10 things I did to get 2 job offers in 10 days…

This isn’t written to be an egotistical digital pat on my own back. I am delighted to have secured a great new job so quickly but I know I’m also fortunate. There are a lot of people out there, including in-house Recruiters like me, who have struggled to find work during these challenging times. So here’s a list of things I did that helped me on my job search journey. These ideas are not revolutionary or necessarily 'new'. It’s not entirely chronological as I’m writing this retrospectively. But I hope you find it useful as a process or a reminder. It’d be great to hear of any tips in the comments of actions that helped you in your search …

1. I found out my maternity cover contract was coming to an end 4 weeks ago. The first thing I did was to get my mindset right; I allowed myself a short time to feel the disappointment (I’m not a robot!) I needed to feel the loss of leaving some great work colleagues but then I positively used that energy. My mind was made up; this isn’t bad news, it’s an opportunity to do something new and exciting.
2. I grabbed a plain notebook. I planned and set SMART targets including these 3: Update my CV and LinkedIn Profile on day 1, Message 10 people in my network per day until I had 4 interviews, Apply for 2 jobs per day (I prefer to be headhunted so went for a manageable number of applications)
3. I opened myself to the opportunities that come through criticism! I set about asking trusted friends and a former line manager to critique my CV. I’ve been reviewing CV’s for a living for over 20 years, but I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity of a fresh pair of eyes on my CV. Criticism is your friend in the job-seeking process; your ego can get in the way of your success. 
4. I decided on my key criteria for my next job. Are the company products/services and values aligned to mine? I tried to remain true to these throughout the process. I turned down opportunities to apply, interview, and, ultimately, I declined a very attractive offer (no reflection on that company, it was just that the one I chose was the one most closely aligned to my criteria).
5. Whenever I thought of applying for a role, I first looked to see whom I knew at the company. There’s nothing more honest than a friend’s review and nothing more helpful than a friend referring you to a position.
6. This one is very much down to personal choice but I decided NOT to use the “Open to Work” logo on my profile photo. I only wanted to work with one or two recruiters of my choosing. I decided that, if my LinkedIn profile was appealing enough I’d get headhunted the old fashioned way. 
7. When I reached out to key people in my network, I personalised the messages to them. It wasn’t a generic “hey, I’m looking for work can you help?” instead, I tried to find things that we had in common in their LinkedIn profiles and I mentioned those in my messages.
8. I had an attitude of gratitude. This may sound a bit ‘fluffy’ but I’ve spent a lot of time saying “thank you” over the past few weeks. Every response, every kindness, every tip, every encouragement, every bit of feedback; they all got a sincere thank you. People are more willing to help when they feel appreciated.
9. I prepped thoroughly for interviews. This isn’t rocket science; do it. I decided to do more than the competition. I did more than just read the website. I spent my evenings researching thoroughly. I mapped org charts. I reviewed the LinkedIn profiles of the interviewers. I read news articles, journals and white papers, and I watched a lot of Youtube videos on the companies, products, and services. Glassdoor was a great source for company reviews and interview insights. This preparation gave me the confidence I needed. I was ready to be interviewed.
10. This will sound cheesy! But I took every setback as a step towards success. I interviewed for 4 jobs in all and I was turned down for the first two. In fairness, I wasn’t right for either of them and, had I more ruthlessly stuck to my criteria (action no.4) I would have declined the interviews. I learnt quickly through that experience and the offers immediately followed. It’s important to remember that job seeking is predominantly about rejection. The employer only needs to appoint one person to the role and you only need one great offer, the rest is for the rejection pile. It’s not about you. Try to detach the process from your personal sense of self-worth; this is about completing the process. This is your journey towards your next destination.

So there it is and here I am about to start a new job on Monday - and very much looking forward to it! I received one job offer from being headhunted on LinkedIn and another via a referral from a friend.

I hope these actions prove as useful to you as they were to me. There’s a tonne of advice out there on creating great LinkedIn profiles and there are so many other things I didn’t try such as using videos on my profile. 

All the best with your search…and, if you’re looking for work in the Cambridge area in Tech, R&D, IT, product, or engineering, drop me a line…I might just be the person in your network who could help!