“Stop applying. Start targeting.”

-Me, sounding like the broken record that I am

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Marissa called frustrated and at wits end. She’d applied for a job, got the interview, was in the final two candidates. When her references were checked, one of them said they would not recommend her for the type of job where analytical work would be one of the most important tasks.

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Turns out the reference had prior experience and was unsatisfied with Marissa’s work. But she didn’t know that, because she hadn’t vetted the reference. For that matter, she hadn’t vetted the job very well either. She’d applied for a job where her core capabilities didn’t align with the most important skills the job required.

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The offer went to the other candidate.

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Does your job search need a defibrillator?

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There are many things that can trip you up in the job search. They’ll cause you to get frustrated, lose heart, and maybe want to give up.

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But most are avoidable if you put some forethought and planning into the process.

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Since I find myself dispensing some of the same jewels of advice repeatedly, .

I thought I’d summarize them for you today. These are some of the fundamentals that if you master in the job search, you’ll have a much better chance of getting your dream job..

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1. Stop applying. Start targeting.

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Many recent grads and young adults love the online job search. But applying for jobs online does not a job search make. Applying for jobs online is a transaction that makes you feel good because you got something done.

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But if you don’t have an overall search strategy, including a list of target employers, you are wasting a whole bunch of time. And, you’re creating a lot of frustration for yourself in the mean time.

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When you “apply” you have no control over the process. You spend hours completing applications, only to have them go into the ATS black hole. And then, you “never hear back.”

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When you do the research and compose a list of target employers, you have more control. You control who you reach out to, who you ask for informational interviews, who you get connected to, what alumni you contact, what blogs you read, even who you cold call if that’s your cup of tea.

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Apply = no control.
Target = lots of control.

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If your strategy right now is “apply away,” how’s that working for you? Maybe it’s time to try another way.

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2. Know thyself.

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Marissa made a big mistake when she applied for a job wherein a key performance requirement – database analytics – was not a core strength for her. In the long run she probably could have made it work, but it would have taken tons of energy and probably have been very frustrating.

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She violated one of the key rules of job search:

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First, know yourself!

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I have all my clients do one assessments: StrengthsFinder 2.0. You can buy the book or take the test only online for ten bucks. Go here to do that.

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Why do I like this assessment? First, it’s all about you and what you are innately wired to be good at.

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Secondly, it helps us create your value proposition because likely you already have evidence of how you used these strengths, and, how they will help a future employer.

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Finally, it gives you words you can use to describe yourself and how you’ll be an effective employee, which you might otherwise not have come up with on your own.

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As for Marissa, her strength profile was all about ideas, and developing effective relationships with others. Analytical work was nowhere in the top of the pack.

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When you know yourself, you can figure out what kind of jobs need what you have to offer. Now, you’re cooking up a strategy.

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3. Research. Research. Research.

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The most overlooked and undervalued part of your job search is RESEARCH. 

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If you think about it, your job search is a marketing project wherein you are going to identify the perfect customer (employer) for your services, pursue them, and get them to hire you.

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It’s hard to do that with no research on: the market you want to work in, the employers who need what you have, or the kinds of jobs you should be applying for.

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I recommend you give yourself dedicated time to simply immerse yourself in the research of your job search BEFORE you start submitting any job applications.

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For example, do a keyword search on LinkedIn using some of your strengths. See what kinds of jobs are looking for those talents. Review, literally, hundreds of job postings and profiles of others.

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Start composing a picture of the direction in which you’d like to go. Now you can further develop your strategy for identifying target employers and target jobs for which you are a good fit.

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4. Play the insider game like a pro.

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It’s no surprise that many jobs are placed through referrals. And some industries depend more on this than others. To get attention in the referral market, you have to have conversations with other people. When you’re part of the insider circle, they refer you and you have credibility because of it.

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Once you have your job search strategy, you can identify the people in target companies, or tangential companies, that you can connect to. Use informational interviews to learn about the work, show off your stuff, and get more information on how to get a hiring manager’s attention.

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Use LinkedIn’s alumni connection feature to connect instantly with alumni in industries, jobs, or companies that are in your search targets.

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Get fearless about asking for connections (have a good business case) and then follow up like a pro. You’ll be acing the insider game in no time.

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5. Design marketing materials that work for you.

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I’ve written tomes on the debauched state of most resumes I see, so I’ll refrain from going into length here. I’ve listed some previous posts below.

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But I do want to touch on the key points I see most resumes miss on, especially for new grads.

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Your resume is not a list of tasks you’ve done in other jobs. It should be a demonstration of evidence that you have the capacity to do a future job.

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Instead of listing tasks, focus on accomplishments. Quantify results you’ve accomplished or work you’ve completed. Use keywords to speak to the employer in their own terms.

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Two no-no’s I see all the time:

1. In nearly all cases, you should not put an objective statement at the top of your resume. Instead, you should have some kind of professional introduction written specifically for the employer.

2. I know you just invested big bucks in your education, but don’t list it at the top unless it’s super-essential to the job, e.g. engineering, sciences, or graduate degrees where it would be critical. Or unless you went to a school that is a credential employers are looking for.

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That’s valuable real estate. Use it to send your key messages. Pronounce your core competencies that match with the job, rather than pontificating about your semester overseas (really, employers don’t care).

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Of course, you can learn all about this in The Resume Coloring Book, which will help you write a better resume and learn about why you’re doing it.

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To get more of my resume wisdom, here are a few other posts:

• 5 reasons your resume isn’t read
• 18 signs you need resume help
• 3 reasons you lack confidence in your resume

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6. Stop treating the interview like a Q&A session.

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One of the things Marissa did really well was interview. In fact, in a debrief with the hiring manager, she was told she was the best candidate in the interview process.  (Drat! if only the interview had been the sole criteria for selection!)

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What made her good in the interview?

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She did the research on the organization, and had a deep understanding of their history, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. She also had a strong sense for what they needed to do in the coming year.

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She didn’t treat the interview like a Q&A session.

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Sure, there were the basic questions. But she turned them into a 2-way interview. So when she finished a response, she’d turn to the employer and ask what they thought about her response, or how they saw a situation playing out.

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That’s how you turn an interview from a Q&A situation, into a conversation.

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As well, she brought up ideas about how they could better their strategy. And when the conversation strayed, she brought it back to focus on her attributes and specific examples about why she was a great candidate

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When you turn the interview from a vertical Q&A session to a horizontal conversation, metaphorically speaking, you’re better able to showcase what you’re going to bring to the party.

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Ok, so what are you going to differently this week?

Can you see how doing the footwork, having a clear strategy, and going after your targets can give you a much more satisfying experience, and result?