This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Catherine Fisher, a career expert at LinkedIn, based in San Francisco. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
It’s becoming harder for job seekers to stand out.
A lot of people are mass-applying and using AI tools that make them sound like everyone else, and companies are being more selective.
Since it’s become so competitive, people are throwing spaghetti at the wall — but that’s not the best approach to land a job when companies are being more selective. If you’re just scrolling and mass applying, and nothing’s happening, you’re what we call “doomjobbing.” That can really wear on your self-esteem and ambition.
You only have so many hours in a day to look for jobs. It’s important to be strategic. Here are six tips I have for job seekers:
1. Set your parameters
Job seekers should start with research and build up knowledge of where jobs are.
Once you narrow down to the location, industry, and job, make sure your profile is showing the right skills. For example, we know companies are looking for AI literacy. Are there simple things that you can do to teach yourself, like online learning courses?
2. Build your network
You should start building your network early and often. Once you know which industry you’re targeting, begin researching people in that industry to connect with.
You don’t want to take someone out to dinner every night — that’s not sustainable. But there are simple gestures that you can do to start building a network, like engaging with someone’s content. People love to be seen and heard.
Ask for introductions. This may feel more difficult if you’re a recent college graduate, but you probably have more of a community than you realize. Maybe you babysat for a family that works in an industry you’re interested in. Maybe your professors can introduce you to alumni.
If you see someone with a job you’re interested in but you’re not connected to them, check whether they’re connected to someone you know. Those are called second-degree connections.
Building relationships takes a while. Try to be really specific about why you want to talk to them — and don’t ask for a job. Lay out three questions about the industry or the role they have, and ask for a really short amount of time. It’s really easy to say “yes” to 15 minutes — and really easy to say “no” to 30.
3. Include measurable achievements on your résumé and profile
Make sure you’re not using general language like “I led a team” or “I have strong communication skills.” Tie it back to the business impact.
Try to list specific examples of the work you did and how it helped the company. Sometimes it’s hard because you can’t include exact numbers. But try to paint a story for people to understand how you did your job and used your skills to make an impact.
4. Lean into soft skills
AI is obviously one of the skills companies are looking for, so that’s an important one to invest in.
What’s equally important, though, is the human skills, like communication and leadership.
A good way to build those skills is to follow, read, and watch people you really respect in the field you’re interested in. We’ve all had bosses that we love and ones that we don’t love. Use those people as an example of how you want to come across.
5. Take breaks
I don’t have a recommendation on the number of hours you should spend applying. Find out where you’re most motivated, and spend your time there. Do you enjoy networking, or does it make you feel uncomfortable? If you have a really hard time with networking, practice first with the people you know well.
Job hunting can feel really overwhelming, and if you’re spending nine hours a day looking, it can get super depressing. So build in times to reset.
Maybe you spend one day a week learning something new. Or you decide that once a month you’re going to take someone out to coffee, but every day you have one small interaction with someone.
6. Reframe what success looks like
You may not find that perfect job. Sometimes people have the mindset of, “This is the job that I went to school for. This is what I want to do.” Sometimes it just doesn’t happen.
Maybe your first job is a part-time job, maybe it’s a three-month contract. Think of it less as the job title and more about the relationships and skills you’re going to build from that role.
If someone reaches out about a job that you may not be interested in, take the call. It’s an opportunity to practice your story and build the connection.
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