Have you ever read a complaint on social media by someone who has applied for hundreds of jobs and not gotten any interviews? It’s disheartening to read, especially if you’re feeling anxious about your own job search.
But there’s some good news.
Those folks applying for everything under the sun are almost certainly not customizing their resumes for the things they’re applying for— how could they be? Instead, they’re spamming employers when they see anything they could possibly do. And that’s not likely to catch an employer’s attention.
So what’s a better strategy?
Start by understanding that you truly don’t need to be applying for hundreds of jobs. Try not to set arbitrary application goals for yourself in a given week. Even if you’re working to meet the requirements of an unemployment office, only apply for things you would actually be willing to do. (If you can’t find enough of those, of course, apply for enough that you’re meeting their needs, but a better strategy in that case is to add things you are very unlikely to be a good candidate for.)
Be thoughtful when you look at job boards. See if there are any specific ones that have more things that are of interest to you. Search for boards for things like art jobs, green jobs, or jobs in tech, for example. Look into professional organizations for your field, many of which host job boards.
When you find things that are truly of interest to you, spend some time reading the posting thoroughly. Note the skills and experiences you have that match directly, as well as the things that overlap with what they’re seeking. For instance, teachers have a lot of experience speaking to audiences, and people with retail backgrounds can easily demonstrate patience with demanding customers. Jot these things down. I like to hit the job posting with a highlighter, so I remember the stuff I really want to emphasize in the application.
Then get to work demonstrating those skills and experiences. Don’t focus too much on the day-to-day tasks of your previous work, except in cases where those directly correlate. Instead, think about how those tasks show your ability to do a different set of tasks. For instance, taking notes in staff meetings is a great way to show attention to detail, and explaining how a product works can show your ability to customize information for a specific audience.
When you’ve done your best to match your resume with the job description, run both documents through a comparison site like https://www.jobscan.co/, https://resumeworded.com/, or https://cultivatedculture.com/resume-scanner/ to improve your chances of getting past the applicant tracking system. If you know people at the organization, let them know you’re applying.
And when you’ve done all that, submit your application, give yourself a small reward, and move on to the next thing. Being strategic with your applications will increase your chances of getting interviews, which will, in turn, increase your chances of success.
