AJS
The Art of the Job Search
By now, you are probably pretty eager to get that new résumé in front of some eyes. I don’t blame you…it looks pretty sweet! But there are a few things to consider before applying to optimize your chances of getting a callback. The résumé alone, while the most important tool in your toolbox, is not the only tool at your disposal. If you only focus your search efforts on applying online, you miss out on opportunities and are at greater risk of feeling unseen.
Create a Boolean Search String & Google Alert
Boolean operators are words and symbols, such as AND or NOT, that let you expand or narrow your search parameters when using a database or search engine. When you search using these operators, it is known as a Boolean search. Recruiters use Boolean searches when looking for candidates. Now you can do the same when looking for jobs!
You can use Boolean operators such as AND, OR, and NOT alongside keywords to create a Boolean string that will refine your search to find the most relevant results and sources.
What is a Boolean Search?
Google Alerts is a content change detection and notification service offered by Google. The service emails the user when it finds new results—such as web pages, newspaper articles, blogs, or scientific research—that match the user's search term.
What is a Google Alert?
One of the biggest challenges when looking for a job is getting in as a first applicant. By creating a Boolean search and Google Alert, you will get immediate notifications of jobs that you can apply for right away to ensure you are among the first applicants.
Why Am I Doing This?
Use this pre-made tool to make your own job search Boolean string easily. After you’ve created your Boolean search using the generator, you will notice that the Boolean String (green) is updated with your choices. Copy the cell you want to search into a Google search bar to see results. You will notice that the most common Applicant Tracking Systems have been added to this list. You may search by ATS or Broad Search to search the entire web. Power users will use all. After putting it into Google, you will see a list of jobs most recently posted and other articles and things of interest. While you will get different search results, you can easily find the most recent job postings for your specific search criteria.
How to Create a Boolean Search
Go to this URL. Paste in your Boolean string and select ‘Choose Options’ to pick your frequency. I recommend the following options: How often - As-it-happens & How many - All results. All others you can keep as default settings. You will then get emailed as new search results are found on the web. Create a Google Alert for each search string you want to follow.
How to Create a Google Alert
Create a Targeted Job Search Strategy
Did you know that 80% of job placements are found through networking? An astonishing 75% of us are applying via online job postings for 20% of the available jobs (which makes having a strong résumé that much more important) but also, you are severely limiting your chances of finding your next job if you are not incorporating the following into your job search.
When applying to a position, TAILOR YOUR RÉSUMÉ TO EACH POSTING. This does not mean rewriting your résumé every time! It means, taking a look at the language and seeing if there is something missing in your résumé that this particular job posting mentions. If you have that experience, add it! Most changes are done to the top summary section and the competency list. Fun Fact: Tuesdays are the best day to apply, and most postings go up around 11AM.
Title Updates: Your résumé was delivered with either the target position listed under your name or the position of your current/most recent role. This title should also be updated when applying to roles with different position titles listed - for example, Senior Marketing Manager vs. Vice President, Marketing. If you find yourself making updates to the title that don’t match the intended target of the résumé, it’s a sign that you will need more significant changes to the overall content.
Summary Section Updates: In most job postings there will be a brief paragraph that lists the major responsibilities and key characteristics they are looking for in the job candidate. Use that information to make minor changes and edits to the first paragraph of your resume. Keep this summary section to no more than five lines.
Competency Section Updates: The ideal list of competencies is 10-20. The list on your resume is not exhaustive and is designed to be updated using job postings. Pro tip: Review the posting for specific software or skills. Pay close attention to the requirements section. When making adjustments to your competencies, replace, not add!
Experience Section Updates: The first step in the process was to locate target positions. During our intake call we may have looked at a few additional roles as well. Wo do this so you won’t need to make exhaustive edits in your experience section. If you make changes, they will be in the last 1/2 of the bullet talking about how you did something. You may also opt to remove bullets that are not applicable to the position you are applying to. When making changes to “the how” combine real-world experience with language from the job posting.
Tailoring the Resume
When I ask clients what motivates them to hire a professional, the number one response is, “I have been applying to 30+ jobs a day, and I am not hearing back from a single company.” RED FLAG!!!!!! As a follow-up to what’s mentioned above, focus on making quality submissions, not applying to every job you see open. (Spend the same amount of time applying but be more strategic. It will pay off!) Would you rather apply to 50 jobs and hear back from 1 or 10 jobs and hear back from 3? As frustrating as it can get, do NOT change the scope of your job search. If you start applying to jobs outside of what the resume was built for, you will get job search burnout quickly!
Quality over Quantity
Reach out to your personal and professional network and let them know you are looking for a new opportunity. Remember that 80% number above? That’s how these jobs are found! Now that you have a solid résumé, when asked for a copy, you don’t have to slither away and ghost your connections!
Network
I am a LinkedIn Recruiter user, and one of the options we have to filter candidates is by “most likely to engage.” When we are limited to the number of monthly inMails we can send, we are more apt to reach out to someone who will reply. If you are not using LinkedIn (posting, commenting, searching, etc.), recruiters won’t be as interested in contacting you. PRO TIP: In the LinkedIn search bar, type “job title” and “hiring” exactly like that. Example: “marketing director” and “hiring” (include quotes and the word and). Then filter by posts. You now have active job postings AND a person to reach out to!
Utilize LinkedIn
While it’s known that most recruiters will not read them, 86% of hiring managers do! The key to your cover letter is simple: do not send the same one to every company! I wrote an article for WiseDoc, that you can find on my website about writing a cover letter that increases your chances of getting an interview. Make sure you check out my Pro Tip back on your project delivery landing page where I outline how to write an impactful cover letter in seconds.
Include a Cover Letter
My mom always describes my dad as having the patience of a saint. A Saint Bernard. When done right, a job search will feel like a full-time job but the longer you are in the search process, the easier it is to experience job search burnout. Keep in mind, job-seekers average ONE month for every $10,000 in salary to find a replacement job. It also depends on the type of career you are in, where you are located, and how much time you are dedicating to your search.