Job Search 101 – When the market is flooded with job seekers
If you’ve tried the “spray and pray” technique for your job search and have had no success, then it’s time to examine why. When the market is flooded with newly unemployed job seekers the stiffer the competition becomes. There are many reasons why applying for a million job postings isn’t the best strategy. Here’s why a job random search won’t produce the results you hope for.
A random search doesn’t produce the results you hope for.
When many large companies have had extreme layoffs, the market is flooded with candidates. Companies can post their Christmas wish list – and get it. It’s not surprising that many companies are posting technology jobs that require “senior” level candidates. It’s because they can get them. You’re at a disadvantage if you have only a few years of experience and have fewer than 90% of the required technical skills. Anticipate being passed over for candidates with more experience than you.
Stay on top of industry news.
Facing a flooded market when companies downsize is not exclusive to tech candidates. When the need for production slows, or if cost saving becomes the number one priority for an organization, workforce reductions are often the first approach. Newly unemployed workers in other sectors, such as engineering, manufacturing and education, also face flooded markets. You’ve got to stay on top of industry news to know what to expect. It’s also important to pay close attention to what your leadership team and board of directors are doing.
With fewer employees, there’s a reduced need for people to support them. A reduction in force ends up creating a residual effect. Cutbacks in other departments will typically follow an extreme layoff. A downsizing in one area typically impacts talent acquisition, training, benefits and payroll. If you find yourself in any of these situations, or if you’re pursuing a career change to a sector with a flooded market, fewer opportunities fit. It’s even harder to get in the door by throwing a resume at a posted announcement.
Don’t throw spaghetti at the wall.
So, then, what does a job seeker do? Instead of throwing spaghetti at the wall all day, use the following step-by-step job search process.
- Stay in touch with your network at all times!
- Do: frequently provide relevant industry information and Atta Boys to your contacts.
- Do: reach out to people you haven’t recently communicated with and ask how they’re doing.
- Do: check former co-workers’ LinkedIn profiles and track where they have gone.
- Do: find out more about the companies your networking contacts work for. Why do they like the company? What are the company’s strengths and shortcomings?
Identify companies that MAKE SENSE.
- Identify companies that MAKE SENSE. The company has to hit more points than just having a job open. You need to:
- UNDERSTAND and SUPPORT their mission.
- Know enough about them to resonate with their results or their reputation.
- Have direct experience in the industry, performed the same type of work in a related industry, or have experience with the organization’s customers, clients, or partners.
- Get in touch with people who work there. Look for people you have worked well with in the past. It’s valuable to have talked with people about their experience with a company before you see a job posting.
- Research other employees to understand their backgrounds, interests, and skills.
Find out more about the role, the hiring manager and the department’s needs.
- When you find a job posting:
- Tap into your network. Try to talk to someone you know who works for the company. Find out more about the role, the hiring manager, and the specific team’s needs.
- Cautionary note: Don’t ask someone you have zero relationship with to introduce you to a hiring manager. If you’re connected to someone on social media, but don’t actually know them, don’t expect to get their assistance. Employees typically don’t want to spill internal dirt with a stranger or risk their reputation with an unknown referral.
- Research other employees to see what you have in common or the skills you lack.
- Make sure you understand the organization’s needs for the posted position.
- Edit your resume to fit the job.
- Go through the job posting line by line to determine that you have done at least 85% of the required functions.
- Make sure you can provide examples of each of those functions.
- Do not confuse the summary on your resume as a place to post specific examples. Your summary needs to state the general areas you have experience in.
- Show proof of the claims made in your summary by including complete examples of each function in the employment period where it occurred. Be sure to include results!
- DO NOT JUST THROW SPAGHETTI AT THE WALL! Bold statements without context or qualified results will only set you up for failure when asked to provide examples in an interview.
Make sure that you can address 85% of the functions.
- Create a cover letter
- Again: Be sure you understand the organizational need for this position.
- Again: Make sure that you can address 85% of the functions.
- Use summaries of your experience in the specific areas required.
- Avoid repeating the same information that is in your resume.
- Final paragraph: Include something you know about them that makes them attractive, why you’re a fit for the organization, and why you want to work there. As an example, are you drawn to their environmental support or focus on sustainability? Or are you interested in their contribution to the community?
- Prepare for an interview
- You must expect to hear from the company.
- Go line by line through the job FUNCTIONS. Answer this question for each function: “Please provide an example of how you (performed something)”
- Write out your answers to at least 30 other typically asked interview questions.
- Create a list of questions for the employer. Make sure your questions relate to the job functions, the team, the culture, and their challenges. Each question should show your interest in them vs sounding like “What’s in it for me?”
Being clear about where you stand is critical.
All of this may seem like a lot of work. But in the end, a thoughtfully approached job search will get you closer to your goals than throwing resumes at every job you think is interesting. When the market is flooded with competition, being clear about where you stand is critical. Using insider information to leverage your position will take you further. Being patient and honing in on the right opportunities will take you across the finish line to the right job with the right company.
For more career advice, check out my webinars on Career Assessment, Strategic Networking and Goal Setting and follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter.
