10 Insights from a Hyper-Competitive Job Market
I recently hosted a live workshop series, Careers at the End of the World Live, where 50+ job seekers spent the afternoon hearing our job search and self employment strategies and insights. The series was sponsored by our podcast and offered in celebration of our refreshed and relaunched careers community, Positioned for Possibility.
If you couldn’t join us live, you might enjoy my 10 takeaways from How to Job Search at the End of the World.
Precision beats volume
This feels a bit against the grain to say at the moment, but applying for jobs, online, cold can absolutely still work right now. That’s how my own job search resulted in multiple offers last year!
The key is to focus on jobs that you’re qualified for - and to make those qualifications crystal clear for a busy reader. Start with this episode - and then listen to the next two episodes - of Careers at the End of the World. It might give you a better sense of what we consider alignment over here.
Resumes are for the reader
Speaking of readers…. This is your reminder that your resume isn’t for you.
It’s for busy recruiters and hiring managers, who are balancing their own workload as well as what I assume could very well be some of the largest applicant pools many of these professionals have ever seen.
The best resume advice that I can give is that the more you center your reader, the better this asset is going to work for you.
Listen here to learn more about our resume strategy.
Consistency and iteration over perfectionism
When new clients come our way, they are almost always in one of two places: overapplying or not applying at all.
If you’re applications are low because you’re feeling unclear, uncertain, or you’re lacking confidence, I want you to know that taking action consistently is a great way to experiment, practice, and iterate.
This approach will get you in front of people, practicing skills, and having conversations that waiting for the “perfect” moment, job, or timing ever does!
Track your data
In the best of times, the job search is an emotional process. And we’re certainly not in the best of times.
To avoid letting our emotions run the show, I recommend tracking your data. Whatever your activities are, write them down…and pay attention to what results from your action.
Do your applications lead to phone screens? Phone screens to interviews? Cold outreach to conversations?
I always say to give this tracking an initial 6-8 weeks before doing a retrospective. You need time and data to make sense of your work.
Connection is key to the strategy
One metric to evaluating the work of a mission-driven career is to pay attention to how connected you are.
It’s easy to hide when you’re struggling. It’s tempting to try and figure it out yourself.
But jobs, contracts, freelance projects and gigs are inherently relational.
They come from other people.
If you’re isolating, you’re not making your search or goals any easier. This podcast episode might help you reframe your approach.
Pivoting is about communication - not radical change.
I will be the first to say that making a significant transition right now isn’t particularly easy, but some industries are so upside down that the challenge of reinvention may be the less daunting option.
If a pivot is worth exploring for you, remember that pivoting is really about communication. Take some time to explore and learn about opportunities, align your assets, and translate your experience to give yourself the strongest chance possible.
This episode may help get you started!
Impact over description
Speaking of pivoting, you know what translates well?
Results. Outcome. Impact.
Your written assets need to convey more than just your responsibilities.
Make sure they convey the results that your work produces.
Impact is impressive, persuasive, and compelling.
And it helps to convey value across function and industry.
Work when you work best
This may be a small point, in a big, messy process, but it’s one I find myself reminding clients over and over again: work when you work best.
Aligning your work with your optimal energy can help you make the most of your time. I do my best work in the morning so that’s when I plan to do the most important or complex work. Pay attention to your own rhythm and honor it when you can!
Manage your reputation
Most jobs aren’t asking for 20+ years of experience right now. So how can we look like a fit when we have way more experience than required?
We need to use our resume to manage our reputation by curating our experience. Using “Recent Experience” or “Relevant Experience” can be helpful, as can tailoring the Summary of Qualifications and making it less about you and more about the job.
Get better as you go
Iterate, iterate, iterate! That’s my motto, really.
The job search is so stressful right so I don’t offer this lightly but this process? It’s going to take some time.
Use that time to start small and to get better as you go.
Starting early means you’ll have built up good habits and elevated skills that you’ll have experience with when a high stakes opportunity comes along.
We don’t want to start practicing once that “perfect” job drops!
Start now. Your future self will thank you for it.
If you’re looking for guidance and support for your job search, you can check out our Revive Sessions. We’re also opening up our recently upgraded community, Positioned for Possibility.