3 Often Overlooked Tips to Level Up Your Job Search

During any long term job search, it can be easy to repeat the same behavior over and over.

Apply. Email. Connect. Follow-Up. Repeat.

After going through the motions for a few weeks, you may be unsure what strategies to change. Or, sometimes it can seem better not to change anything at all. Either way, you may not be utilizing some key job search techniques that are extremely easy to implement.

If you’re tired of endlessly searching, here are 3 commonly overlooked tips to help you get a job fast.

1. Set Up Job Alerts

During your job search, it is best to have several sources of job openings. These can range from postings on job boards, to advertisements on Google, and even include networking sources on LinkedIn.

Regardless of how you are finding new job listings, it is extremely important to set up alerts for specific jobs in order to keep up with them. Although the average job takes quite a while to fill, being a first applicant can ensure that your name is high up on a hiring manager’s list.

“The average time to hire is around 40-50 days from an initial posting.”

-Zety (2021 HR Statistics)

While it can take almost 50 days from an initial posting to fill a role, applicants that are first in line are normally seen first. Most digital job openings are “first come, first serve”. Unfortunately, if you apply late in the process, the chances of your application being seen are lowered drastically. At this point, an employer may already have job offers out and are actively considering new hires. It is best to disregard listings that have been open past 30-60 days for this exact reason.

The best way to be seen first is to set up job alerts on every platform. You can easily set up push notifications for your phone, or set up daily email alerts from various job boards. Here is a list of ways to get job alerts before anyone else on a few different platforms.

Job Alert Tips

1. LinkedIn- Set up account alerts for specific job searches. LinkedIn will automatically send notifications after you apply to a few roles. They will try to send positions that match anything you have already applied to. Also keep an eye out for “first applier” listings. This will allow you to have a prioritized application by being an initial applicant.

2. Job Boards- If you are using ZipRecruiter or Indeed, be sure to set up custom alerts for job searches. Search by title and send alerts to your phone, email, or both. Look out for “urgently hiring” roles that may prioritize your application.

3. Networking- One of the best ways to learn about new positions is to network. Make sure to ask your friends and family to notify you if their organization is hiring. This is sometimes the quickest and most effective way to secure a new job.

Applying first is sometimes one of the best job search strategies. Make sure you are a primary applicant by setting up push notifications and daily emails!

2. Develop Your Research Skills

Our next quick way to level up a job search is a bit more abstract. Research skills are extremely underrated in any job search. At the core of a search, your goal is to research positions that are open, discover companies that would work for you, and learn more about skills that are needed to succeed.

In order to have a successful digital job search, you need to become the ultimate internet detective.

If you think about it, many of the issues that people face when they are unhappy with their jobs or facing long term unemployment boil down to digital research skills. If you are unhappy at a job, unfortunately your research did not properly show how an organization functioned. If you are facing long term unemployment, you may have missed opportunities due to a lack of research.

There are many other struggles that job seekers will face, but leveling up your research skills can allow for a variety of new opportunities to cross your path. Here is a list to help!

4 Ways to Level Up Your Research Skills

1. Look Online- Before reaching out to any companies or even applying, be sure to research web presences, online reviews, and Glassdoor profiles. All of these items will give you a great idea about how a company functions and hint at the overall culture. Stay vigilant for fake reviews and outdated processes. Sometimes, discovering that a company isn’t a good fit for you is more valuable than receiving a job offer.

2. Closely Examine the Job Description- Make sure to read any job listing that you apply to a few different times. Sharing it with your friends and family is a great idea. If you see anything that looks unattainable or a listing contains buzzwords like “guru” or “unicorn”, it may be a sign that the company should be avoided. Also, keep an eye out for “entry-level” roles, as many times they are simply mid-level positions with entry level pay.

3. Set up Informational Interviews- Do you think a company would be a perfect fit for you but no jobs are open currently? Informational interviews can be a great research opportunity and allow you to learn a lot about a company. Try reaching out on LinkedIn to an HR representative and ask to have a quick chat. If you leave a great impression, chances are that they will reach back out once an opportunity opens up.

4. Talk With Employees- Once you have an interview and are in the on-boarding process, make sure to talk with as many employees as you can. Come prepared with a few different questions to discover exactly what the company stands for.

All in all, research is integral to any successful digital job search. These skills can make or break your career. Make sure to invest in developing these skills and looking deeper beyond an initial job posting.

3. Overhaul Your Resume

If you have been applying to jobs for a while and are still not seeing any offers, your resume may be causing problems. It can be extremely easy to have typos or mistakes on a resume without even knowing it. Things like incorrect phone numbers are more common than you may think!

“77% of hiring managers instantly reject resumes with typos or grammatical errors.”

-The Motley Fool (5 Resume Stats All Job Seekers Should Know)

Make sure to double and triple check your resume for any incorrect information. Send your resume along to friends and family and have them double check as well. Even one small error can reduce your chances of getting an interview by almost 80%.

Besides looking for simple errors, revamping your entire resume may be the way to go if you are not hearing back. It can be hard to know what common resume practices are correct, so let’s go over a few common mistakes that can greatly hinder your job search.

Most Common Resume Mistakes-

• Incorrect Contact Information- Sometimes, an old email or phone number will prevent recruiters from being able to contact you. Make sure that they all contact information is current!

• Unprofessional Email Address- 76% of resumes are rejected due to unprofessional email addresses. Make a new email if you need just for job search tasks.

• Professional Headshot- Do not include an image of yourself on your resume. This outdated practice will have many recruiters instantly throw the document away. Save the professional headshot for LinkedIn instead!

• Not Matching With Industry Standards- A good test to discover if your resume is on-par with an industry is to do a quick Google search. Look at what others have created in terms of overall design, work experience, and page length. Incorporate anything that you learn in your own resume. If you are too far off, recruiters may reject you for mismatching the norms for an industry.

• Lack of Data- If you have checked all other issues off and are still facing difficulty, turn to the content of your resume. Are you listing quantifiable results that show your value as an employee? If not, it is time to re-write your work experience. Data is the #1 thing that employers want to know about. How did you impact the company and solve problems? Emphasize the answer to this heavily on your resume.

A resume overhaul can be a lot to do by yourself. Investing in a career coach that can assist with resume production is a great idea. If you cannot afford a career coach, check out our latest article on easy ways to create a new resume from scratch.

We hope that these 3 quick tips can help in your job search. What difficulties are you running into lately? Let us know on Facebook and let’s talk! Feel free to DM us any questions!