Job Searching in the Era of Social Media: Why You're Not Getting Traction & What to Do About It

UPDATE Spring 2021: The market shifts presented in the article below still hold true and have been further emphasized as a result of the COVID crisis making the strategies presented even more important today as job hunters are faced with crowded and competitive job search markets and need to go the extra mile to stand out and get noticed.

Following the amazing response to this article, and a very high demand from job hunters who struggled with their job search efforts, I have developed a series of workshops to help you implement the proposed strategies into your job search approach.

The online workshops will be running in June 2021 in collaborations with Manpower & Experis Switzerland and will focus respectively on Personal Branding, Networking, Visibility Strategies, and LinkedIn.

For more details & registration, click HERE

It’s 2019, you are job searching and sending dozens of resumes for positions advertised on LinkedIn. There are many openings, for many of them you feel like you are a perfect fit and match all their criteria but you never hear back, never get invited for an interview – as if your resume fell into a black hole. Or worse, you almost immediately get a rejection... Sounds familiar?

Welcome to the new era of job searching where qualifying is no longer enough to land you a job and where your application is likely to land together with an average of 250 other applications (ref. Glassdoor) and where your CV will likely be handled by a software unless you are one of the very lucky few who's resume will screen through and actually be seen by a real pair of human eyes.

No, I’m not saying this to discourage you!

Job searching in 2019 is no longer the same game. To be successful, you need a different approach and a rock-solid strategy that takes into account the new job search market dynamics and in particular, the impact of digital and social media platforms on recruitment practices.

Through my practice coaching job hunters, I've noticed that most fail to factor the new job search market dynamics into their job search approach simply because they are unaware of how this market has evolved over the last few years. As a result, they use the same job search approach they did 5 or even 10 years ago - but this is no longer successful. Understandably, they get frustrated and discouraged by the rejections or lack of response, they wonder what they do wrong and eventually they get worried about their chances of finding a job.

So if you're using LinkedIn as a search engine for job openings and sending your resume as you did in the past - let me stop you right here - as I can guarantee you this is not going to get you a job or, if it does, it will likely take a long, long time!

So what has changed and what can you do as a job candidate to successfully land your next job despite the new market dynamics? Read further as I present the 5 key areas where the job search market has changed and critical strategies that job hunters need to implement to succeed in their job search.

How is Job Searching Different in the Era of Social Media & Digital Platforms?

#1. But I was a perfect fit for the job... or why qualifying is no longer enough

LinkedIn and other online job search boards have now reached an all-time high with LinkedIn alone having well over half a billion users worldwide. Add increasing workforce mobility and platforms reaching across geographies and it's easy to see how companies posting jobs online get flooded and even overwhelmed with applications (LinkedIn reports an average of 250 applications per opening, in my practice, I've often seen much higher numbers!).

Needless to say that today's companies have the luxury of choice amongst candidates and as a result, it is no longer sufficient for a candidate to "qualify" for the job. Rather, today's candidates need to be able to distinguish themselves and stand out of the crowd with a solid personal branding which clearly articulates where and how they differentiate from the maze of other candidates and how this will bring additional value to the potential employer. This branding also needs to be very clear on online platforms such as LinkedIn.

#2. Meet the ATS... aka LinkedIn alone won't do the job anymore

One of the most important game changers of the job search market is the so-called ATS or Applicant Tracking System. The ATS is basically a customisable software developed to help companies manage the number of incoming applications.

Overall, the ATS digitalizes the information contained in resumes in order to make it available as a searchable database of candidates where recruiters can play around with various search criteria to filter and downsize the pool of applicants that will be considered. As such, it's important for candidates to anticipate what information the ATS may be looking to extract form their resume and to develop and customise their resumes accordingly for each specific role.

The ATS represents many challenges for candidates, namely because it's impossible to know exactly how each is programmed to extract the information, what information they are looking for, and how it's reading the information contained in the resume overall. One thing is for sure though is that the ATS will be much less forgiving with anyone with an unusual profile (think career break, career reorientation, unique background, etc.). Note that contrary to popular belief, the ATS does not per see eliminate candidates, however, an immediate rejection may be a sign that the CV format submitted is not readable by the ATS.

Although is clearly important to for candidates to customise their resume to the role and to match keywords where possible so the ATS can find and extract the information it needs. This is generally not sufficient alone to "screen in" in the face of hundreds of other applicants and the best solution for candidates is to find ways to open other doors within the targeted companies in order to get their resume on top of the pile. In short, the wisest approach is to send fewer resumes but invest more time with each application to customise your resume in the first place and to build your way into the company through networking so you can get your resume noticed outside of the ATS track.

#3. Hidden jobs ARE a thing and networking is your best ally...but not just any kind of networking

As a reaction to the overwhelmingly high number of applications received for positions posted on online job boards such as LinkedIn, companies are also adopting new ways to recruit which focus on decreasing the application overwhelm. There is more emphasis on using the companies' internal networks to find candidates, compensation programs for successful referrals by employees, postings with more limited reach (e.g. closed network job postings), hiring head hunters and various ways to advertise openings to narrower audiences.

This means there is an increasingly high number of positions that will belong to the so-called ''hidden job market" which are positions that are filled without being advertised broadly online. Numbers vary greatly but hidden jobs are estimated to represent 60%+ of all openings (and often stated to be above 80% of all openings). This is the place to be as a candidate as the "hidden jobs" are the openings where the competition is seriously lower and where you would generally get in the race through a certain form of endorsement (e.g. someone letting you in on the job opening and possibly even willing to endorse you).

In order to tap into the hidden job market, it is imperative for candidates to develop a strong network in their targeted companies, industry and geography. In addition, candidates need to communicate their job search goals clearly so their connections are crystal clear about the type of position(s) they are looking for as well what would make them valuable candidates for such roles (e.g. solid personal brand). Overall, it's about presenting yourself as a candidate in a clear and convincing way so that your network will be able and inclined to act as your eyes and ears when it comes to job openings.

#4. It's not just about you... time to flip the conversation to them

Faced with so many candidates, companies will also build more criteria into the candidate selection process, looking deeper into candidates' motivation for work, their values and fit with the team and culture but also and most importantly, companies want to know why a given candidate wants to work for them (and not any other company).

It's no longer enough to want a job, what companies want are candidates who specifically want to work for them, candidates who share their values and have passion for their products or services. After all - who wouldn't choose the most passionate and committed candidate if given the choice? As a candidate, it's therefore very important to change how you present yourself and not only focus on "why you" but rather flip the conversation to "why them" and make sure you clearly express your motivation and interest for a given role and company.

#5. Linked is a key ally...but you're probably using it the wrong way!

Linked is an increasingly important tool for job searching but most candidates use it solely to apply for job openings - or in other words most people use it wrongly! If you look at industry trends and LinkedIn overall strategy - their key growth focus is on networking and exchanging information and that should also be your focus if you are job searching. Why? Because networking at its core should be about mutually exchanging information and supporting each other (aka - stop asking for referrals and introductions that is just putting people off, especially if they are not close connections).

Secondly, because LinkedIn is algorithm-driven like all the other social media platforms - and LinkedIn algorithm is based on your connections and levels (e.g. your connections primary, secondary and so on as well as the perceived connection between you and other individuals, job openings, companies, etc.). In other words, everything that happens on LinkedIn will be driven by the algorithms' understanding of how your are "connected" with people, industry, job openings, etc. and this will drive who sees you, which job openings you see as well as how high you will rank in search results.

To optimise your job search, you need to learn how to efficiently surf the various digital platforms - especially LinkedIn - and also realise that LinkedIn is more focused on enabling you to develop your network, exchange market information, create connections based on mutual support and as you do so, get to know the market. But none of this happens if you only hang out on Linked to find openings and apply for jobs.

CHECK OUT THE UPCOMING ONLINE WORKSHOP SERIES

Need further support to successfully implement the above strategies in order to land your next job? You're in luck!

Following the amazing response to this article, a 4-part online workshop series has been developed to provide you with critical strategy shifts that are needed to succeed in today's crowded and competitive markets.

For more details & registration, click HERE

The workshops will focus on:

• How to develop a solid?#personalbrand?and to leverage it to get positive responses when you network and apply online for jobs
• Simple, non-salesly, yet crazy effective ways to?#network?to tap into the hidden job search market and generate concrete job leads
• #VisibilityStrategies?that will allow you to bypass the ATS altogether to land interviews and secure a job offer in no time
• How to use?#LinkedIn?to propel your job search by increasing your visibility and establishing and showcasing your brand and worth so you can confidently negotiate for more!

For more details & registration, click HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catherine Leduc is a certified NLP & RSCI coach, speaker, and author of multiple online courses on job searching and career management and brings 17+ years of experience in senior consulting roles in strategic planning & marketing in the pharmaceutical industry. She has been the go-to person for job searching and career advice in her expat circles for over a decade before deciding to launch as a career coach. Her approach is focused on a strong strategic marketing background, extensive experience building and managing multi-disciplinary & multi-cultural teams across the World and special attention to addressing mindset issues that often stand in the way of reaching our goals.

Catherine is a visionary, a connecting networker and a leader of women empowerment. She brings a strong flair for marketing and personal branding and ads a strategic spin to everything she touches breaking down complex career crossroads into practical and actionable steps. Her creative and innovative mind makes her a great sparring partner whether you need solid strategies for your job search or your next promotion, feel stuck in a career transition or are contemplating to make the leap from corporate to freelance.

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