Job Application Process: Stay Sane
The job application process is hardly ever easy. After all, it can sometimes take weeks (if not months) to secure an initial interview. That’s already after spending days tweaking your resume and determining which roles you feel are worth submitting a job application.
As a candidate, once you have applied and secured a phone screen, you should be prepared to go through multiple rounds of interviews in order to secure that dream job.
It’s no surprise that the job hunt can be frustrating. In fact, according to the 2019 MRINetwork Recruitment Trends Study, candidates are annoyed with submitting applications for multiple reasons. The study found that the top three frustrations for candidates during the search are:
1. Seventy-one percent dislike uploading a resume and then still being expected to manually enter info displayed on the resume
2. Fifty-eight percent dislike submitting a resume for a role for which they’re qualified, knowing that it may never be seen by a real person
3. Forty percent are frustrated by applications that take too long to complete, which is defined as being longer than 10 to 15 minutes
The following strategies can help you access more jobs and stay sane while going through the process:
1. Partner with an industry-specific recruiter. After all, recruiters in your industry know the field better than anyone. Notably, according to a Forbes article, “Recruiters can be great assets when used correctly.”
This is the case for a number of reasons. For instance, a recruiter will often know about unposted jobs in your industry. As such, they can alert you to opportunities that no one else will know about, due to the relationships they have with companies and executives that have hiring power.
Additionally, industry-specific recruiters can give you powerful advice on your career because of their knowledge of industry trends as well as roles that are in demand. As a result, you’ll have a competitive edge during the job application process and while interviewing.
When trying to find the best recruiter to work with, you should ask yourself the following questions:
– Can you trust the recruiter and are they respected in their industry?
– Can the recruiter get you access to the sorts of jobs you want?
– Does the recruiter listen to you and treat you with respect?
2. Let your contacts know that you’re on the hunt. A couple key ways to do this include:
– Speaking with friends and family in person: Simply reach out and ask to grab coffee with friends and family at companies you admire. They can potentially connect you with someone in human resources or the hiring manager for a role at the company, now or in the coming months.
– Using social media: You can also use social media to reach out to your professional connections and make them aware of your job search. For instance, you may want to use LinkedIn to send InMails and invite key contacts to speak on the phone or grab coffee. If your search is not confidential, you can also post a status update about your search.
By following this advice, you can greatly increase the odds of finding companies for whom you can work. This, in turn, will decrease your chances of an overly frustrating job hunt and boost your shot at landing a new role.