Job Hunt Simplified - The Approach

Job Hunt Simplified

In this economy, just showing up no longer counts. Jobs are no longer doled out to the deserving. Instead, they’re given to those that are the most qualified, the best prepared, and who prove that they want it the most.

This is my way of telling you not to start the job hunting process unless you’re willing to make it your relentless pursuit to end up in a hiring manager’s short list — the top three candidates of all the people who applied for a given job — every single time.

Tall order? Maybe. Achievable? Absolutely.

So what can you do today that will make an immediate and positive impact on your job hunt? Start refining the jobs you’re going to apply for.

GET REAL:

When candidates come into my office, I always ask what jobs they’re applying to. Nine out of ten times, the person has virtually no strategy around their company selection. Many can’t even remember where they’ve already applied. While this chaos and inability to focus may be caused by the ease of one-click applying (we call that “impulse shopping”), there is a better way.

Stop and really consider each role before you hit “Apply”. Do you really have a shot at it or are you just wishing? If it’s the latter, keep digging and networking. You want to begin to train your brain to consider the roles where even upon viewing you know you have a good chance of not only being invited in to an interview, but short listed for final rounds. Once you start evaluating companies based upon your ability to make it onto the short list, you’ll begin to evaluate the jobs you’re targeting in a whole new light.

Also, be sure not to become dejected if you make it to the late rounds but don’t ultimately get the offer. Honestly, you should feel as though you’ve won just by making into the top three. After you make it beyond that point, it’s as if a brand new interview process starts — one that’s based much more on personality, company fit, and how much you click with the hiring manager. And even if you don’t land the offer, you’ll still be in their memory and they’ll likely call you when a similar position opens up. The lesson here is that you can’t win every time, but if you interview well, you’ve done some good work that might just pay forward down the line.

Here’s how to step back and get laser-focused so you can win, place, or show. Let me make it real for you.

1. Create a “Target” spreadsheet in Excel.

Column A = Target Company

Column B = Target Title

Column C = Date Applied

Column D = Priority

Your Excel should look like the image below;-)

2. List the last 20 jobs you’ve applied to or have your eye on.
Only fill in columns A, B and C. If this takes more than 30 minutes, you’re doing something wrong, and I’m not talking about your Excel skills.

3. Prioritize. 

Go to the Priority column (“D”) and assign a rank to each job, with #1 being the one you believe you have the best chance of landing based upon how much your professional chops match the company’s needs. If you find any jobs on the list that can’t legitimately see yourself landing, assign them a zero.

4. Sort. 

What jobs made it to the top of your list? Are you excited about them? Do you believe that you have a better than average chance of making it onto a hiring manager’s short list based on the qualifications assigned to the role? If so, you’re in a good place to continue on. If not, you should be real with yourself and try this exercise again with more realistic jobs. This isn’t to say that you can’t have an occasional stretch position on your list. You certainly can and should, but each job can’t be a hail mary.

Over the next month, challenge yourself to re-prioritizing each time you apply to a new job. Spend 80% of your time focusing on the 20% of the jobs you can land and excel at.  Soon you’ll naturally begin to narrow down that enormous list of jobs from long shots to sure shots.

The Takeaway

Do the critical prep work worthy of the “best you” and pick the roles where you know you can actually win, place or show. It’ll be a heck of a boost on your job hunting confidence when you start earning your way into the winner’s circle, time after time.

A goal is a dream with a deadline....   Napoleon Hill