Recently I posted a video about the fact that if you're not learning, earning, or growing, you need to leave your job and find one that hits at least two of the three (because baby, you deserve all the things, not just some of them).
But a lot of people commented and said that leaving was hard, especially in this current job market. And trust me, I know how difficult it can be to apply to a bunch of jobs and not get (or hear back from) any of them. We have clients who share their frustrations with us on a daily basis.
If you're frustrated, you don’t know what’s going on, or you can’t seem to figure out why you still haven't landed a new role, keep reading. We're going to talk about what might be going wrong at each step of the process and how you can easily fix the issues that are holding you back.
So You Applied ... But Can’t Land An Interview
If you aren't hearing back from anywhere that you apply to, or you’re getting an automatic rejection email every, there are two things that could be happening.
The first thing: you’re applying to the wrong damn jobs. And by “wrong” I mean wrong for you specifically.
Before y’all come for me in the comments yes, I know that a lot of you are transitioning. I'm not talking about somebody that's trying to make a move from one role to another within the same job family because that person is going to have a ton of applicable transferable skills.
But you know good and damn well that you shouldn’t be applying to a job as a surgeon if you don't have the certification, background, or education to be in that room and people do shit like that every day.
If you’ve never worked in a field before, you may need to take a more entry level role before you can move into a higher paying position. So please stop applying to jobs and spaces where you don’t have a lot (or any) expertise and then getting frustrated by the results.
The second thing: your resume sucks. It’s in distress. We can hear it hollerin’ from here.
And don’t start with that “but I just redid it” noise because if your resume was well written you’d be getting callbacks. But guess what? If you're not good at storytelling or showcasing your expertise in a way that makes them say, “I wanna talk to this person” we have a ton of tools, free content, and professional services on offer to help you out.
Yes, the job search is crazy right now. In fact, LinkedIn just stopped showing the number of actual applicants on job postings because the numbers were sometimes in the thousands. So now, more than ever, you need to make sure that you stand out if you want to make it in front of a recruiter or hiring manager. And that basic, baseline, resume that you have? It’s not going to do that heavy lifting for you.
So You Landed An Interview ... But Can’t Move Past The Recruiter
If you're getting calls back from recruiters that means your resume is dope and you're applying to the right jobs that are relevant to your skillset. If you can’t make it past that recruiter call though? It’s highly likely that what you’re saying on the call isn’t reflecting what’s on your resume.
This usually happens if you’ve been bullshitting on your resume. Think copying and pasting it directly from the job board or putting your name on someone else’s resume entirely. When your resume doesn’t align with the conversation a recruiter is having with you, it’s super suspicious and makes you seem like a liar and a fraud. And y’all know how we feel about bullshitting on resumes in general (namely that you should never do it).
What’s on your resume has to match what comes out of your mouth. If you claim to have a skillset, you need to be able to speak to that experience. Don’t list that you have experience with Python or Sequel and then be surprised when the recruiter asks about it.
You need to ensure that you're prepared to answer basic interview questions because a recruiter, quite literally, is just trying to see if you check the necessary boxes before they send you over to the hiring manager.
So You Made It Past The Recruiter ... But Not The Hiring Manager
If you're getting to the hiring manager and beyond, but you're still not getting the job then that means your interview skills need work. Your resume was fine. You were able to showcase that you at least met the minimum qualifications with the recruiter. But you're probably not doing a stellar job for a whole host of reasons.
Remember, an interview is a conversations. How’s your body language? What does your face look like? Are you answering questions in a way that's concise or your responses really confusing? Do you ramble? Are you likable or are you rude?
All of these are things you can fix. You just need to actively practice. Interviewing is a skill. You can absolutely learn and get better at it.
So You Got Past The Hiring Manager ... But It Was Still A No
If you’re getting to the final rounds and still not getting job offers, there could be a whole host of reasons why you didn’t get that offer letter. One reason in particular is more common than most and it sucks to hear it but sometimes, someone else is just better aligned with the company and their vision than you are.
That doesn’t mean you suck, that they’re better than you, or that you can’t find a similar position elsewhere. They were just better aligned for that particular role and the needs of the organization. There’s nothing you can really do about that other than trying again with another company.
So Keep Your Head Up
A lot of times, people simply don't know where they're stuck in the job search process so they spend time working on (and fixing) the wrong things over and over again when, in reality, they should be focused on another area entirely. Hopefully this post will help bring you some clarity. If it did, make sure to share it with someone you know who is also struggling in their job transition. And, as always, if you have any questions drop them in the comments below or contact us directly. Happy Hunting!