How to get that aspirational job over the experienced competition.

It is hard work out there at the moment. It seems like the world has been in a holding pattern for the last 2 years with uncertainty in the air. Economic slowdown is imminent or in full flight in most parts of the world and cities and states are going in and out of lockdown. It is all too easy to feel helpless in your current situation and resign yourself to the fact that your career is not progressing as fast as you’d like, or you can’t justify moving jobs and seeking out opportunities in another industry right now and feeling like whatever state your life is in right now, it will remain stagnant for some time. However, over the past months I have spoken with various people who have managed to stand out from their peers, take career leaps and keep their careers progressing whether it be internally or looking out into the crowded job market. Despite this challenging environment, these individuals have done some things that others thought were ‘too hard’ or ‘too risky’ and have taken that leap of faith. The following are a set of key attributes that I have observed in these individuals and when applied to your own circumstance, will keep you career growing in any market, and any industry.

1.????Hack the system

It is easy to get disheartened by applying for job after job ad online and not getting anywhere. It is rare that I hear from candidates that they had a good experience going through this route and they were treated reasonably and with dignity throughout the process. This is due to few key reasons that you should be aware of when applying for roles through a portal, LinkedIn or job board. AI and automation is becoming more prevalent within the initial stages of a recruitment process. This means that the engine prioritises key words, location, experiences, logos, and residency status where you are applying over any transferable knowledge or behavioural skills you might be able to take into a new role. This is a "cookie cutter" approach, and unless you 100% fit the criteria you will be cut from the process. We have also seen the competition get tougher, the numbers of candidates applying for each role increasing as role volumes have been less and companies have been rationalizing their staff meaning that more than ever you will need to stand out from the crowd. So, avoid sending your application through job portals as they rarely yield results for applicants. My suggestion is to look at who you know in the companies you are applying for as often companies will give employees a referral bonus. This way you have someone who can drive your application internally who has a vested interest in the outcome for you. This will also mean you essentially skip the queue to get in the front door. Your aim is get face time with people so you can better influence their decisions. Don't know anyone at the company where your dream job awaits? Look to connect with people through social media, and look through your social media for connections or networks, ask a friend for an introduction, or look at online community events to get you in-front of the right people and decision makers.

2.????Out work your competition

Being self-aware is something we all need to work at, you must remember that as much as you want this job, there are other people out there who want it as much as you. Knowing your strengths against the competencies of the role is great, but your weaknesses or gaps are where you are vulnerable to competition. If you don't have the exact experience needed look at the transferable and behavioural skills you have that could be useful in that role and have answers ready around your transferable knowledge. Recently, I was sitting speaking with a client that I truly admire and asked them how they got into AWS back in the day when it was highly competitive to get in? They told me that before their interview presentation they did a personal SWOT analysis against the criteria for the role they were applying for. Through this they were able to identify their gaps and weaknesses and study whatever they didn't know and build a learning curriculum on the products, customers and regulatory frameworks that were needed. Even though they were not the number 1 pick walking into the room, given the amount of precision and planning they had put into their presentation they were offered the role over the more experienced competition. This is not a silver bullet for success, but it will help put you in the best position come interview day when you can out work the other people you are up against.

3.????Invest in yourself

This is a not new recommendation but it remains relevant. One of the best investments you can make is learning. There are more options available now than ever before for bite sized learning, micro-accreditation, massive open online courses (MOOC), Master Classes, remote causal learning or virtual tutoring. If you are someone that seems to always gets to the final round only to come in 2nd place I find this often correlates to how regularly you are obtaining or refreshing relevant or new skills. Curiosity is a trait that I find most C level and leaders have and they are seeking it out in others. They are always thirsty for knowledge and skills, how things work, why outcomes happened the way they did, why customers are behaving in a certain way and are focused on staying relevant. If you feel like you have been trapped at a certain level in your career for some time start looking at what you can do to up skill or pivot your track to enable your personal and professional growth with the further knowledge. Even if you don't have experience doing the exact role you are applying for, constant learning will enable better conversations with potential employers and show that you are highly adaptable and eager to learn.

Final Thoughts

All 3 parts to what I have listed down here have one thing in common; action. Without action we a merely saying aspirational words and you will stay in the situation you are currently in. Don’t ever feel like it is too late, or you are behind the competition. For your mental well being start with small things you can do in your spare time. Reach out to friends, colleagues and get feedback about what you need to do to the next level. There are opportunities out there, you just have to be willing to do what some others won’t to find them.?