Your Top 5 Job Search Questions Answered
Clear the Clutter to Focus Your Job Search Wisely
Looking for a job is a full-time job! You don’t have time to waste chasing a dead end idea. The entire process can be confusing and daunting if you don’t have the right information. Almost everyone you know has some advice about your job search. With so much information coming at you – how can you be sure that you are spending your energy wisely? You need your top 5 job search questions answered!
Know Your Source
It’s not that your neighbor or your best friend’s sister doesn’t know anything about the job search. The key here is: you need to know which information is worth spending time on. [bctt tweet=”Time is a precious commodity that you cannot make more of.” username=”CoachEurban”] With this in mind, let’s clear up some clutter with a few questions to ask when you get yet another piece of job search advice.
- Current Information? When was the last time that person
looked for a job? If it wasn’t in the last 5 years, you can politely ignore the advice. Our culture, technology, and key metrics are changing rapidly. What was good 5 years ago might not cut it today. - Experience & Career Level? The person giving you job search tips means well, but what was their experiential career level? If they are discussing the best way for you to (for instance) develop your resume and they aren’t a hiring manager, the information may not help you.
- Researched or Regurgitated? Is the information that you receive well-researched or just regurgitated from what someone else thought they overheard at a networking event? Ask where they got their information from.
Top 5 Job Search Questions
Fortunately, most career coaches are deeply focused on the best methods develop a successful job search. It’s critical for me to stay extremely current on the impacts of technology and subtle culture changes to ensure that my clients get a job search marketing plan that works! I would like to share with you some of the top questions I receive from professionals just like you.
1. Can a Recruiter Find Me a Job?
Recruiters and what is commonly known as ‘headhunters’ do not commonly find individual professionals a job. Recruiters work for employers, not job seekers. However, the smart recruiter will be on the look-out for any job that might fit your needs and contact you. Caution: be very wary of anyone that calls themselves a job-sourcing specialist for individual professionals. There are vultures out there that will prey upon the fears of job seekers in order to make money.
2. Why Should I Care About ATS?
ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is a software that manages job applicants for many organizations. You might not know, but around 75% of recruiters also use applicant tracking software. ATS has a resume importing feature that loads your electronic (or physical) resume straight to the software. There are variations on the general theme but most have a few key traits in common.
- ATS digitally dissects your resume (also called ‘parsing’). In
other words, your resume and all of its lovely font and formatting are broken down into plain text. Fancy fonts, graphics, symbols, pictures, continuous lines or any information in a table on your electronic resume do not parse well and may ruin your chances at getting the job. - ATS systems determine your candidacy for a position based on job match criteria. The criteria can be set several different ways by HR or a recruiter. In most cases, your candidacy is determined by whether or not the words in your resume match up to the words in the job description. What words you use, matter. Make sure you have industry-specific lingo and key expertise listed clearly on your resume.
3. How Can I Access the Hidden Job Market?
First of all, there really isn’t such a thing as a ‘hidden job market’ in the way that most people think of it. There is no such thing as a secret pool of jobs that only certain elite people have access to. However, there are jobs out there that will never be posted online. Depending upon the employer’s needs, they may look through their own network or hire a recruiter. The best way to access these jobs is to make connections in your current job, become an active member of professional organizations, volunteer, and contact your target companies directly.
4. Which Resume Template is Best?
Quick answer: NONE. Because most job applications are submitted online and therefore subject to parsing (see above ATS information) – your fancy resume may never see the light of day. I’m sure that ATS software is becoming rapidly more advanced. But, as of right now, a resume template is almost guaranteed not to format properly into an online application management system. [bctt tweet=”A good rule of thumb: if your resume looks aesthetically appealing it probably won’t parse properly.” username=”CoachEurban”]
5. Aren’t Most Jobs Found Through Networking?
Not as many as you would like to think. Networking works very well for small to mid-sized business looking for talent. However, if you are interested in a large nation-wide or multi-national organization: polish your ATS-friendly resume and your LinkedIn Profile. Make sure you clearly communicate your professional value through impact stories. Jobs are found through online applications but you need to meet the ATS criteria to make it work.
Power Up Your Marketing Plan
If you are looking for new opportunities, power up your job search marketing plan. First, develop an Impact Inventory of specific examples where you have delivered value. Leverage these impact statements in your resume and update your LinkedIn Profile. You must brand yourself for your target positions to stand out. Then: get out there and network!
If you hate networking, take a buddy with you. It’s not a card-collecting contest, networking is about getting to know people. Have a conversation with a few people. [bctt tweet=”Solid networking focuses on quality over quantity!” username=”CoachEurban”] Some of the best networking you can do is to become an officer at a local Toastmasters or a professional organization in your field of interest. Volunteer at a conference or professional events. You never know who you might meet and who they might know. No true innovation is found inside your comfort zone.
Erin Urban LSSBB, CPDC – is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a certified professional development coach and culture change leader with over 8 years of mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations. With an extensive background in leading individual, cultural and organizational change initiatives: her mission is to lift others up to defy their limits and exceed their goals.
