Job Search Strategies for Survival, Part Three

Part 3:      Roadmaps, Blueprints and Intention

What about all of those roles you already applied to? Some were spot on for your dream job, some were passable opportunities that you’d take if offered, and some probably had no business receiving your resume. But what do you do about it now?

AI can review these roles against what you’ve taught it about your skills and preferences and create a ranked list for you. It can explain why each role is being placed where it is, and it can create a recommended way forward for each.

Feeling overwhelmed by the blanket advice to “build your network”? Because you have no idea where to start after you’ve applied to double/triple digit roles?

AI will tell you which roles to not bother with. It will tell you which roles to prioritize, and it will tell you how. AI will even create an outreach strategy and schedule for you, such as “Monday, send a nudge email to this recruiter and research who the Director of TA is at this company”.

Preserving your gas tank. Removing the app goggles. Using prioritization and intention. These are the hacks that help you take back control where you can.

However...

The above AI tips work if you know what to tell it. If you know what you want, where you’ve applied, and what your preferences are.

That doesn’t happen organically. You have some heavy lifting to do, but if you build smart processes and habits, the muscle memory will take over eventually.

What does this look like?

·         Know yourself. Know what your preferences are, what non-negotiables you have, what makes you tick and what elements help you thrive. This likely requires a combination of inputs – your own reflection, feedback from others, documenting trends from past experiences, and partaking in some assessment tools are what I recommend to start.

·         Learn what attracts you. You know what can help with this? You guessed it – AI. Grab a handful of job descriptions that you’ve favorited or applied to, paste them in your favorite AI tool and ask it to reveal the similarities it notices. It not only opens your eyes to revelations that you can use for more informed searches, but it helps your AI agent get to know you better. Wins all around!

·         Keep records. Document the jobs you apply to, when you applied, and if you reached out to any network connections there. Furthermore, you should save the job description somewhere for future reference (I recommend grabbing not only the description, but also the salary range if posted and the requisition number). When jobs close, the descriptions may be hard to retrieve – and you’ll be glad you have it saved if you’re contacted for an interview.

o   If you don’t feel like creating a library of potentially tons of roles, use that prioritized list from AI. Maybe you create a library of job descriptions only for the jobs that are in the top half of your true priority matches.

o   Why save the requisition number? If you end up reaching out to internal employees to request their insight or a good word put in, sometimes telling them the job title isn’t specific enough to be useful. The requisition number is unique to each posted role at the company, and will make it easier for a hiring manager or recruiter to be identified.