Are you searching for a job? Have you spent hours online looking through job search boards and applied to multiple sites? Have you spent even more time tweaking your resume and cover letter? You did the basics, now do something that will work.
When you plan out the steps to getting a job you will dramatically increase your odds of going home with a real offer.
This is my tried and true method for getting noticed, getting interviews and getting an actual job offer. I used these steps to get my last 6 jobs. While that seems like a high number, it isn’t for someone in my line of work. I do PRN work (which is an on call or as needed position), so most of them are part time positions that I don’t go to every day. Having a few options on the back burner is a way of life in the PRN world. I actually have the least amount of PRN positions of the other workers I know, with only 3 jobs in that category.
Getting these jobs is NOT easy. There is not only the full range of PRN-only staffers, but also the full-time working people that want some PRN work on the side to compete with. You have to be good at getting your foot in the door, and then convincing an interviewer that you are the one they want to hire over everyone else. I’ve used the same methods to get all of my jobs because IT WORKS.
Going Offline In An Online World- Job Hunting the Old Fashioned Way
The digital revolution is upon us in FULL FORCE. We live half our lives online. We shop online, manage money online, talk to friends online, do our jobs online and even date online.
One thing that has gotten lost in all this technology is the personal touch that we all need.
When searching for a job, you can bet on it that you’re just one of a hundred people that are sending in emailed resumes that day. Imagine how many they get in a week. It’s hard to put any sort of personal touch on those things. You can write down your accomplishments all you want, but at the end of the day the person looking at your resume has probably looked at 30 others already and they are all starting to blend together.
So how do you make yourself known?
This is where you need to go old fashioned and do some good ol’ in person marketing.
If you are trying to get a job then you are in the business of marketing. You are the product you want people to buy. You have to make yourself irresistible to them and set yourself apart from the competition.
How do I do that?
I’m so glad you asked.
You do that with a lot of work and a little charisma- check out the list below.
- Branding/ Self-Inventory
- Research
- Communication Skills
Step 1. Self Reflection and Re-Branding: What Do Jobs Want, That You Have?
You are a product. What does your personal brand say about you.
Are you a nice tidy package? Do you come with defects? What problem can you solve? What do you do?
Imagine they were shopping for you on a shelf full of potential employees. What about you screams CHOOSE ME!
What do you want them to know about you. Take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. Actually write them down. See what stands out about you naturally and how that could be something that a potential employer may want. Do you have a strong sense of loyalty? Are you a good follower or a strong leader? Can you speak more than one language? Do you have special credentials and skills?
Now match those strengths with what the job needs. Go on a fact finding mission and learn what they desire in an employee and what the company mission statement is. If they want someone that can follow detailed instructions and fact check without being coddled, let them know where you stand. If they need someone to lift 50lbs and be able to drive for 7 hours a day, work any of your strengths into that.
Correct Mistakes. If you have any spots on your record, find a way to either make those irrelevant or eradicate them. For instance, if you work in healthcare and you let your CPR certification lapse, go take a class and get recertified. Or if you want to become an office administrator and need to have a working knowledge of Excel and Outlook, take a course and get that knocked out.
Some employers want a specific degree or experience for a job, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be convinced to give you a shot. Sometimes they are just recycling old job postings and haven’t looked too deep into it, but are willing to consider other backgrounds if you ask them to. An Occupational Therapy Assistant may be the perfect match for an Activities Director position in a nursing home but they are typically looking for someone in the Recreational Therapy field. They could consider you if you bring it their attention. It never hurts to call and ask if they are open to other possibilites. All they can do is say “No” and you’ll only be left with a job that you already didn’t have. So no loss actually happened, but it’s possible that they say “YES!” and you have your name on their minds already from your unique request.
When asking for a special request like the one above, they won’t be able to tell just by reading your resume alone. You have to ask specifically for it. I would recommend dropping by with your resume in hand to do it, but if you can’t, a nicely worded email with your resume attached also works.
Step 2. Research, Research, Then Research Some More- Know Your Target Audience
Think about how companies target you in their ads. They do all sorts of data collection to tailor ads directly at you. They know your demographics, your basic spending habits, your cycle of life phase and even your location to meet you where you are in your buying journey.
So do the exact same thing to your potential employers.
Before I go any further–>Web presence is becoming a bigger and bigger deal these days. If you have questionable online activity then you may want to get that cleared ASAP. Anything that you can easily pull up on Google or Bing is easy for any employer to do as well. Go check out your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook settings and make sure anything you don’t want found is either secure or deleted.
Think about how you would research something you want to buy? What’s the first thing you do? Now imagine yourself as that thing.
After you’ve done the research on yourself, go do it to the companies. Webpages, business journals, contact listings, and stock info are all easily searchable. You may not need all the info, but it never hurts to be prepared. Find out about the company culture, the dress code, the hours of operation and the types of employees on staff, etc…
If you’re able to, make contact with someone in the company that can influence hiring decisions. The bigger the company the harder this will be to do without an inside connection. Company blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter are wonderful for this. Find a few posts/articles pushed out by employees and follow them. Make relevant comments, try to get them to engage in open ended back and forth (in a constructive way of course, no harassing). These sorts of things get your name noticed and when your resume springs up, they may recognize it. Have you ever seen someone or saw a logo on a shirt and thought to yourself, “That sounds familiar.” and then that thought stuck with you for hours? This is the sort of thing that this activity creates. It’s like a back door hack or subliminal messaging.
Once you have all your research completed you can take the strengths you found in Step 1 and get started on targeting the jobs you want.
Take the job description from the posting and start a running list of all the ways you can fill those job tags. This is an easy way to prepare for the interview as well as make any changes to your resume and cover letter before you send it in. This is how you can really shine.
I wrote another post on Job Scams. Sometimes while you’re researching for jobs online, you’ll find conflicting information. Like the office is located in Michigan but they are interviewing you for a telecommuting job in Chattanooga because their offices are “under construction”. Or the posted salary is twice the industry standard. This should throw up some BIG RED FLAGS and prompt you to dig a little deeper.
Step 3. Communication Skills are Very Important for a Memorable Interview
We’ve all heard that same term over and over, “Communication is key!” It’s a cliche for a reason.
This is what I find is the hardest part for most people. It’s easy to do research and make lists and edit resumes, but sitting down face-to-face with another person isn’t even comparable to that other stuff.
This is where your research will really come in handy.
To make a good first impression you have to know what they are looking for from you. This includes:
- How to dress for the part
- The role they want you to play
- How to read a room
- How to take control
- Staying calm
You do all of this with smart and appropriate communication.
How to dress for the part
Think of it like you are an actor in your own commercial. You’re are advertising —> yourself. So get into your costume.
If you’ve ever been to an interview where someone did dress inappropriately, you would know just how BAD of an impression this creates. No joke- I’ve seen someone show up in a too tight shirt that showed the bottom half of their bare stomach for an interview at a rehab clinic. The dress code was polo shirts and I have to say it was a cropped top polo, but still…. This was the most extreme I’ve witnessed, but the main takeaway is what happened next. The talk around the job was excessive and people in the same industry know each other and these sorts of things travel. This is how networking works. Good impressions travel just the same as bad ones do (maybe you don’t get this job but they have a hot tip for you at another department or company).
One way to find out what to wear is to directly ask. An email, a phone call, or posting to relevant job boards will get you all the answers you need. Since the information is so readily out there, this is something that many interviewers will not overlook. Honestly you can’t really go wrong with business casual for most jobs, if your industry is a little more formal, then odds are you already know that and are prepared for it.
The role they want you to play
Again, you are the actor here.
Once you know the job requirements and responsibilities you can really go and start to customize your message. Go into how your strengths will make their goals a reality and all the ways you are the person that can fit right into their company. This is the place for you to talk about yourself and do both some overt and humble bragging.
If they want someone to follow directions with no questions answered. Tell them how you will follow.
If they want someone to go out and be energetic with the public, show them your enthusiasm and pump them up.
If they need a no-nonsense analytical attitude, give it to them.
How to read a room
Whether it’s a single interviewer or a panel, you can get a feel for the person/people across from you. This part does get a bit trickier when you’re doing a phone interview but it can still be done. Engage with a little friendly banter instead of diving right into the interview. Look around the room and see what is displayed. Do they have a wall full of trophies? A family picture? A giant whiteboard? Little basketball hoop on the back of the door? Everything spaced 3 inches apart and lined up? An essential oil diffuser? A big desk with 10 chairs around it?
Also check out what they are wearing and how they are presenting themselves. Are they holding a clipboard? Fidgeting with a pen? Taking notes or reading from notes? How is the voice pitch, speed and volume?
There are dozens of clues laid out in front of you at any given time. I would recommend running through a mock interview if you’re new to this. Ask friends or family to help you out. This exercise seems silly at first but it gets the nervous dry run out of the way so you can feel more at ease when the real interview comes along.
Practice in front of a mirror if you don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of. Figure out your nervous quirks- like finger tapping or saying “Um”, so you can control them come interview time.
How to take control
Once you’ve gotten a feel for the room and the interviewer, you can decide how to act. How you conduct yourself will depend on your goals. Do you want to dominate the room and make it your own, or do you want to blend in and be a part of the group. Your job description will help you decide what they want from you. For a management position they aren’t going to want a follower, they’ll want you to be direct and decisive. For a line worker position they may want you to simply answer questions and be to the point and not too talkative.
The trick is to make yourself into the person that’s right for the job while still staying true to your personality.
Here are a few ideas for when you want to make the room yours:
- If the questions are asked at a high pitch and fast pace, the interviewer may be nervous. Use this as a chance to calm to air. Speak in a soothing manner and don’t gesticulate too much.
- If they are leaning back and seem calm, add a little energy to the room and be a little bit showy.
Now here’s a few for when you want to blend in:
- Match their voice quality to show you are a team player- If they want fast paced, give it to them.
- Mirror actions and sayings. If they sit with their arms crossed, you do it too. If they smile a lot, you smile. They say “Y’all”, you say it as well.
If you don’t know your personality type there are dozens of free tools on the web for you to find out. I would recommend the Myers-Briggs, the DISC or the Enneagram. The Clifton Strengths Finder isn’t free, but it is very useful and they have an entire learning library to teach you self-improvement and strategies to get ahead in business. It also gives you good talking points for your interviews.
Staying calm
Duh right? Seems like nonsense to tell you to stay calm.
It is SO EASY to get either carried away with banter or devolve into nervous actions during an interview. Typically this kind of stuff isn’t noticed until after you leave when you’re asking yourself, “Why did I say that?” or “Why didn’t I say this?”
The good news is, you can always make up a little of that in the post-interview-follow-up-email.
But how do you stay calm in the moment?
The easy answer is : Have a self signal.
It doesn’t have to be anything noticeable to other people but it does have to be something you plan out ahead of time.
I personally use pausing and breathing. When I get asked a question, I pause for a full breath before I answer it. It doesn’t have to be slow, but it does have to be a full one. This keeps me from spewing verbal garbage out before I’ve had a chance to fully form a thought.
Some other useful ones:
- lightly tapping on your leg
- uncrossing and crossing your feet
- squeezing a fist or pressing your thumb to another finger
- thinking a number/word
- flexing your big toe in your shoe
You get the idea. These are all things that take less than a second to do, but bring you back around to focus on yourself and increase awareness so you don’t lose yourself in the moment.
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