The Art of Finding a Job. . . in the Middle of A Pandemic.

It can be a difficult process to find a new job. It's practically a job in it of itself - an art really. Especially amidst a global pandemic.

Most job searchers probably have these thoughts run through their head every time they even think about a job board:

• With a pandemic happening - no one is hiring.

• With everyone getting laid off and looking for jobs there's no way I can compete with other applicants.

• I'm going to have to take a pay cut if I want to get hired - it's an employer's market.

• Plus maybe one or two other negative thoughts.

While I see how you get there, this is a very bad way to go about looking for a job. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy is a thing and if you think that you don't stand a chance, you won't. You won't put as much effort into your application, your cover letter, your interview, etc.

While there are some barriers to the job market, here are some things you can do to make yourself stand out:

Your Resume.

There are tons of tips and tricks to making a good resume, but for the sake of time, here are a few quick ones. The first thing that a recruiter notices is the format. Plain resumes that are all white with long lists of experience are boring (unless your applying to a specific industry like Law), so spice it up to stick out among other candidates. Here's a link to a few recommended templates.

Additionally, don't use first person on your resume, it takes away from the professionalism. Your descriptions should be concise action points with numbers thrown in to show you can drive results. For example, instead of saying: "I created a mentorship program," write: "Created and organized mentorship program that paired 150 employees to encourage employee development throughout the company."

Next, make sure your resume is customized to the job you're applying for. If you're not sure what you want to do and you're applying to sale positions and analyst roles - those resumes should contain different content. Your resume should highlight the specific skills of the job you're applying for. Don't have just one run-of-the-mill resume.

Lastly, when uploading your resume to an application, or sending it to someone, make sure you do so in a PDF so the format is locked in place.

Cover Letter.

A lot of people see cover letters as a pain in the neck. They are. But, once you write one - you have a template. When writing a cover letter, your formatting should match your resume (font, font size, color scheme, etc.). There are three main sections.

The first section talks about you and why you're interested in the role and company. It's wise to research the company's mission and values and to sprinkle that info in your letter. This shows that you really care about the company and makes you stand out from other generic applicants.

The second section is about your skills and how they're relevant to the job. A good idea is to go through the job description's requirements and responsibilities and write how your experience and skills relate to the position. And don't be afraid to throw in some personality. If you're applying for an analyst role you could say something along the lines of "I'm a nerd when it comes to spreadsheets, you should see how many things I keep track of in Excel."

The third says "it'd be nice to continue the conversation" and thanks the reader for their time. Check out this link for some formatting samples.

Update your LinkedIn.

There are many approaches to a LinkedIn page. Make sure it's up to date with your experience, no typos. Try and get some people within your professional network or previous professors to leave you a recommendation on your page. Lastly, a small but nice detail is to ensure your profile has a custom URL with your name instead of the random characters LinkedIn generates as a default. Here's how to do that.

Stalk Recruiters.

Once you apply to a job, go to the company's page on LinkedIn. Click on their "People" tab and search for the job title "recruiter." If no results pop up, you could also search "talent' or "people."If it's a larger company, you may have several people show up. Message one or two of them saying you just applied for a position and you're very interested in their company. At the end of the message you can add a line about "if you're not the right person to talk to, please direct me to who is."

Additionally, if you wanted to go the extra mile (you should), search for the title you applied to and message someone that would be on your team. A lot of companies have monetary referral rewards so they'll be inclined to get to know you and refer you to join the team. And a word from someone on the inside is always helpful.

Prepare for the Interview.

Prior to your interview, research the company's business, values, and mission statement. Crawl through Glassdoor reviews to ensure this is a place you want to work. If anything alarming comes up, make a note of it so you can ask about it in your interview. Study the job description and take notes on talking points to highlight your skills and experience in relation to what they're looking for.

Come up with questions to ask your interviewer. You should come prepared with different questions for each interview. Come with at least three: one about the role, one about the company culture/strategy and one about the person interviewing you (what they like/dislike about the company or their role).

In Person Interviews.

Research the company culture prior to your interview. If the company you're interviewing with has a casual dress code, you don't want to show up in a full suit. Come dressed business casual to show that you will fit in there. You always want to dress slightly above the company's dress code to show respect but not too much so that you stand out.

If you're nervous, strike a power pose. This increases confidence and releases serotonin so that you'll perform better in an interview.

Don't think of an interview as an interview, think of it as a conversation. A conversation where you get to brag about yourself. Keep your answers to their questions short and sweet, show some personality but make sure your point gets across about why you'd be a good fit for the position and the company.

Post Interview

Once you leave an interview, connect with the people you met on LinkedIn with a message thanking them for their time and reminding them how enthusiastic you are about the role and the company. An email works great too.

There are many other components about getting a job: creating a resume, writing a cover letter, salary negotiation, interview skills, etc. Finding a job is truly an art. A pain in the ass - but an art nonetheless. Everything happens for a reason. Life is fickle, something will work out, you just have to have faith and a positive outlook. To discover more tips and get more help, the internet is your oyster (or you can book a session with me for some hands on help and to get access to my custom and success-proven templates). Best of luck!