To do list!

Nothing changes when the day changes from December 31st to January 1st, but the new year does bring in a lot of hope and a little bit of motivation to do something new and also to have some resolutions irrespective of whether we follow them through or not. During this pandemic, a lot of us have gone through physical, mental and emotional turmoil. Those who survived this have come out of the hole stronger. Because, what can’t kill us only makes us stronger.

Like many of us, I have also struggled to find a job which I like and after 10 months of hard work, I finally got placed in a company I admire and in a position that I wanted to. 

For the past few weeks, I have gotten multiple requests asking me to either refer them for a job opening or asking if I have any jobs which I can help to get them placed. I am not pleased to say this but neither am I a recruiter nor I have the capacity to get anyone a job. 

If I can’t get you your dream job, then why am I here ranting about it? That is because, I wanted to share my journey with you and in the hope that I would be able to help you in sharing a tip or two that you didn’t know about. 

When we first start searching for a job, we all create our profile on Naukri, Indeed or other job portals and we post our resume in the hope to receive an interview call. Correct? Yes, that worked while I was playing with dolls but that ain’t the situation right now. If you’ve ever studied Economics in your school or college, then you might be aware of the demand and supply curve. Earlier, there were a lot of companies willing to hire but there wasn’t enough potential in the market that met their expectations but that’s reversed in the current times. To have a rough and a wild guess, there are about 1000 potential candidates for a single job in the market. 

Posting on LinkedIn about your financial troubles and expecting recruiters to reach out to you is lame and unprofessional. Pardon the language but that’s the harsh reality. No one gives you a job just because you have expenses to meet at the end of the month. Sorry to burst your bubble, but each and everyone of us is sailing in the same boat. You are no special! Get out of that thought process.

So, what shall we do?

1. Grow your network

When it comes to LinkedIn, network plays a huge role in finding a job. Update your LinkedIn profile with the latest information, upload a profile picture which is professional and start exploring. Add people to your network. Accept all the requests that you receive. You don’t have to know the person to create a connection with them. Just don’t bother people with stupid things and people will add to you to their network. 

2. Be Professional

Whenever you are reaching out to someone through Private Messaging, be professional. If possible, be precise and ask them directly why you are reaching out to them in a single message. Small talk can be avoided in LinkedIn. Do not ask them if they had dinner or lunch or don’t wish them sweet dreams. It’s creepy!

3. Do not hesitate

Never hesitate while applying for a job or reaching out to anyone. Like I said, just be professional and you’ll be good. If the person you are reaching out to doesn’t respond, do NOT bother them with multiple questions. Move on and reach out to another person. 

4. Kickass Resume

It goes without saying that your resume should stand out to catch the recruiter’s eye. There are plenty of websites on the open source which will help you create an interesting and an eye-catching resume. Make sure that your resume is not more than 2 pages long because no one really has time to read through a 5 to 6 pages document just to understand if they can shortlist you or not. Be precise and to the point on your resume and at the same time, use words which will help you get filtered through Automatic Tracking Software (a software which is used by companies to filter out resumes).

5. LinkedIn Easy Apply

It might be difficult to apply for jobs on websites using our mobile phones. That’s where LinkedIn Easy Apply feature comes in handy for you. Not every company uses this feature but some of them do. Whenever you see such an option and if the job fits your resume, immediately apply using your mobile and don’t wait till you get the access to your laptop (or desktop).

Also save the jobs that you can’t apply immediately because of any reason and you can get on it once you clear your schedule.

6. Follow hashtags

Follow the most common used hashtags in your industry domain as many of the recruiters also reach out to their network for potential candidates when they have an opening through LinkedIn posts. Make sure you are up to date with the feed on your page and send emails or call people as per the instructions on the post.

7. Be active

Take some time off of your Facebook, Instagram and invest a little more time on LinkedIn. Download an app and check all the notifications. Be amongst the first 25 people who send an email or who apply for a job. Chances of you getting a call are higher when you are amongst the first few.

8. Mondays are not that depressing!

Whenever you are sending an email to any recruiter, do NOT send the email on the weekend. By the time the person logs in on a Monday, he/she must have received multiple emails and yours will just be lying in a bunch of unread emails. So, when is the correct time to send one? Send the email during the weekdays and if it is a Monday, send during the second half of the day. No one is active during the first half on a Monday and the second half on a Friday. Timing matters a lot!

9. Clear your inbox and keep an eye out.

Make sure that your email inbox is cleared and uncluttered. Unsubscribe to all the unnecessary emails and make sure that you are able to differentiate between a junk email and a valid email when you receive one. Whenever a recruiter tries to reach out to you via email and you haven’t seen the email because of the junk in the inbox or because you weren’t active, you’ve lost out on a potential opportunity. 

10. LinkedIn Premium

Last but not the least, make use of the free one-month LinkedIn premium. You can send five InMails in that one month. If you can afford it, you can extend it post the free trial as well. And make use of the LinkedIn learning through which you can learn and finish a lot of free courses and add those achievements on to your LinkedIn profile.

Hope this information helps you in some way or the other. Hold on to that hope and work towards your dream job. All you need is that one job you are waiting for! Rest all is the beautiful journey that you’ve had and you’ll get your chance to tell your tales. Open your wings and expand your horizon. Before I go, I wish you all a very happy and and a prosperous year ahead.

P.S: This content is not picked from any other website or any other post. And, this is not a post in partnership with LinkedIn. This is the information I’ve gathered in the last 10 months while I was searching for my dream job.

Signing off!

Janaki Guddeti.