Optimise Your Job Search Outreach. Please.

I posted an advert for a Business Analyst last week.

It received over 400 applications in a little over 5 days.

Combine plenty of competition for similar jobs and my superhuman ability to write kick ass ads (with a soup?on of modesty of course??) and it’s unsurprising that the numbers are this high.

When you’re at risk of being swept up and lost in what can feel like a tidal wave of applications, how do you make sure you stand out?

Well, provided you’ve crafted a well written CV and optimised your LinkedIn profile the next box to get ticked is to follow up with whoever is advertising the role.

Using my recent BA position as an example it seems a whole load of people followed this advice. Unfortunately, whilst I’ll always applaud the practice, the execution left A LOT to be desired ??

I had over 100 messages sliding into my LinkedIn inbox and all but a handful were unoriginal, automated or more importantly, ineffectual.

But, there were some blinders that slipped through the net and compelled me to arrange calls based on nothing more than the quality of their outreach. Yep, I knew I wanted to speak with them before I ever reviewed their CV.

Rather than focus on what didn’t work (as is often my way) I thought I’d share what did, in the hope that it might inspire you to make that proactive outreach a little more impactful.

Personalisation

Go along with LinkedIn’s auto generated template at your peril ??

The best messages I received highlighted something specific from the advert. They mentioned particular elements of the role that stood out to them. They even complemented me on how the advert was written (who doesn’t like their ego being stroked.). In all seriousness though, if you want to stand out, show you’ve actually read the advert and not just hit quick apply based on the job title.

Smart Brevity i.e. say more with less

The messages I went back to weren’t definitely War and Peace ??

They were punchy, informative and closed with asking me if I’d have time to set up a call. Every word and sentence you include in your outreach HAS to make an impact and give the recipient an idea of why they should carry on reading. If it doesn’t, get rid of it.

Show why you have a genuine interest in the role (and be human)

Show me why you want to talk about this role? What’s so special about it? ??

The most impactful messages I received were focused on things like the candidate wanting a better work life balance that aligned with the way I’d described the companies approach as opposed to those those sharing that they had however many years experience in whatever skill. ?In the same way that people buy from people, people hire people too. You’re not a robot…yet ??

Schedule a follow up

I’m busy. You’re busy. Everyone is bloody busy.?

Whilst I try my best not to miss a message, I'm human (I’m working on that; missing messages not being human ffs) but by diarising a follow up message or call a couple of days after your initial outreach you’re doubling your chances of getting on a hiring managers radar. Don’t apologise for messaging again but simultaneously it’s best not to highlight the fact that I (or whoever you’re sending it too) is shit for missing the first one.

It all sounds pretty simple right? Well it is. I don’t think anything I share in these newsletters is rocket science but I hope that this one in particular acts as a checklist of sorts for the next time you’re next crafting your message to a recruiter or hiring manager.

The end.

Enjoyed this edition of The Job Journal? Like, comment and share away and if you’re looking for some advice on how to optimise your LinkedIn profile to give yourself the best chance of landing a new role then you can do that by downloading by FREE LinkedIn playbook ‘Invisible to Irresistible’ via the link below.

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