Have you applied to hundreds of jobs? Continually being ghosted or auto-rejected without a reason why? You aren’t alone. 💛
Job hunting is a full time job in itself, and sometimes it can really get you down.
It’s easy to blame employers or the market, but the truth is, there are thousands of companies out there struggling to find great people. They are not going to magically find you - and often it’s tricky for them to figure out just how awesome you are from a CV alone. 🕵🏻♀️
So we’re here to help you think about job hunting a different way, and here’s some tips to get started. 🤗
Start by getting in the mindset of what it’s like to work in that industry and start behaving like you already work in it. You could follow influencers in that field, subscribe to newsletters from industry publications, watch TED talks, read books, attend events, find free training, mentoring or community groups…whatever you can to live and breathe it. Why will this help? You will start to gain confidence, which will have a positive impact on your job applications, and will shine through during interviews.
We’ve compiled loads of great stuff across different industries to help you do this:
Find COMPANIES you would like to work for, as opposed to JOBS you’d like to apply for. Did you know that most jobs don’t even appear on jobs boards or through formal entry-level schemes? Browse awards in that industry - who is growing? Who has a great culture? Who aligns with your values? Follow them on LinkedIn, stalk their people, get curious!
Check out our post on Hidden jobs and where to find them for more help with this.
The dreaded word! We know networking doesn’t come naturally to most people. But the truth is that 85% of jobs are accessed through networking and it’s something that we can’t all ignore. We’d love to tell you it’s a load of nonsense, but it’s unlikely that your dream job will just land on your lap.
Building a network is incredibly tough when you’re new to an industry, which is why attending events, joining mentoring groups or communities, and putting yourself out there on LinkedIn can massively help - not just with landing a job, but generally giving you a more sociable and positive journey to finding one. Remember that 99% of people are actually nice!
Check out our post on The Benefits of Networking and some of the best Mentoring Groups.
By doing the same thing as everybody else, you will struggle to stand out. Giving up altogether is definitely not the answer either!
Prepare to push yourself out of your comfort zone by sending that connection request on LinkedIn, asking for people’s advice, and being super communicative during an application process. You never know where these things might take you and the truth is, very few people do this so you do stand out by going the extra mile.
Check out our post on Being Proactive.
By getting in the mindset of a recruiter or employer, you can start to adapt your approach to meet their needs. Sifting through hundreds, if not thousands, of CVs is a mammoth task, so do what you can to make their life easier! They’re going to be looking for tiny things to help with the decision making process - does your application meet their needs? Make sure you’ve scrutinised the job spec and amplify the things they’re looking for in your application. Relevancy and personalisation can make a big difference.