You may be looking to transition into a new job, whether it is because of the rebounding economy, you partook in the great resignation, or you are just looking for a change in your professional career. If you are finding that the job search is taking longer than you thought it would, here are three tips to strengthen your job applications to help you land that next opportunity!
- Focus Your Application Efforts
When applying to a company that you are particularly fond of, make sure your efforts are focused on one application. Applying to several open opportunities at one company may actually hurt your chances of landing a job with the company. This practice can give the appearance that the applicant is desperate or overzealous. Find the position you are interested in and qualified for, and reinforce that one application for the best chance of getting an interview.
- Be Strategic About Your Applications
Online job boards have made it easier than ever to apply for opportunities without having to do all that much. LinkedIn has the “Easy Apply” button that sends your LinkedIn profile directly to a recruiter or hiring manager. In theory this sounds great! Send your profile and resume off, and you do not have to think about it anymore.
However, since it is so easy, you must keep an eye on the number of people applying for these jobs. LinkedIn in particular tells you how many applicants there are per job. If you see there are 400 applicants for a job, even one you are really interested in, you are better off moving on from this opportunity as your application likely will not be seen.
It is important to be strategic about the time you are spending on job applications. You might feel as though you have applied to a lot of jobs, when in reality you only clicked on an Easy Apply button 25 times for job applications with hundreds of applicants! Make sure you are not wasting your time with jobs that are flooded with too many applicants.
- Avoid Cold Calling Hiring Managers
With professional networks at our fingertips making it easier than ever to contact nearly anyone in your desired field, it is important to practice restraint in reaching out to those in hiring positions when trying to land a job. Trying to jump ahead in line by reaching out directly to hiring managers, or even calling them, can put your application in jeopardy with the wrong person. Putting people on the spot when they did not have ample time to prepare for an interview or job application conversation can be especially off-putting and can immediately disqualify your chances of landing a position with that company.
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