobs you are applying for (e.g. fast-paced commercial).
This first paragraph can give your prospective employer all the information they need to decide whether to read through the rest of your CV or move onto the next candidate. So in a few sentences, you need to highlight what makes you a strong potential candidate. I have included an example of this in my CV template, which you can download for free.
Use Powerful Action Words
You should also use words throughout your CV such:
All these words demonstrate accountability, commercial awareness and positive attitude. Don’t sugar coat things, drop the pronouns and state; what you were responsible for, the actions you took and the positive by-product of these consistent actions. For example:
“Supported corporate, regional, wholesale and retail teams on all aspects of data in SAP throughout the product life cycle and market calendar.”
Personally I wouldn’t both with cliche adjetvies such as
- Flexible
- Motivated
- Strong work ethic
- Multi-tasker
- Independent
- Self-motivated
Skills & Responsibilities
You also need to list out and clearly state your key skills and technical abilities. A hiring manager should be able to read down your CV and cover letter and tick a box with every statement.
Whilst being honest you need to include as many keywords as possible as this will help you pass any human or ATS algorithms that may sift you out.
You should also:
- Do your keyword research e.g. what are the in-demand skills in the sector
- Use targeted job titles for your former jobs.
- Use the full rather than short name of previous job titles (e.g. Business Intelligence Data Analyst vs Data Analyst.
- Exclude fluffy statements that don’t include any key statements or core skills
- Consistently include keywords throughout your CV and cover letter i.e. communicating with stakeholders, liaising with stakeholders, engaging with stakeholders.
You can download my proven to be effective CV and Cover Letter Templates. Cover letters in particular can be time-consuming and hard to get right. With my template, you can simply insert keywords where highlighted.
It’s a strategic but diverse enough cover letter that I can use it to apply for any job in my industry to positive results.
4. How To Get A Job With A Single Habit
Job Search Once A Day, Every Day.
The key behind a successful job hunt is to be consistent in your approach. Make the effort to apply for one or two jobs a day and as a result it will become easy to apply for a high number of jobs each day. Ensure you leverage the two above tips to make your job search effortless enough that you can accomplish this feat.
Avoid spending too long on any one application. If you spend hours applying for 1 or 2 jobs because you’re doing lengthy applications and amending your CV and cover letter, it’s likely that you will miss days or even weeks. This means you are not applying for all available jobs that you actually have a shot with.
Choose 1 or 2 Job Boards
Once or even twice a day, open up a job board such as Indeed, Reed Or Linkedin and apply for as many jobs as possible. Familiarise yourself with keywords for the jobs you are searching for and use them every day.
Once you have applied for most of the jobs at the beginning of your job search you can use date filters to apply for only recently loaded job adverts.
Any jobs that require lengthy or wordy text filled answers can be saved for another day where limited new jobs appear.
Quantity and Quality
Once you have a standardised quality for your CV and Cover Letter which you can use for every application, it then becomes a question of quantity of applications.
In the past I’ve received calls about jobs I barely remember applying for, never mind the job specification. I realise now that perhaps this was a strong indication of just how many jobs I applied for and the threshold of jobs you might need to apply for to convert just 2 or 3 into interviews.
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…and remember to use my CV template to improve your probability of job success.
Since creating it, it’s been adopted by all my friends and family with surprisingly strong results and job success rates.
5. Don’t Take Rejection Personally
A single rejection can be disheartening, a handful can knock your confidence but a multitude of failed job applications can negatively impact your self perception. It’s important to remember that it’s a numbers game.
You are simply waiting for the right company, the right hiring manager, the right job specification and a half chance to get your foot in the door. With consistency and continued confidence it will work eventually and you need to be in a good mindset when the opportunity arrives.
Confidence is key to successfully landing a job. It’s probably one of the determining factors an employer is looking for. However, if you are looking for a job in a pandemic maintaining your confidence and self-belief can be a challenge.
It’s critical to remember that you will have key skills and experiences for jobs out there. Your situation does not determine your self-worth. When you get an interview do your preparation (e.g. answers that cover core competencies) and then practice demonstrating confidence.
Think Of Failed Attempts As Practice Runs
It’s not just about your answers, it’s how you present yourself and how you speak your words and interact with the hiring managers. It may take a few phone calls or 2 or 3 interviews to get the bugs out. Remember to learn from each interaction and improve for the next one.
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