Six Biggest Reasons You are Still “Seeking New Opportunities”

Most of us can agree that today's job search process is broken.?It’s not working for you, and it’s not working for Employers.??Many are not sure what they may be doing wrong.?For most, it’s just that you haven’t been shown a better way.

1.??????Focus and Clarity?– At least 50% of the professionals I coach struggle with this part of their search.??For various reasons.?It happens with College Grads and 30+ year Senior Executives.?Some are still searching for what they want.?Others have done SO much that they can’t help but spew their experience.???For some, it’s desperation and willingness to take anything.??Still, others don’t know.?I feel and know the pain. The best resume “writers” and LinkedIn profile “editors” can’t help you.?If you can’t deliver on the image they help create, you can’t execute on the entire search process from applying to the final Interview.??You must do the work to get your focus and clarity.

2.??????Branding?– Everyone from college grads to senior professionals and certainly executives should own their resumes.??Get help editing and proofreading.?Keep the formatting simple and easy to read – “scannable” by machine and human.??Your LinkedIn Profile may be your most important tool to being discovered, and it works for you 24 hours a day – 7 days a week.??While consistent with your Resume, your profile is an opportunity to build more to your value proposition and your story, and yes, use all the keywords you can but make sure we can read it.??Your most important “branding tool” may not be what you expect - it’s your cover letter.??Not the cover letter?we were taught in school, maybe, or the one that 90% of other job seekers use.?Instead, a tool that helps connect you with the company, the hiring manager, HR, or a Recruiter to pull your resume from the pile.

3.??????Networking?– the best tool in your belt to ensure you don’t have long gaps in your resume is your network.??Employers cannot guarantee jobs anymore, and your ability to build a network and draw from it when you need to is your best way to avoid the long “Seeking new Opportunity” stages.??Effective networking doesn’t require attending every networking social you can…I find them draining.??And while LinkedIn is a vast tool, it’s not about how many views you get as it is about the quality of those connections…. offline.

4.??????Job Search Strategies?– Here are some stats widely shared:

• 97%?of resumes submitted on a job board will not receive a reply – other than by a machine.??
• The ATS will reject 8 out of 10. Not all employers use an ATS (application tracking system) to screen resumes - collect them – chances are the smaller the company, the more it’s used just to collect your resume.
• 70%?of jobs never make it to a job board – the “Hidden” Job Market

To beat these odds, you need a strategy that helps you?get around a job board?or go after the?“Hidden Job Market”.

5.??????Interview?– The Close – Let’s face it, for many of us, the interview is the most intimidating.?Most are not done well.???The Interview is designed to trip you up with challenging questions that stump you or leave your struggling for words or maybe rambling on and on.?Don’t expect Employers to make it easy – they are trying to find that needle in the haystack, so they will keep making them difficult.?Now we have Panel or group interviews, video interviews, behavior questions, situational interviewing, and even pay you to work and interview you on the job!??To do well, you need a strategy backed by branding and a questioning method to maintain control and learn as much as you can about the job, the company, and, yes, the people you interview with.?Few do that.

6.??????A Mentor?– Few successful people in this world do it alone.??Actors, Singers, Musicians, Athletes, CEO, and other key Executives – the worlds best – have coaches.?It takes that second set of eyes—experience doing something and usually doing it many times and with many people.?Consider that just one promotion could mean $100,000 or more in a lifetime.??Consider that shortening your career search (the average job search takes one month for every $10K in salary) by 50% could save you…well, you do the math.?When hiring a career coach, also consider who your target is – hiring managers – so if your coach has little or no experience hiring people…then make sure you know what value they bring.

Share your ideas! Make things happen. What will you do differently to find a job you love??

WANT A PLAN SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU?

Get a job search strategy just for you with a no-cost Discovery Call from someone that has hired 1,000s and coached 100's....from C-level Executives?and?Senior Professionals to recent Graduates, Moms or Dads returning to work, or you want a Career Change. There is a better way.

Schedule an Appointment with David ?https://calendly.com/notionpath/discovery-call-1

About David McKnight.?I have been very fortunate to have served several owners, investors, and companies in roles as CEO, COO, CFO, and founder.?Most recently, and proudly, as a coach and recruiter, helping connect great talent with great employers.??Building on my years of building teams and servant leadership, and grounded in the understanding that the most important asset any company has – is its employees – not customers – employees.??As a career and executive coach, my approach is of honesty and directness but with compassion and experience.??As a coach, I get to tell you what employers think...to transform your search and your career.