Is your job search an exercise in futility?

It is definitely a hard time to find a new job and made more so if you are a recent graduate with no relevant full-time work experience. As someone who heads a consulting firm focusing on both recruiting and career coaching, I have some pointers which may come in handy during your job search and shorten the time it takes to land that job.

First and foremost, networking is the very best way to land that job. Hands down. Nothing beats networking. Of course, I’m speaking from experience sourcing professionals generally in the investment space in the downdown core of major cities across Canada and the US. For some roles, applying online may be the best way to land some roles and networking may be less relevant – but still always relevant. I once hired a shoe salesman who was helping me buy shoes because of his exceptional customer service focus. What was the role? A business development role.  Building out your network, connecting with people with whom you went to school or with whom you worked is the best resource you have. You never know with whom your friends and family are connected. These are all warm connections. You meet someone? Connect with them. LinkedIn was made for just this purpose. But don’t stop there and be sure to stay in touch over time.

You want to cover all your bases so, in addition to using your network, you might utilize informational meetings. Reaching out to people you either know or don’t yet know is another good way to get in front of people and have them understand who you are, what you can do and what you are looking for. Think about companies you may want to work in and reach out and connect with people in similar roles.  Is there a connection the two of you have? Exploit it. Did you go to the same school? Are you from the same part of the country? Did you work previously at the same firm? Do you have the same interests? Reaching out and asking for a call to talk about their career or their company or their role is a great way to expand your network and learn about potential opportunities. You learn about the company, they learn about you. It’s a win-win.

But now I get to the crux of why I’m writing this post in the first place. Continuing along the theme of covering your bases as you look for a new role, is responding to job postings. Bear in mind that many roles are already filled before they are even posted. Why is that? Because it might be company policy to post even if they have the ideal candidate already identified. Why else? They might have a candidate they like (internal or external) but want to see what else is out there. They may not even have the role at all but rather want to gather resumes. Yep, companies do that.

But respond to posts you will and, in most cases, you should. Now here is where it gets tricky. For instance, I might post a role for an experienced analyst and ask for 1-2 years of relevant investment experience in specific areas and in specific roles (say investment banking or infrastructure investing or real estate investing or focused on specific sectors such as healthcare, financial services or oil and gas, etc.). But you see the role, want a job (heck you need a job) and apply. Do you have the requisite undergraduate degree? Maybe, maybe not. Do you have the experience I am seeking? Nine times out of ten you do not. You might have 15 years of diverse experience but apply anyway. You might still be in school and have not graduated and apply anyway. You might be an accountant who has done hundreds (thousands) of tax returns but apply anyway. You might be a growth hacker but apply anyway. Wait, what’s a growth hacker? I had to look that one up too. Apparently, it is someone who ‘uses creative, low-cost strategies to help businesses acquire and retain customers’. Was this a role for someone to help acquire and retain customers? Nope.

The point I’m trying to make here is threefold:

1. Think about your background, skills and expertise and look at the roles and see if you are a fit for them.  You don’t have to be a 100% fit…. but you should fit in some areas. If it’s more of an entry-level role, chances are your 20 years of experience won’t cut it. Sure you might be willing to take a two-decades step backward, but the company will likely not be interested in ‘untraining’ you and then retraining you. They also likely don’t want someone who will soon be vying for the corner office.
2. If you see a role in a company of interest, applying to the wrong role may not be the smartest strategy. Sure, you think someone is reviewing your application and a light will go off and she will say “Gee, this candidate is perfect for this other role. Let’s hire him!” Likely not. More often your application is being screened through a robotic process, you don’t have the skills for that role, and you are declined. Apply to too many different roles at the same company and you are likely flagged as someone who doesn’t know what they want to do and who applies willy-nilly to anything and everything. Back in my corporate days, we had applicants who applied for entry level analyst roles, senior level principal roles, back office accounting roles, mid-office analytics roles and just about any and all roles. Had these people reached out and spoken to people in the company, they might have learned where they were the best fit in terms of experience, expertise and education and applied accordingly. 
3. Do this instead…. please. Look over your job search strategy. Realistically, what has worked for you and what has not? Have you applied to 100 postings and gotten no responses or only a couple? Then look to see if you are applying to roles for which you are qualified. If you are getting calls but not making it beyond the first interview, reflect on why. Keep a journal of all your interactions and refer to it. What could I do better? What could I do differently? Remember the wise words of Albert Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Finding a full-time job is a full time job. It takes work up front to identify your skills, experience and expertise. It takes work up front to really understand your competitive advantage. It takes work up front to fine-tune your resume and ensure your LI profile is the best it can be. It takes work up front to develop a job search strategy and to implement it. It takes work up front to prepare what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. It takes work (and courage) to pick up the phone and talk to people. It takes work to build and maintain your network. But what are the rewards? A role you like in a place you want to be with people you admire and respect.