The Ultimate (5-Step) Job Search Strategy, Which Most People Are Unwilling to Follow

"The lazy person always has twice as much work" was a proverb I heard frequently from my mother as I was growing up. As a child, I didn't fully understand or appreciate the wisdom in this observation. In my work with job applicants in recent years, however, this proverb comes back to mind repeatedly, with tremendous clarity.

A couple of years ago, Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison published an article on LinkedIn entitled "The No. 1 Way to Waste Your Time in a Job Search," a copy of which I have provided numerous times to people I've been helping—in my capacity as a career coach and resume writer—with their job searches. Simply stated, the time waster referred to in the article is sending out resumes using a shotgun approach.

When people ask Burnison for help getting a job, he offers to talk with them after they've completed a simple assignment: do some research on their target industry, target companies and the roles for which they believe they are best suited. "Shockingly, in 9 out of 10 cases," Burnison reported, "they never do it," adding, "If you can’t or won’t invest that much effort in your career, then who will?"

The other article I've been distributing most frequently to my job search clients is "How I Finally Got Job Interviews at My Dream Companies" by DJ Chung. Here the author's message is equally simple and just as profound. He tells the story of how he was sending out countless resumes, without ever getting a job offer. "Eventually," he reveals, "it hit me: I was applying to the wrong roles." He was applying to positions that, for various reasons, he wanted—but for which the target companies did not consider him sufficiently well qualified. As soon as he changed his approach, his recurring failures were replaced with success. Chung came to realize that he could begin at his dream company in a job for which he was currently qualified and eventually transfer to his ideal position once he met the requirements.

THE TWO DEADLY MISTAKES COMMITTED BY MOST JOB APPLICANTS

Why do I mention and summarize these two articles? Because in my work with job applicants, I'm impressed with the frequency by which two basic mistakes are being committed, over and over again. The first mistake is applying for jobs using a shotgun approach, applying for positions for which the candidate is not—in the eyes of the company—sufficiently well qualified. The second mistake, closely related to the first, is unwillingness to adopt an intelligently formulated strategy.

When I discuss career plans with someone or help that person rewrite a resume, I ask to see samples of job posts for target positions. Such posts typically include at least two basic lists: (1) essential qualifications and (2) preferred qualifications. I start by reviewing with my client the list of essential qualifications, item by item. This usually makes the client discernibly uncomfortable because the individual is aware that there are one or more essential qualifications that the person doesn't meet. When I politely ask about this, there is invariably a pause, followed by one of two responses: "Well, I thought it might not actually be a hard requirement" or "Well, I'd like to try, anyway"—which is basically just another form of the first response.

The problem with this, of course, is that if the requirement were preferred rather than required, it would have been placed on the preferred list rather than the required list. The applicant is simply engaging in wishful thinking. The person complains to me about how frustrating it is to be sending out countless applications with no success but is it any wonder, really, that the applicant is repeatedly meeting with failure?

When I offer the applicant a job search strategy, however, nine times out of ten (the same odds as reported by Burnison), the person is not willing to seriously consider it. In a classic illustration of the definition of insanity as doing the same thing and expecting different results, ninety percent of job seekers are determined to continue with the approach that hasn't been working for them. This is irrational but it is nonetheless understandable. People are disinclined to expend the mental effort called for with a real strategy, as opposed to mindlessly submitting applications. Mental effort, after all, is in a way the hardest work there is—much harder than the mere physical effort involved with simply pressing the keys to robotically submit applications.

It doesn't matter how much you fine tune your resume, if you don't meet the essential requirements for a position.

And by the way, it doesn't matter how much you fine tune your resume, if you don't meet the essential requirements for a position. You will probably not get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) software, before any human even reviews your submission.

But returning to my mother's oft-cited proverb—"The lazy person always has twice as much work"—in the long run, what may appear to be the easy way is actually the more difficult, simply because it calls for significantly more time and effort, possibly even dooming the individual to perpetual failure. In fact, the proverb is a simplification, for the purpose of making a point. In reality, the lazy person has much more than twice as much work. Just think about the last time you tried to cut corners and ask yourself what happened as a result.

For the benefit of the elite ten percent willing to break with habit, I'm going to spell out here the job search strategy that represents the best fit for the greatest number of applicants I work with. Some adaptation may be called for in certain cases. If you're not able to do that on your own, a job coach or career counselor may be able to help. If your job search strategy is working well—you are getting interviews to an extent that it is only a matter of time before you score the kind of position to which you are aspiring—then you may be fine just continuing to do what you are already doing, though adding a new dimension to your search may lead to even better results.

FIVE STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH

STEP ONE: Consider opening your mind to what's been called zero-based thinking (ZBT), which simply stated means letting go of existing assumptions and starting from scratch. One good place to begin the process is at 16Personalities.com. Here you can take a free Myers Briggs type "personality inventory." Your answers to a series of multiple choice questions will result in a "code" (type) that matches with particular occupational categories. This may be one of the best investments of 20 minutes of your time that you will ever make, even if it only serves to confirm your current beliefs about yourself.

STEP TWO: Scroll through opportunities for those categories on your favorite job board, whichever that may be. As you do this, keep in mind the occupations and roles that your personality test results suggest you are best suited for. Copy out the ones that appeal to you most, observing the patterns that emerge. You will now have a list of positions that appeal to you and for which you are probably qualified, at least in a basic way at a basic level.

STEP THREE: Identify and make a list of the companies with openings in your preferred positions, with an emphasis on those that most appeal to you, for whatever reasons. It's important to do this in writing, rather than just in your head. Committing plans to writing is a critical part of the planning process. "People don't plan to fail—they just fail to plan" may sound cliché but we ignore this truism at our peril.

STEP FOUR: After getting your profile on LinkedIn in the best shape you possibly can (it's usually worth getting professional help with this, which can be done in concert with improving your resume), search LinkedIn for people in managerial positions currently employed at your target companies. If you're having trouble identifying people using the basic (free) plan, consider upgrading to a premium subscription, which will make searching much easier. As of this writing, LinkedIn offers a free one-month trial subscription that you can access by clicking the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn home page.

Part of getting your LinkedIn profile in tip-top shape is adding to your accumulation of "recommendations" (testimonials from people who know you, who are in a position to attest to your skills and accomplishments). This may feel overwhelming but if the task is approached methodically, it can be quite manageable. Begin by brainstorming a list of all the individuals on the platform who would be appropriate to ask for recommendations. Get ideas by looking through your resume, the contact list on your phone and your email. Assemble all the names into a document or Excel file, with tentative dates for contacting each potential recommender. TIP: Avoid contacting everyone at once because if a series of recommendations are spaced too closely together (the date of the recommendation will show), that will diminish their credibility. One of the best ways to get a strong recommendation is to first write one yourself, for the other person. Many if not most people will voluntarily reciprocate.

STEP FIVE: Resolve each day on average to connect with a certain number of persons in managerial positions at your target companies. Start out with a number you are comfortable with (say, 10 or 12), ramping up gradually somewhat if you wish. (Disclaimer: I've never known of anyone who was penalized by LinkedIn for doing this in a reasonable way but I cannot be responsible for anything that happens in individual circumstances. Please give careful thought to whatever you do, investigating first thoroughly and only doing what you feel comfortable with.) Always include a personal note when you are requesting to connect, addressing the individual by name. Ideally, you could refer to something specific that gives credibility to your request to connect.

In the long run, what may appear to be the easy way can actually be the more difficult, simply because it ultimately calls for significantly more time and effort.

A personal note might say something like this: "John, I enjoyed reading your post about [fill in the blank] and would feel privileged if you would agree to connect with me here on LinkedIn." Can't find any posts or articles written by the person in question? There are numerous other ways of phrasing your note, such as: "John, I'm in awe of your achievements and would feel privileged if you would agree to connect with me here on LinkedIn." Few people would be offended by that.

What you are doing is laying the foundation for a relationship. All sound relationships begin with a CONVERSATION. Think of the dialogue you are seeking to initiate as such a conversation.

Maintain a record in writing of all the individuals who connect with you. Ideally this will be a file in Excel or a table in Word. Keep track of your correspondence, the gist of the communications and the dates. Identify the individual by both company and position. Include a "Notes" column, with observations about their articles, posts and so on. Yes, this requires effort but, after all, searching for a job should rightly be regarded as a job in itself (even if only part-time).

Several days after connecting, thank the person for agreeing and ask an appropriate, intelligent question that serves to advance a conversation. (Note: Do NOT ask for a job.) An example of such a question might be: "I found your post [or article] to be very thought-provoking. One point that I didn't completely understand was [fill in the blank]. I realize you're very busy but if you have a moment to elaborate a bit, that would be greatly appreciated." If you've read Dale Carnegie's classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People, you know that such questions are usually well received because people enjoy talking about themselves and their own pursuits. (If you haven't yet read this book, I highly recommend that you read at least a summary.) Or you might ask: "I've been reading up on the company culture at [name of organization]. It seems to me that the best way to characterize it would be [fill in the blank]. As someone who's worked there for some time, I'm wondering whether you would agree." Note that a question like this could be asked of anyone at the company. Once you develop the verbiage about company culture, you can use it over and over again.

At some point in the conversation to which this leads, the other party is likely to ask you about your situation, your plans and your interests. Again, not specifically asking for a job, it would be appropriate to express your interest in working at that organization, concluding possibly with the open-ended question, "Do you have any suggestions?"

All sound relationships begin with a CONVERSATION. Think of the dialogue you are seeking to initiate on LinkedIn as such a conversation.

MAKING THE ODDS WORK IN YOUR FAVOR

One of the most basic truisms I learned early on in my career in sales is that it is "a numbers game." The larger the number, in other words, the greater the likelihood of success. Pitch one person and your odds of success may not be too high. Pitch a hundred and your odds will increase dramatically. Pitch a thousand and they will increase exponentially.

If you connect with 10-12 carefully targeted people a day for about three months, you will end up having connected with a thousand individuals, presumably all in managerial positions at your target companies. You don't need all of them to be willing to engage you in conversation. (In fact, you'd be overwhelmed if they all did—but they won't, so you won't have that problem.) All you need for this strategy to eventually bear fruit is for a handful of such individuals to engage you in meaningful dialogue and, as a result, take an interest in or a liking to you. You will then be able to get the kind of "warm introduction" that will have the potential to make all the difference in the world.

A variation of the LinkedIn-based job search strategy described above is offered by Treehouse CEO Ryan Carson, who recommends targeting five hiring managers at 100 companies and then actually asking the ones who respond for a job on the third communication. Either way, the underling idea is the same. In Carson's words, "Most jobs get filled by people someone knows."

To maximize the chances for success, this strategy needs to be supported by a strong resume and cover letter. Keep in mind that your resume, together with your cover letter, needs in effect to tell a story about your accomplishments, their impact—and why you are a great fit for the job. I recently produced a 1.5-hour video, "How to Write a Compelling Resume & Cover Letter," which can be accessed at no cost or obligation here.

Whether you're actively searching for a job now or may be making a move at a later time, good luck with your career development! And if you know someone for whom this article might be helpful, feel free to forward the link along.

As dozens of five-star reviews on Google and Yelp attest, Daniel Berman has over the years been achieving excellent results with helping people write and improve their resumes, not just for purposes of job applications but also as supporting material for applications to academic programs. Readers are invited to access his resume website or email him directly ([email protected]) to discuss assistance, including career coaching.

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