I recently went through a job change. Thankfully I was searching while having an existing role, so I wasn’t in a big hurry, but this is still applicable if you’ve been suddenly let go like the mountain of unfortunate people in larger companies. I’ve found myself being asked by friends and coworkers about my strategies for finding a role, and for assistance in their journeys to get a job or change role.

Sort out your resume!

Too many times I’d field questions about someone’s job-hunting experience to find out that they’ve not done anything with their resume.

Here are my tips for resume writing:

Before reading these, keep in mind that any reviewer of resumes is going to want to cut down the pile of resumes to something manageable for them to get through in a reasonable amount of time. Like anyone else, they’re probably spinning multiple plates at once and can’t be spending days reviewing resumes. Rule of thumb is usually 7-10 seconds per resume for a yes/no in the first pass. These are a guide, but I ignore them only if I have a VERY obvious reason to, otherwise it’s just giving more reason for the resume to be cut from the pile before being read.

• 2 pages, 3 if you really can’t avoid it.
• Unless you’re in a creative field involving customer-facing design, there’s no reason to have anything but black and white or very low-contrast colours. Nothing garish.
• Whitespace can be good if you’re again a creative type trying to make something good looking, otherwise, it’s just eating up space you could be selling yourself with.
• A usual question is which do I put first, education or professional experience? Put the most relevant first. If you’re just starting out, highlight your certifications and study. If you’re just changing roles in the same field, then put your professional experience first.
• Don’t just list workplaces and dates. List what you did that provided value to the business. Maybe put a couple of points about your day-to-day, I like to put it in the format of:
  1. What did you do?
  2. What did you use to do it?
  3. What benefit did it provide the business/client/team? (Focus on money or time saved)
• If you have a job description(JD) to work from, include keywords from it to draw attention, or get you through automated analysis.
• Even if you are a creative type, don’t over-format the version you send people. When put through automated analysis, the extra formatting usually breaks it and comes through as gibberish.
• You’ll be tempted to include a blurb about hard working, team player etc, it’s just fluff wasting space. Use it to list roles you’re interested in and work you’re interested in instead.
• Always be updating your LinkedIn & Resume while you have a role. When you leave you won’t remember everything of value you achieved in your time, consider it a living document that should be tended to regularly instead of only unearthed when you’re commencing a job hunt.
• It’s so easy to set up email alerts to receive roles for your industry in your inbox every day. Do it on any job platform you can find, and use it to keep up to date with your field of expertise. This lets you know:
  1. The market rate for pay
  2. Hot skills you could be putting into your learning and development plans
  3. Whether there’s a flood of demand for talent, meaning you’re safe to ask for a raise to keep you. Alternatively if things are quiet, you will know to keep your head down, or consider skilling towards a different role/field.
     This means that in any negotiation you’ll always be coming at it from a well-researched, knowledgeable standpoint instead of just plucking numbers out of thin air.
• If you’re going for a higher role, or more pay or both, maybe a slight sideways shift for different work. Write the resume for the role you’re going for, not the role you’re leaving. List how your experiences have equipped you for the role you’re trying to achieve.

It takes a village. Recruiters are your villagers!

Recruiters cost nothing for you to use. They make their money when they fill a role. So you lose nothing by having a chat and letting them know what roles you’re after, the requirements for the job, your strengths and weaknesses. They’ll advise on resumes, presentation, anything to assist you to succeed at getting a role. It’s in their best interests to help you do as well as you can. Chat with a bunch, pick 2-5 you like the most and ask them to assist you in finding a role. Think about how much you’re doing to find a job. Now imagine how much wider a net you’ll be able to cast if you have more people looking for you. I mentioned it’s free right? :D

A complaint I often hear is “I get spammed with bad jobs from LinkedIn”. I get the same, most spam from recruiters is jobs that are poorly suited, spammed out with the most basic of search terms to spray and pray, hoping they get a hit.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that recruiting is a sales role, they’re selling talent to businesses. As part of that, they’re constantly building relationships. If they get a role, and they know someone who’d be just right for it, they’ll go straight to them. It fortifies the relationship, gets a quick turnaround for their client, and a quick payday for them.

The bad jobs you are spammed with, they’re the ones they weren’t able to fill from their contacts. So you’re getting the 2nd pick of jobs without working with recruiters.

I’m not getting anywhere after applying for a role

I’ve seen many people with much more technical expertise than I, have issues getting interviews after applying for roles. When I dig deeper, it’s usually because they’re applying for roles and waiting for the interview to come.

I can’t stress enough the benefit of either reaching out to whoever’s offering the position before or after applying. I prefer to contact them prior, then supply them with the resume. Make sure you have some questions pre-prepared to discuss. Research the company, the recruiter and if you know what department, try to find the department head on LinkedIn too. Open Source Intelligence is valuable stuff. It lets you take the temperature of the organisation, get out any questions you have before applying, and usually gets you on a shortlist.

Keep in mind that you’re always competing against others. Anything that can put you ahead of the pack will help. Your discussion with the recruiter can turn up things not mentioned in the job description that will make you stand out if they’re on the resume or highlight that the company might not be for you.

It also allows you to outline what you’re after in a role, and mention that you’re open to any other roles they consider you a fit for.

Don’t hesitate to reach out a week after and ask for an update, or feedback if you weren’t successful. If you like the company, ask what you can do to increase your chances for future attempts.

One thing that seems pretty self-explanatory is to follow the instructions in the job advert. If they ask for applications to come through their site, do that. If they ask for the resume in .docx, do it. I’ve already mentioned that resume reviewers look for any reason to cut down their initial mountain of resumes, and if you can’t follow instructions before you’ve got the job, why would they expect it if you get the job?