You decide it is time for a new challenge and want to look for a new role, but you have been out of the job market for some time and are not sure where to begin. When you consider this you are not sure you still know the best ways to get out there land an interview. You may be wondering if it is wise to invest in a career coach or resume writing service to assist you with your search. You are not alone; many people feel overwhelmed and do not know where to start. Before you begin, it is time to come up with a plan to find the best role for you, and then land an interview.
There are numerous reasons to look for a new challenge at work. Have you taken time to decide which direction you want to go in? You may be looking for advancement in a promotion, or you may want to work for a different company but move laterally, or you may be looking to change your career entirely by switching industries. Whatever your reason, the best way to move forward is with self-awareness. If you already know what you want, that is fantastic – congratulations. If you are like most people, and unsure, you will need to take some time to understand your own goals for this change. If you need guidance on this discovery process, you can find it in this post ‘Love What You Do (the Smart Way)‘. Once you know what your goals are for this exciting career change, you can move forward with planning strategies to land an interview.
Before we begin, it is important to understand that there are countless strategies that can add value to your search. For the scope of this article, let’s focus on high-level recommendations you can work on to land an interview. Remember, investing in a career coach and resume writing service is the best approach to making your best and most inclusive plan.
The Discovery Process
To begin, the first thing you should do is research the top 5 companies to work for in the industry and location you are looking to work in. If you know the top companies, their mission, culture, stability, and pay, you are at an advantage in selecting the companies you want to apply to. Networking on LinkedIn, or other social media platforms are highly recommended for this step. If you don’t have accounts on social media yet, I highly recommend you create a LinkedIn profile at the very least. Not only does LinkedIn list job openings, but it is also scouted by recruiters and talent managers across the globe. Additionally, many companies now require a LinkedIn profile to apply for a role at their company. Gather all the information possible on your top companies and create a shortlist so you know the target companies you will apply to.
Next, go to popular job posting sites like Indeed, Zip Recruiter, Monster, Career Builder, or Google. Browse these sites for job postings in the areas you want to get hired to get a flavor of what is out there. Remember to search your short list of companies to see what they are hiring for. Hopefully, you start seeing roles you could see yourself fitting into easily.
Do some research on salary for the roles you want to apply for. You should know the market salary which is the average going rate for the job based on location and your own salary expectations. Your salary expectations should be how much you need to make based on your experience in that role and industry, and your current cost of living. Remember that if you have been working in the same role for more than a few years, your current salary could be less than the market salary. This is extremely important to know for salary negotiation purposes.
Resume and Cover Letter 101
The next step will be to create or update your resume to ensure it will be seen for the roles you are interested in. The more related job postings you read, the better because this will give you examples of what companies are looking for in the role you want. Resume writing is a hefty task so be patient with yourself and take your time. You may have multiple iterations before you are content with your results. Remember job hunting is like a marathon, not a race. You will need to pace yourself to stay motivated throughout your entire search.
Whether you hire a resume writing service or not, be sure to understand the importance of resume keywords to ensure you get the most out of posting for open roles. Resume keywords are words or phrases that describe specific job requirements. They are the abilities, skills, expertise, and values that the recruiter is looking for in a candidate. Today, recruiters and hiring managers use modern technology called ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) for keyword searches on resumes and cover letters. When you submit your resume, it usually goes straight into an ATS database. Generally, the way an ATS database works is that hiring managers or recruiters use it to search for suitable candidates by typing certain keywords into the search bar, or they may set up algorithms to automate the process for them.
A tip I often give to job applicants is to tailor their resume and cover letter for the job posting they are applying for. These documents should have keywords that are desired for the type of role you are seeking. If you are applying to a few different types of roles, to organize your job categories, you should have “buckets” of job categories that you are applying for. This will also help you more efficiently select the keywords that are best for each type of job.
To tailor your resume based on a job posting, follow these 3 basic steps:
- Take a moment to review the job posting for what the company is seeking and highlight or underline the skills you think you have. Remember to look for transferable skills too.
- Review your own experience and responsibility descriptions for the skills you highlighted and make sure the language is similar between the company and your resume.
- Tailor your resume to reflect the skills the company is seeking based on your past experiences.
Example: Your job posting says the company is looking for an experienced trainer with expertise in PowerPoint. You should make sure your resume mentions your relevant experience as a trainer, and it should list PowerPoint as an application you know how to use on an expert level.
One more tip I use for applicants is to use keywords in their resume in a ‘Skills’ or ‘Areas of Expertise’ or ‘Applications’ section.
Example: Create a section with a header for ‘Applications’. Add the applications you have expertise with. It might look like this- Applications: MS Suite, Google Suite, SQL.
When you submit your resume to apply for a role that is looking for SQL experience, ‘SQL’ may be used as a keyword which will then be found because you used it in your Applications section. Additionally, other applications listed in the company’s job description will be used like keywords and will be searched and found in your resume if you have them listed.
Feedback, Final Touches, and More
Finally, you have what you think is a winning resume, but you are not done yet. Why? You must, I repeat, you must have someone else look over your resume before posting it anywhere. Some people you could ask are leaders, coworkers you trust, friends, family, mentors, career coaches, professors, etc. Don’t forget to thank your confidant for their help and feedback. If you absolutely can’t find anyone to help you, you must, at the very least, use fresh eyes. As a rule of thumb, wait at least 24 hours and go back to review and edit it. We all know what it is like to look at something we wrote for so long that we can’t see it anymore. Even the most meticulous editors can make mistakes.
While you wait for resume feedback go ahead and start a reference list. You will want to have at least 3 personal references and 3 business references you can refer a company to if/when asked. Never refer a company to a reference without discussing it with the reference beforehand. There will be nothing that kills a company’s interest faster than a bad reference call with a company because the reference had no idea they would be contacted.
Once you finalize your resume, you can write a general cover letter. Remember that the purpose of the cover letter is to sell yourself to the interested company. It is meant to introduce yourself, tell them why you should be the one they hire by featuring the value you will bring to the table, and showcase a few accomplishments. This is also the appropriate forum to briefly explain any nuances or items that may stick out on your resume like employment gaps, or reasoning for changing industries. Use the cover letter you create as a template for other cover letters. You can tailor the information on that cover letter so it is specific to a job posting. Ideas on how to do this are: adding ways you exhibit core competencies for that company, change the company and role name, tweaking accomplishments to reflect highlights in a job posting, etc.
Best Practices for Applying for Roles
Now that you have finished your research, you should have your list of career goals for your search, a list of top 5 companies to apply to, a list of references, a cover letter, a resume, and a LinkedIn profile. It is a great time to go and create profiles on the job posting sites that were mentioned earlier in this article. You will need to review the submission requirements for documents for each site as some may want you to convert your documents into PDF, others may want an open Word document, or text file. Most job posting sites guide you through what you need to fill out, how to set up searches based on your career goals, and keywords that match what you are looking for. You can select when and how you want to receive job updates as well. It won’t be long before you are contacted.
In the meantime, go to the top 5 companies you wanted to get hired at and create a candidate account. This should allow you to upload your resume or apply for roles individually. I highly recommend you apply individually at these top companies so you can tailor your resume and cover letter based on each opportunity.
How Long Until You Land an Interview?
Finally, when you search for the perfect role for you, do not expect to land an interview overnight. One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to have patience and respect the process. Your next role will likely be where you spend the next several years of your career. Invest as much time as possible networking, researching companies, and applying for roles that make sense for your career path.
You are likely wondering what to do next. Just to level set, you should come up with a job search plan that works for you. This means that you need to come up with a plan that you will stick to, and then do it. Here are some valuable tips to consider when you predetermine your goals and come up with a plan to land an interview:
- Determine if you can afford to invest in a career coach, or resume writing service.
- Do you have recruiters you want to work with?
- How often will you apply for roles manually?
- How frequently will you do networking?
- Do you have lifelines that can help with mock interview practice?
- Who can check out your new resume and cover letter and give feedback?
I highly recommend that you formalize your plan by making a schedule for yourself and then sticking to it. While you search and apply, it is a great time to decide if there are there any skills you need to brush up on or learn for your new role. If there are, seek out opportunities to accomplish this.
The time you invest today will reap benefits beyond measure when you land an interview for the role you want and win the role. This is exactly why you should be asking yourself daily if the choices you are making support the career and future you are trying to create for yourself. Anytime you answer no to that question, drop whatever it is as quickly as you can. It takes time to find your rhythm at work…never settle for less than what you deserve.
