🥵 Job searching forever? 4 strategies to get more interviews 💼

Job searching can take it’s toll on your mental health. If you’ve been looking for a new job for more than 3 months, the process can take a toll on your confidence, self-worth and sense of well-being. Most importantly, the process can feel longer than it actually is, because it can feel very ambiguous and overwhelming, lots of ups and downs.

When I was going through multiple job searches in my 10 year career in tech, I noticed that over time, I started to feel more and more secure in my own skills and self-worth, even if each job search has it’s own challenges. My confidence increased because the job search became predictable for me over time. I had done it almost every year, so I was very practiced in the rhythm and process of the job search itself.

That meant that I became familiar with the ups and downs that can cause job search burnout and take a toll on your confidence. I had:

• stopped taking feedback personally

• starting to network more

• gained a deeper understanding into how hiring decisions are made

After 7 job searches I can confidently say that networking is the one reliable tool that gets you interviews. After all, I got my first Product role totally by chance, yet I was also prepared and knew what I was bringing to the table, what skills I had and how to sell them. It’s best when you can make your own luck, so to speak.

On the topic of job search struggles, getting interviews is a common struggle many career changers face, especially when looking for the first tech job.

🤔 How to show that you have experience in the role when you have 6-8 months of project work? How to stand out from the crowd of 1000 applicants?

Try these tips ⬇️

1. Ramp up your networking strategy ☎️

Instead of messaging one person per company, message up to 5-7 people per company you never know who might reply! Not getting at lest 5-10 replies from people per week? Make sure to DM 20 new people per week, you can even DM to 50 new people per week to increase the chances of getting a reply and setting up a coffee chat. Remember coffee chats = potential referrals = potential interviews 🙌

2. Enhance your resume with a highlight reel 🌟🌟🌟

Create a highlight reel up top in your resume to include a list of your top three transferable skills by telling a short story in 1-4 sentences about your previous work experiences, as relevant to the job you’re applying for.

This can help connect the dots for the people receiving your resume and reviewing your LinkedIn, to get a clear understanding of how your skills from a previous career relate to the job you’re applying for. Not sure where to start? Ask me.

3. Change up the kinds of companies you're targeting 🏢

Apply to smaller, earlier-stage companies, or reach out to recruiters at larger companies that have apprenticeships or have already hired junior roles. Figure out how to have more conversations based on your company preferences. It’s possible that your applications to certain companies are not a good match for their needs, so spend time looking at companies that are hiring juniors, already have hired them, and are related to domains you are interested in.

4. Completed a Bootcamp recently? Talk with your cohort members at least once a week 💜

Find out what others are doing that's generating interviews. You might find that your cohort mates can provide smart insights into their networking and application process. Perhaps they can give you intros to people at a company they recently started at. Ask them what steps they took to land a recent job, ask for details, maybe ask to see their job tracker, or for intros to people they know.

Look to your cohort-mates as your first line of support for intros, referrals and information on what worked for them, as insight for what can potentially work for you.

Are you getting interviews? Having trouble landing interviews? What’s worked for you?Share your story by replying to this email.