Against The Odds: Strategies to Help You With The Job Search
If you have ever submitted an online job application, chances are you recognize these words. Sorry if I triggered anyone!
This past summer felt longer than usual. After finishing my Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), I applied for jobs in Use Experience (UX) research. What initially started as an exciting journey into my next chapter became a journey through rejection. It felt like I was going against the odds.
However, just because you don’t get a job offer immediately doesn't mean it won't happen eventually.
In August, I accepted a role as a Junior UX Researcher at Alight Solutions. I’m currently loving my job and the people I work with. The reason I’m writing this blog is because I want others to find their dream job too!
I learned a lot about navigating the wild waters that is the job search. This blog outlines the strategies I discovered which helped me land job interviews and eventually an offer. My strategies are based on my personal journey landing a role in UX; however, I believe these tips can help others increase their odds with landing their next job.
Strategy 1: Refine Your Search
If I asked someone how they would search for jobs on LinkedIn, my guess is it would go something like this:
Look up job applications.
Apply to as many jobs that are a good fit.
Receive hundreds of rejection emails (or get ghosted).
Okay, I’ll be honest this is what I did for most of my job search. It’s the “shotgun method”: apply to as many roles as possible and hope something hits. The problem is this method is broken. It creates extremely difficult odds for a job seeker to actually get noticed because it creates hundreds of applications which recruiters can’t possibly review thoroughly. How is it possible to overcome an impersonal system designed to reject applicants as quickly as possible? Instead of shooting from the hip, it’s better to take aim. When searching on LinkedIn, try this strategy instead:
In the search bar, type in “the job title you are applying for” + “your preferred location”.
Then, filter your search for Posts, not Jobs. You can also add a filter to further narrow down posts made more recently (such as within the last week).
Employees and recruiters often post on LinkedIn when they are hiring for new roles at their company. Entering the parameters from steps 1 and 2 will show any recent posts made by LinkedIn users promoting new job opportunities. Browse through these results looking for posts about new opportunities that match your interests.
If you find a good match, send the author a personal message introducing yourself and asking to learn more about the role. You can also connect with or follow the author; however, it’s important that you have a real interest in the role and that you aren’t just reaching out for the sake of it.
This method can help you refine your search on LinkedIn by doing the following:
It proactively bypasses the ineffective shotgun method.
It cuts through thousands of job applications which may not even be relevant.
It makes it more likely to get noticed by an actual person.
It shows you have a genuine interest in the role and are willing to take initiative.
It is a nice way to directly build your network.
It might not seem like much, but this strategy was a game-changer in my job search and helped me land a job. I reached out to a Product Design Director after she posted on LinkedIn that Alight Solutions was growing their research team, and this lead to a job interview.
Of course, this strategy doesn’t guarantee you will immediately get an interview. It can increase your chances of getting your foot in the door because it involves a direct communication with an actual person. However, it’s important to not give up submitting applications the usual way; consider this an addition to your playbook and not a single strategy. The goal is to give yourself the best chance of getting noticed, so the next step is to stand out.
Strategy 2: Stand Out!
While trying to craft the perfect resume, I realized two things:
It shouldn’t matter where my experiences come from (whether it’s from school work, passion projects, volunteer work, or professional jobs) but why they matter. I needed to clearly communicate why my different experiences are important and unique.
If the point of a resume is to make a candidate stand out, then why should they all look the same? In my opinion, I find the standard resume to be boring. I wanted to re-design my resume with some individuality and creativity, not another white page stacked with bullet points.
So, I did something a little different. I tried to give my resume some personality.
Shown here is the new resume I designed. It improves the experience through the following ways:
I categorized my experiences into widgets to clearly explain why they were important. For instance, the experiences highlighting my collaboration and people skills are included in the section titled, “I enjoy working with people.”
I wrote the content to sound more personal and focused on my contributions.
The design is uniquely my own. The color scheme, background, and logo are consistent with my personal brand. The style is also easy to read and is more visually appealing than a standard resume.
I hope my resume has given you something to think about as you craft your own story for recruiters.
For what it’s worth, I had a couple job recruiters mention that my new resume stood out to them and it was one of the reasons they interviewed me. It has some proven success, but I want to caution you. I did not expect my new, non-conventional resume to work for every application. There are limitations to having a resume like this. One drawback is that this resume is not optimized to pass an automatic parser for big companies because the text is in multiple columns. Furthermore, a creative resume might not be as well received by some industries. Everything has its tradeoffs, and my new resume is no exception. I was willing to make some tradeoffs if it meant that my resume would stand out when people read it.
Your goal is to express why your experiences are unique and important to the job you are applying for. My point is, a little creativity can sometimes make all the difference when it comes to standing out in a job search. In order to stand out, you have to take risks and try something different. Keep in mind, it won’t always work out. For example, I did a few self-driven, design research projects in an attempt to stand out to recruiters, but these efforts did not lead to results, in my case. You will likely do a lot of work that doesn’t pan out, which is why it’s crucial to keep yourself motivated.
Strategy 3: Focus on Mindset
The job search can bring anyone down. It takes several months of searching, countless hours crafting a resume, and what feels like an endless amount of application submissions. In my opinion, staying motivated is not only the hardest part of the job search, but also the most important.
I recently talked to some of my friends about the strategies they used to keep an optimistic and resilient mindset during their job search. The following advise is based on our conversations.
Do not compare yourself to others. This is a big one. The fastest way to lose faith in yourself is to compare yourself to others. It can be especially hard to overcome this at a time when social media puts your friends’ lives on a pedestal. Well, guess what? Your friends are awesome and so are you. The people that are closest to you want to see you succeed more than you realize. It’s okay to feel a little jealous (it’s natural), but don’t let it consume you. Their journey is not yours. Focus on what makes you special and don’t forget all of the great things that you have already accomplished. You might not be in the spotlight yet, but your moment will come soon enough.
Lean into your support network. No matter how hard we believe in ourselves, the job search can leave us feeling inadequate and ashamed. Those feelings can push us away from our friends and family. However, the job search is when you need your support system the most.
My friend said that he would share his progress with his friends and family. He would tell them both the good and the bad. Simply talking with others made him feel better and changed how he felt about the situation. It allowed him to celebrate his progress or vent about any set backs.
The job search can be frustrating, overwhelming, and sometimes unfair. So let it out! Don’t keep everything inside. You’re not alone. Believe it or not, your friends and family have been through the struggle too. They can relate to your experience, offer helpful advice, and possibly provide a job referral. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it the most.
Keep things in perspective. Don’t take rejections personal. That’s one of the quickest ways to lose motivation. It’s easy to blame yourself when things don’t go your way, but truthfully luck is one of the biggest factors when getting a job. Yes, you do have to be in the right place at the right time. Accepting that there are a lot of variables out of your control can make it easier to move on.
Rejections are going to sting, especially if it comes after several rounds of interviews with a favorite company. With the right attitude the sting of a rejection doesn’t last long. I can’t emphasize this enough: a rejection is not a reflection. A rejection feels personal, but in reality it’s just a part of the process. View rejections as a good thing! It means you avoided the wrong opportunity. Learn what you can from the experience, and that will lead to the right opportunity down the road.
Take your time. The job search may be seen as a burden to some people. It’s something they want to get through as quickly as possible. Well, your professional career is not something to treat like a chore. My friends acknowledged that the job search takes time and that’s okay. It was not something they wanted to rush, because in the long run finding the right job is more important than finding a job quickly.
Manage healthy habits. The job search is a marathon not a sprint, and it can be easy to get burnt out due to the pressure involved. Remember that the job search is a job in itself, which is why it’s important to treat it like any other job.
My friends stressed the importance of developing useful habits. Set a realistic goal or task to complete each day just as you would in a job. A goal might be revising your resume, applying to three job postings, preparing for an upcoming interview, etc. Getting into a routine can help overcome burnout. This goes beyond the job search and extends into other facets of life. Settle into those habits which support your wellbeing. Simple routines like eating breakfast, making your bed, or taking a walk are important for maintaining a balance in life.
One useful habit my friend did was creating an Excel table showing the status of every application he submitted. This gave him a way to keep track of his progress and stay up-to-date on his interview schedule. I also organized a list of my interviews so I could plan ahead. There are plenty of different ways to manage your process, just try to find what works best for you.
Here’s the Excel table I made to keep track of my interviews.
Putting 100 percent of your focus into the job search can be mentally exhausting. Don’t forget to keep up the other things that are important in your life. From my personal experience, I made sure to spend time with my friends on the weekend, eat dinner with my family every night, and play video games with my brother in the evening. These habits helped keep my energy up and actually motivated me more by giving me something to look forward to.
Also, don’t be afraid to treat yourself for accomplishing your goals! After a long interview, I’d grab myself a glorious cold brew from Dunkin’ (the best way to get some self motivation in the morning).
Final Thoughts
I spent a lot of time on LinkedIn this summer searching for a new job. During that time, I noticed that so much is shared about the outcome of a job search but not the struggle it took to get there. I came across many stories of people overcoming seemingly impossible odds to land a job. While it’s wonderful to celebrate success on LinkedIn, I realize it’s a lot easier to talk about the journey after it’s over. That’s why I decided to write this blog post. My hope is that other people can learn from my experience and benefit from the challenges I went through.
For those of you who are looking for a job (or plan to in the future), I wish you luck and I hope my advice can help you in some capacity. For those of you who have a job, I encourage you to share your strategies with your network. Even if it’s just having a conversation with a friend who is looking for a job, one piece of advice or encouragement can make all the difference.
The job search is a demanding process, but it’s also an exciting time in your life. It means that better things are yet to come. Take things one step at a time, and eventually the spotlight will shine on you. Always remember, to be in the right place at the right time, you have to keep moving forward.
