Have you been on LinkedIn lately? If so, you’ve probably seen posts from frustrated job seekers. They are mad. They are demoralized. Some are giving up. Looking for a job is hard, even under the best circumstances.
The majority of workers have never looked for a new job from scratch. In most cases, the job seeker receives a call from a friend, a colleague or a recruiter. They ask the job seeker to apply for a job. The job seeker interviews for the role and might then be selected. The entire process is relatively quick and painless.
Occasionally, job seekers will venture out on their job search in a new way. They’ll apply for jobs they see online where they have no connections. This is great, but it’s a very different kind of search. It involves many more applications. It involves many more interviews. And, it involves much more rejection.
This experience often leads the job seeker to believe they are failing. They are comparing this new, more difficult experience to the easy experiences they remember from the past.
Then, layer on the current news coverage, and you may begin to feel doomed. The headlines talk about how bad the job market is. Layoffs seem like an everyday occurrence. And, the negative LinkedIn posts seem to be social proof that things really are as bad as they seem.
Before you stop searching, consider this: Companies are still hiring. 147,000 more jobs were added to the U.S. economy in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. The unemployment rate is 4.2%, which is generally considered positive.
If you are struggling to find a job, remember searching in this new way is hard, even in a good market. New jobs do exist, and it is possible to land one.
The biggest shift I am observing this year is that companies are moving through their hiring processes more slowly than in past years. But, in the end, they are still hiring.
So, what can you do to increase your odds?
• First, audit your job search materials.
• Consider doing an overhaul of your resume. I’m not just talking about making it “applicant tracking system” friendly. Make sure it’s human friendly. Employers will only look at your resume for seven seconds before they decide whether or not to talk to you.
• Update your LinkedIn profile.
• Then, take the time to write a cover letter that you can use as you apply for jobs. I know that this sounds like a pain, but you are the best one to tell your own story to employers.
• Last, apply for more jobs than you did in the past. Don’t apply to five jobs and then decide it’s over. Apply to 50. Apply to 100 jobs.
As they say, getting a job is a job. But, if you audit your search and keep going, you will find yours in the end.
Angela Copeland, a leadership and career expert, can be reached at www.angelacopeland.com.