How long does it take to land a new job and how to reduce this time

A very common question when people start a job search is: how long is it going to take for me to land a new job? How long do I need to wait until I finally land a new job? I figured out that most people have no clue about it…

As a Career Coach, I speak with job seekers every day, so I had an idea, based on my clients’ experience, about how long people normally take to land a new job. But I also did some research online, and confirmed that

the average time is between 6 to 7 months.

Are you surprised with this number?

Half a year to land a new job, considering that you are doing everything it takes to get there – not just applying for only one job offer and sitting on the couch, waiting for the results… The time to land a new job will also vary according to the level of the position in question, the reality of the job market for that specific position, your qualifications and other aspects that should be considered. That 6 month period is not “set in stone”, it’s just a reference for you to know how long the process of starting a new job might take.

I have clients who landed jobs much faster than that – one, for example, landed her first remote dream job after only two sessions with me – but this should be treated as an exception.

It’s more realistic not to take for granted that you’ll get a new job after one month.

The timing will always depend on how you do things in the meantime.

There are two important aspects to consider, in order to make your life easier during the job search:

? Don’t take things personally – I know it can be very frustrating when you are applying for jobs and getting no replies, or doing job interviews and not getting positive feedback. Understand that there is a process behind the job search and that it might take longer than you wished, when you put things into perspective, it’s easier to deal with the reality.

There will be days that you will be excited, motivated, happy and sure that you are following the right path, and other days you will probably think about giving up. Once again, don’t take things personally! If you are doing things right, it’s a matter of time to land a new job that you love.

? Approach it as a long-term commitment – When you take the job search as a long-term situation, you are already ahead of others in the process. There is no magic here, so forget about “this single action will for sure guarantee my next job”. It’s better to take it as a life project, and you need to balance your energy and take the right actions to get results faster.

How can you speed up the process?

1 – Have clarity – When you say “I am open to any jobs, no matter the industry or the position, I am completely fine with anything”, you are not doing yourself a favour. 

Lack of clarity will:

? Get you lost in the process. 

? Make you waste time with unnecessary things.

? Paralyze you and stop you from taking the next step in your career (even if you can’t see the whole picture and where you want to be working in 5 years).

2 – Tailor your resume, LinkedIn profile and cover letter – Forget about a generic and “one serves all” resume, LinkedIn profile and cover letter. One resume will never fit all the positions. You need to make very clear that you are the best person to solve the problems that the company you’re applying for needs to solve. You can even have a general template, but you should adjust that to each situation.

How to do that?

? Use the same words the company use in their job description.

? Talk about the achievements that are related to the needs that they have.

? Be specific on LinkedIn – it will also increase your visibility and attract Head-hunters.

3 – Deeply understand the job market – It’s important to understand what the job market is looking for before you commit to any MBA, postgraduate or online course. I am completely pro recycling your knowledge and attending new courses – I am constantly learning myself – but don’t put your time and energy into something that you are not sure yet that will help you to achieve your professional goals.

What to do instead?

? Stop assuming that a certain course or certification is mandatory to land the job you want.

? Check at least 10 job descriptions related to the position you want to apply for, to better understand the requirements for the positions. 

4 – Make a list of companies you want to work for – Have your 10-15 dream companies written on a piece of paper (less than that will be more challenging to make progress, and more than 15 companies can make it harder for you to track and follow up each of them). 

What to do once you have the list?

? Follow the company on LinkedIn and keep updated about new projects, management changes, expansions – all of the news will be presented in your feed.

? Start networking with people working in those companies (recruiters, people currently doing the same job you want to do and the hiring managers). 

? Dedicate time to chat or talk to those people and establish a relationship.

? Comment on their posts and add value.

? Understand the companies’ culture (what’s it like working there? what do they value? what’s the day-to-day like?).

?If you apply for a job and receive a “no”, don’t take it as the final answer – keep improving yourself to be able to apply again in the future, and don’t take it personally.

5 – Differentiate yourself from others candidates from the beginning – The job market is competitive, and I can guarantee that there are other people, right now, applying for the same jobs you want to get. If you just do what everyone else is doing, there is nothing special about you! Having a great resume and LinkedIn profile, applying for jobs and waiting for the interviews to come won’t make you stand out from others.

Ok, so what can I do to give a good impression as a candidate?

? Be organized from the beginning of your job search – I share an Excel file with my clients, so from day one they can keep all the relevant information (company’s name, contact details, job requirements, achievements related to the position, etc).

? Create a strong network in the company you want to apply for. Whenever you apply for a job, it should not be the first time the company hear about you. 

? Take care of your online presence – recruiters and hiring managers can check your Facebook, your Instagram and your blog, as well as LinkedIn, so review if you need to do some “cleaning up” of your online content and start being more intentional about it. 

? On LinkedIn: choose the kind of content you engage with and what you share, and focus on showing your knowledge and experience related to the positions you want to be hired for.

? Prepare in advance for the job interview – don’t take for granted that, because you have done job interviews before, you are prepared to do it now. Every interview is different.

? Follow up after you engage with the company – if you apply to a job offer, speak to the recruiter and do an interview, but then hear nothing back from them, that’s the time to follow up with the company. It can be harder to keep the track once you are applying for several jobs, so set alarms in your calendar to remind you about the follow ups you need to do. 

Job searches should be taken as a marathon.

It’s not a sprint or something that will magically happen. The better you prepare for it, the higher the chances you will succeed and won’t get sick, sad and frustrated in the process.

If you need further assistance to improve your career and land your dream job, let’s work together! 

I have +15 years of experience working as a Recruiter in multinational companies, I’ve interviewed thousands of candidates, I have been working remotely for +7 years and I really enjoy helping people to be happier with their career and lifestyle.

Contact me to know more about my personalized Career Coaching programs: [email protected]

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