The A-Z of Job Search

I pulled together this list as a bit of light-hearted fun on one of my Monday morning LinkedIn Lives or #jobhuntingwithjane . This is a brain dump from me of all the words we associate with job searching. How many will you guess? What do you have in your list? Let me know in the comments below.

A is for Achievements, Applications & Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Think about what your past achievements are, this is a strong indication of what you will bring to an organisation in the future. Many of my clients say things like “It’s hard for me, I was just doing my job”. Consider how you can quantify your achievements where possible, what is the number you can attach to each one. If you are struggling think RIGIS — what did you Reduce, Increase, Grow, Improve or Save?

Sending endless applications can be frustrating, especially as most large companies use an ATS system nowadays — this is a computer that sifts through your application. I’m an advocate of going up, over and around the ATS — try and get to the hiring manager yourself.

B is for Bouncing Back

Whether this is from redundancy or the emails letting you know that you were “not successful on this occasion”. You need to bounce back each and every time things don’t go your way and, when you are in the market for a new job, things will frequently not go your way.

When things don’t go well, there is always something that you CAN take from the situation, think about what went well? The quicker you bounce back, the quicker you can move on.

C is for CV, Cover Letter, Counter offer

If you would like to write your “Best Ever CV” that you can adapt for each and every opportunity in less than 15 minutes, you can get a copy of my bestselling eBook right here.

When you are asked to write a cover letter to accompany a CV, write on! The cover letter should focus on your motivation for the role and joining the organisation.

D is for Differentiate yourself

How can you make yourself stand out from the crowd if you are doing what everyone else is doing? Avoid the ATS at all costs, try and figure out who the hiring manager is and send them a cover letter that will grab their attention. Does this take longer? Yes. It also means that you are more selective about…