Never in the history of work has anyone actuallyenjoyedlooking for it.
They went to good schools.
They worked at reputable companies.
They’ve looked for jobs before, and they thought they knew the drill.
But now, in the current job market, they’re utterly baffled.
None of their tried-and-true approaches to the job hunt seem to work anymore.
It’s as if they went to sleep in one world and woke up in a scarier one.
In a sense, they have.
We’re in the midst of a deepwhite-collar recession, which is generating more unemployed professionals than job openings.
Sticking with the same old job-search techniques is a surefire recipe for disappointment.
“I promise you are being buried.
We are living in a new age.”
But thereareways you’ve got the option to break through the gridlock.
Taken together, their advice offers a concrete guide for navigating the chaos of today’s job market.
To get a leg up on your competition, scout out jobs at your companybeforethey’re publicly posted.
Networking begins at home.
But that’s exactly the wrong approach.
If you’re at the entry level, then yes apply for everythingin sight.
“It takes a lot of time to properly research a company,” he says.
“More dream companies = lower quality research.”
Not sure what to say?
Try using this sample DM created by Tague:
Enlist the help of everyone you know.Friends.
That guy you met in line for coffee two months ago at that really boring industry conference.Everyone.
And buy a Premium Career subscription.
It costs $29.99 a month, and it gives you more messaging credits.
You’ll need them for all the networking you’ll be doing.
see to it you follow every single one of them on LinkedIn.
“We want to look at who’s really motivated and interested in working at our company.”
Optimize your profile with these 4 simple tricks.
Recruiters not only don’t mind#opentowork, but some even prioritize candidates who use it.
So hire an expert who knows how to do it right.
And recruiters often prioritize resumes by filtering them for keywords from the job posting.
There’s apparently a small chance it might work.
But some recruiters actually check for “white fonting,” and then reject you as dishonest.
If you think a keyword is important, stick to black key in.
Instead, says Saba Siddiqui, the head of talent acquisition at Gusto, position yourself as a player-coach.
Many recruiters don’t even bother to look at candidates who live far away.
On your resume, ensure you specify the city and state where you live at the top.
After all,WFHis a skill of its own.
“These are the skills you would like to see on the CV.”
Note the roles you’ve had that were fully remote, and showcase your experience working with far-flung teams.
Ditch the cover letter.No one reads it.
The resume is the far more important document.
Recruiters often don’t get through all the candidates.
So confirm you apply as soon as you might.
Worried it might annoy them?
“Show that you’re taking initiative.”
Here’s a DM one job seeker sent to a recruiter right after she applied for a position.
A referral from someone who knows you well is best.
Don’t be afraid to apply for a job cold.Can’t find a connection at the company?
Give it a shot anyway.
Your odds will be insanely long, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
They liked the idea enough to create a whole new role for me to do exactly that.
Usethis websiteto look up which staffing agencies your dream companies use, and then contact those agencies directly.
“And that goes beyond the company website.”
Read every news article about the company.
Watch as many of its obscure sales presentations on YouTube as you’re able to stand.
Apply to some “maybe” jobsbeforethe dream ones.Think of them as preseason warmups.
Recruiters can tell when you’re regurgitating canned, robotic answers.
“It used to be a nice-to-have,” Burgoyne says.
“But now companies expect that 100%.”
“You’ll have that spreadsheet for the rest of your career,” he says.
“And you should be adding to it regularly.”
Don’t answer “What’s your biggest weakness?”
with “I’m a perfectionist.
“It’s lame, and recruiters will see right through it.
Instead, talk about something that was once a weakness and then explain how you overcame it.
Bonus points if you might tie that back to the contribution you hope to make.
Collect your failures.Got rejected?
Treat it as another networking opportunity.
Send your interviewers a request for a LinkedIn connection.
But even more important is keeping a spreadsheet of all thepeopleyou talked to along the way.
“Very rarely are they digging into it like, ‘Oh, if only she’d said this.’
It’s not really like that on the inside.
There could be internal people you don’t know about.
So stop obsessing over the reason you were rejected it probably had little to do with you.
Build a support group.You know how married people don’t understand the hell that is modern dating?
Employed people don’t understand how miserable job searching is these days.
verify you surround yourself with folks who actually get it.
Don’t think you’re alone, because you aren’t.
Take breaks, weekends, vacations.Job-searching burnout is real.
Keep it sustainable by not doing it all the time.
You got a job!But if you’re smart, you’re not done with the job search.
Keep networking at your dream companies.
Work the room at industry events.
Tague recommends setting a goal to connect with two new people a month.
Here’s hoping that’s not for a long, long time.
Aki Itois a chief correspondent at Business Insider.
