This content originally appeared on Go Make Things and was authored by Go Make Things
This week, I’m sharing my best career and job hunting tips. Yesterday, I shared my career secret weapon: coffee chats.
Today, let’s talk about how to actually find open roles to apply to. Let’s dig in!
(If you don’t want to wait for the full series, everything I’ll be sharing is instantly available in my Go Make Things members digital garden. You can even bookmark you favorite stuff!)
Job Boards
This is the most common approach that people take: you search on a job board, find roles you like, and submit your resume.
It can totally work. I got a job at $55 billion tech company doing that, and it eventually kicked-started my web developer career.
But because of how the recruiting process works (more on that in just a bit), it’s really hard to do, especially if you’re more junior in your career. It can still be worth doing, but you need to really customize your resume for each job you apply for.
These are the job board I currently use and recommend…
Recruiters
If you’ve got a little bit of experience and any sort of web presence, you’ll eventually start to get emails from recruiters about these “amazing roles” that you’re “the perfect fit” for.
This is all a lie.
Many tech recruiters specialize in sourcing candidates, not technology. As a result, they don’t have a good understanding of the technology they’re recruiting for.
I frequently get emails for Java roles because of my experience working with JavaScript.
Sometimes a company will hire several recruiting agencies for the same role. You might get emails about the same opening from two different recruiting firms (or from two recruiters at the same firm… awkward).
Because of this competition, they typically won’t tell you who they’re recruiting for. They’re afraid you’ll just go directly to the company and cut them out of a commission, but it means you have no way to properly evaluate the role.
As a rule, I refuse to work with recruiters who won’t disclose the name of the company. Many will try to get you on a phone call before they’ll tell you. It’s up to you how difficult you want to be, but I insist on a company name before I’ll even jump on a call.
None of this means you should never work with recruiters who contact you. But be aware of how they work, how they get paid, and the limits of what they know.
They may seem like a golden ticket, but typically are not.
Networking
Networking is how I’ve landed every job I’ve ever had, with one exception.
Networking is the best way to find a job, for two reasons…
- Hiring someone is always a gamble. Hiring someone that a person who already works for you likes and trusts is less of a gamble. You come pre-approved.
The process of getting a position approved can be slow. Like, really slow. Most hiring managers don’t want to wait, so they start networking with people to find candidates before the job is even approved or posted anywhere.
By the time you see a role on a job board, there may already be a short list of final candidates. Networking helps you find out about these roles sooner and get in before the door closes.
Put coffee chats to work for you
Remember this phrase from yesterday?
Can I chat with you for 15 minutes to learn a bit more about what you do? I’m exploring what my next career move might be.
It works when looking for a job, too—even if you already know what the role entails and have the skills to do it.
It’s just so much easier for someone to say “yes” to than, “I’m looking for a new job. Can I chat with you about openings at your company?”
It’s like a magic question that gets people to open up and let their guard down.
The one difference with this approach when you’re actively looking for work: ask if they known of any open roles that might be a good fit for you. If you’ve never done this before, it’s amazing how willing people will be to help you out.
It can be a slow process, which is why it’s good to start now and not when you’re actually looking for a job.
But it works! I’ve landed jobs through old coworkers, someone I met at a conference, and by using coffee conversations to talk to friends of friends of friends until I eventually found someone who was hiring.
Friends
There’s absolutely no shame in telling your friends, family, and past coworkers that you’re looking for your next thing. They know you, they (hopefully) like you, and they want to help you succeed.
I’ve had success sending some version of this email to people.
**Email Template**
Hi there!
{My current role is wrapping up/I'm ready to explore new career opportunities}. I am searching for {part-time/full-time/contract} work with you or your favorite company.
As a refresher, I'm {your title or experience} who's versatile, fast, professional, and can learn anything you throw at me. My professional experience includes...
- {A short list of specialties}
- {Take these from your Summary of Qualifications on your resume}
I'm open to anything from startups, to agencies, to larger established companies.
I do my best work with {type or organization or role}, and am particularly passionate about {environmental issues/the performing arts/etc.}.
If you've got something going on, I'd love to hear from you. If not, and we haven't chatted in a while, I'd still love to hear from you! Seriously. Let me know what's up in your life!
Thanks as always for your consideration.
What’s next?
Tomorrow, I’ll talk about how to write resumes that actually seen by a human and land you an interview. And on Friday, we’ll dig into how to nail your next interview.
If you have any questions between now and then, get in touch and ask!
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This content originally appeared on Go Make Things and was authored by Go Make Things