Navigating the Job Hunt: Reflections and Insights from the First Few Weeks

I’ve been dishing out resume, cover letter, and job search advice to friends and family for years. Now in a recent reduction in force (RIF), I’m on the other side. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts and strategies that are working for me:

1 - You are great!

Never for a moment think otherwise. People you know think you are great. Others you don’t and/or have only interfaced with you marginally think you are great. You are great and don’t forget it! It’s easy to forget when you’re applying to jobs and you hear nothing back or just receive rejections.

2 - Yes, you should really have an ATS optimized resume.

There are systems that upload and display your resume, and there are others that upload and parse your information. You never know which one you will interface with. So it’s great to have a “simple” resume on hand.?

As a regular consumer of resumes, I appreciate the beautiful and unique layouts that come across my desk. However I chose to rewrite my resume after interfacing with a couple of systems that mangled mine, missing entire sections completely.

3 - TLDR You should really have a cover letter.

Longer read: Yes, you should have a cover letter saying who you are and what you are excited for in your next role. Think about this as your elevator pitch that you copy and paste into the free text, “any extra thoughts“ section many companies have in their job application pages. If you are applying to a role that requires a cover letter, then you should upload it there.

Cover letters are important especially in roles that require a lot of high-level communication and documentation. Even in roles that don’t, they can be a differentiator in choosing one candidate over another in early stages of the process. I say early stages because late stage interviewers may not have access or time to do a full read. Some ATS don’t include them in the interview feedback forms/packet given to users with limited permissions.

4 - Limit your time on SM scrolling feeds.

Sorry, LinkedIn, I love this tool but the scrolling notifications and feeds are such a time-sink. There have been many times where hours disappear as I’ve read through supported/liked/reposted etc. posts on scrolling feeds. And the new post never stop! I use a timer to limit my time. More on my new love of timers another day.

5 - Build time in your day for networking.

When I graduated from college, professors said we should build our professional networks and that most opportunities come from networks. When in the midst of it, it may be hard to measure how successful the networking time is. However, reflecting on past interactions, I recognize the connections. Networking can take many forms: talking to ex-colleagues you had a good relationship with on a team; connecting with a friend of a friend who does the same role. Spreading the word about what you do and giving people a sense of who you are can help open doors and get your resume in front of the right person.

Need more reasons for networking? The most successful hires come from referrals. Why? If they are a referral in the spirit of a referral program (a friend or former colleague, not just a random person on social media whose profile was mined), they tend to align with the work habits and values of the person doing the referring.??

One of the metrics talent teams track is how many candidates come from team-member referrals. Referrals take less time for a recruiter to find, their work is vouched for by someone who has already passed your screening process. Because Referrals are more likely to be better aligned to your way of work, they have a better chance of being a successful long-term hire within the company. All this is to say, take time to feed and nurture your network. If you are between roles, spend time each day reaching out to your friends or old coworkers you feel good about. If you are in regular contact, great. If not, now is a good time to rekindle those relationships with some new year wishes and virtual coffee.

6 - Set aside time in your day to do things that feed your soul.?

Job hunting, especially when you don’t have a job, can be demoralizing. You are sending out tons of applications and you may or may not hear back or a role may be closed. It isn’t you. Go read point #1 again and take time to feed your soul. This can be helping others in their search. This can be volunteering within your community. Maybe it is learning something new or spending time on a hobby you didn’t have much time for before.

7 - Use a timer or other means to set limits on your activities.

Just like my watch can alert me to stand, I now set timers to remind myself to change activities. I’ve blocked time for activities including: job research, applying to jobs, commenting on or reviewing scrolling feeds, courses/training.? In the days following my RIF, I easily got frustrated. I spent all of my time online, just like at work, except I had nothing to show for it. While employed, I complained I had no time for my interests, but now it seemed that I still had no time for my interests. What gives?!

At work, I knew that someone or some process was dependent on me, and that knowledge kept me on task. I started experimenting using timers to give boundaries to my activities and to keep me focused. For example, I use separate 1-hour timed blocks for things like job posting research, writing/submitting job applications and training and coursework. I use 30-minute timed blocks for virtual coffees, Social Media/Scrolling feed, recommendation writing. Lastly, I use a 15-minute timer between my longer blocks to check email, Messages/texts and Slack channels. I mix it up - so I might do a 1 hour block, followed by a 15 minute, then a 30 minute and another 15 minute.?

Creating parameters for my online, at-my-desk activities really helped me identify time to give to all the activities I want to do.

Thanks so much for meeting me here. I’d be interested to hear what works for you.