What Kind of Job Seeker Are You?: 10 Proactive Tips to Get Hired Today!

There’s a lot of information out there right now, and more is coming on various ways to cope and plan during Covid-19. While some may be focused on their families locally or overseas, others are focusing on their own health, and all seem to be concerned about what this means for their jobs. 

And then there’s those who were laid off recently and are concerned about their career and finances. Perhaps you were struggling before Covid-19, and now you’re asking yourself how you find a new job in today’s uncertain times. 

The truth is, no one really knows how long this will last, and what the long-term effects. Naturally, employers are going to feel inclined to wait until they know more information before taking action. Many, though, don’t have the ability to wait before acting if they want to stay afloat. 

Change is hard for everyone, but the factor of the unknown, sprinkled a bit with some panic means that you have to decide what kind of job seeker you are...Are you someone who is going to wait it out? Hunker down, if you will? Or, are you someone who is going to pivot with the obstacles life has thrown your way, and come out ahead?

Here are 10 Proactive Job Search Tips You Will Need to Know Due to Ongoing Hiring Changes Amid Covid-19:

1. Hire That Professional Resume Writer - Trust me, just do it. It’s worth the money. If you do not know of someone, feel free to reach out to me as I have a great Power Partner that does this, and I’m happy to connect you to them. 

Recruiters are looking for key things on resumes. How will you stand out amongst the influx of other job seekers on today’s market? Having the best representation of yourself is a must - your resume is a sample of how serious you take your work. If you patch it together thinking it isn’t about the presentation, you are wrong. This is their first impression of you - why wouldn’t you want to make it a good one? 

Pro Tip: Most people know a resume should look good and be formatted right, but did you know that you shouldn’t have work experience beyond 10 years listed on your resume. Why? Because the skills you had 10 years ago aren’t the same they are now. Think of how much Microsoft has evolved - how many versions have come out in a 10 year span. Now think of software that came out over 10 years ago. Obsolete, right? Same goes for the skill you learned over 10 years ago. Unless you’ve actively kept up with the changes, you should not be putting that skill or experience on your resume. 

2. Clean Up Your LinkedIn - Your LinkedIn should NOT be the same as your resume. Recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter are searching based on keywords, education level, job title and/or level of professional achievement, location, etc. If you do not have this information properly reflected on your LinkedIn profile, it will not pop up when Recruiters are using their Boolean search methods. This is why keywords are so important when writing your LinkedIn. 

An Outplacement Service provider can help craft your LinkedIn so that it pops up in searches you’d like to be found in. STR does for our Outplacement clients.

3. Brush Up on Technology - 

a. For Your Video Interview Skills - Companies that are still hiring have moved to video interviews, for the time being. Some have even hired new employees - on-boarded, trained, and managed all remotely. If you want to work for an evolved company, then you need to work on evolving yourself. If you know you’re going to have a Zoom interview, you should be testing Zoom out well before that interview. Heck, even tape yourself so that you can play it back and fix anything you didn’t like. Practice makes perfect, and remember - good lighting and sound is extremely important. 

Pro Tip: There are virtual backgrounds available on Zoom if you need to change up the space you are in.

b. For Your On-Boarding, Training, and Remote Office - If you’re hoping to be hired during Covid-19, then you need to make sure you’re hireable. Meaning, if a company is using a certain on-boarding system (Google Docs, Scanning Apps, Adobe Electronic Signatures, etc.) you want to be able to get HR the required documents to get started. The longer you delay or fumble with technology the more you risk being left behind as businesses that are hiring during Covid-19 are moving forward, with or without you. Don’t let them leave you behind! Make yourself relevant. Showing off how capable you are at getting them what they need for on-boarding finished,will only benefit you in the long-run...after all, all work is remote right now, if you’re not an essential business. 

4. Learn A New Skill - There literally is no time like the present to teach yourself something new. Some are taking up new hobbies, perhaps you can finally take that class or webinar you’ve always wanted to. This is a great time to build on skills you have, or to learn new ones. Have you always wanted to be a Master at Excel? There’s tons of e-learning resources out there right now. LinkedIn has a slew of them.. You should definitely take advantage of them. Perhaps this will help you secure your dream job? Only one way to find out! What can you do to differentiate yourself from the competition on today’s market? 

5. Leverage Your Network - Ask your contacts for help. Once you’ve cleaned up that resume and brushed up on your video interview tips, you’ll want to start asking those you know about companies that are hiring. There are companies hiring. Using your network is a great way to get an introduction to business owners who are still hiring..

6. Find a New Network to Leverage - Simultaneously while leveraging your network, you’re going to want to tap into other networks to increase your visibility and “brand” awareness. There are many job seeker FaceBook Pages, as well as local professional pages. Join as many as you can - get the word out about your job search, and your resume to anyone willing to pass it around for you. The more who know you are looking for work, the better your odds are of hearing about an opportunity that may be a fit for you.

7. Don’t Take it Personally - Expect delays and understand business needs can change. If you’re interviewing one day, and then hear nothing for a month, and then hear back - don’t be surprised. Honestly, day-to-day business needs are changing. I’ve heard everything from “we’re proceeding as usual” to “we are halting” to “we are laying off” and everything in between in my tenure as an HR professional. Business changes are not a reflection on your abiabilies. If a company decides to move in another direction it may be completely due to internal changes, and has nothing to do with you. Be grateful you got this far! It’s a numbers game - the more applications, the more interviews. The more interviews, the more possibility of being hired. It’s not over until you have a signed offer in hand (and quite honestly, until your first day). You can do this! Persistence is key. Take it from someone who was laid off in 2008 and was hired within 6 weeks with a better paying, more senior role - it can happen!

8. Focus on Culture - Most companies aren’t hiring right now, but the ones that are hiring are moving fast and deliberately. That doesn’t mean that your dream company won’t ever hire again. It means, though, that you’re probably not going to work for them for a while. Perhaps now is the time to broaden your horizon and instead of focusing on your dream job, focus on finding a company that is understanding and supportive who is seeking someone with your skillset to help their company. The money will come in time, but a company that shows a positive culture in a hard time is a company worth giving a shot.

9. Know Your Worth - Understand that when a Recruiter reaches out to conduct a phone screen, they are gathering information necessary to determine if you’re qualified (according to their company requirements) for the role they contacted you for. This is not a time to play the guessing game when it comes to your compensation requirements. Be open, be honest, and above all, be flexible - don’t just say you are. You’d be surprised how many times a day a Recruiter hears the comment “well, I don’t want to knock myself out of the running, so I’d be flexible” when they ask about compensation requirements. The truth is, they have a budget and so do you. You need to maintain your livelihood, and they need to stay accountable to their budgets. 

It is best to be open and honest about what you need to do the role you’re being interviewed for. Trust me, you do not want to get all the way through to final interviews only to realize how off your requirements and the company’s budget truly are. That’s a waste of time for you and them. If they are asking you, then you should be honest about what you can manage. Of course, we all want to be paid more, so it’s acceptable to say things like mid-$70s verses $77K so you don’t pigeonhole yourself, and give yourself the ability to negotiate a bit more during the offer stage. 

10. Have a Remote Workstation Ready To Go - If you were offered a new position tomorrow, would you be ready to start? An employer hiring a remote worker during Covid-19, should understand that they’ll need to be flexible during this time with their employees. If you have kids at home or dogs, please know employers are doing their best to accommodate a work/life balance for their staff during this time. For any new job you’ll want to have a space of your own, if you can, that is dedicated to focusing on your work and professional development. 

No matter what industry you are in or which company you are looking to work for, just remember that each of our health is the most important at this time. Check back here for more ideas on how to continue in hard times. If you are a job seeker, and are working through these issues, STR can help. Feel free to reach out at [email protected]. 

The COVOID-19 virus will leave us at some point, but how you focused on yourself and your job search during this time will directly impact your career for years to come. Which type of job seeker will you be?