You’re searching every job board you know of, applying to each job you think you might qualify for, connecting with people on LinkedIn and filling your days with back-to-back job search activities. In other words, you’re doing everything you’re supposed to, right? So, why haven’t you landed a job yet?
If this sounds like you, recent research from the Career Advisory Board (CAB) suggests you might not be doing what makes most job seekers successful.
In its 2015 Successful Job Seekers research, CAB surveyed 589 U.S. professionals of varying ages across multiple industries to determine what sets the most successful job seekers apart from the pack. These successful job seekers either received job offers without ever actually starting a job search (passive job seekers) or accepted a position less than six months after starting their search, and you can too.
Here are four habits that will make you a more successful job seeker:
1. Effective job targeting.
Targeting the right positions is half the battle. Many job seekers take an “apply to any position I’m remotely qualified for and hope to get lucky” approach, but the best job seekers are very selective about where they send their resume.
Sixty-six percent of the active job seekers in CAB’s survey applied to 10 or fewer positions during their job search, and 51 percent applied to five or fewer. The result? Nearly one-third landed interviews for half of the positions they applied to, or more.
What makes the targeted approach so successful?
The best job seekers believe in the importance of being a good match for a position before applying. For example, 90 percent of CAB’s successful job seekers wouldn’t even consider applying to a job they weren’t confident they were at least 75 percent qualified for.
Being selective helps job seekers get through a hiring manager’s first cut. After all, if a hiring manager has the choice between a candidate who checks some of the boxes and one who checks most of the boxes, the cream will always rise to the top.
2. Moving past digital communications.
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook -- leveraging social media to find positions and communicate with organizations about them has made job searching easier than ever. However, the most successful job seekers know when to step outside the digital world and make more meaningful connections.
CAB found that only 33 percent of the most successful job seekers used LinkedIn “occasionally” or “frequently” during their job searches. Instead of focusing solely on digital, they tapped into personal networks (65 percent), professional networks (47 percent), and attended in-person networking events (42 percent) to find the best positions and gain valuable insight into the organizations they were interested in.
What’s the lesson? Personal interactions can make a huge difference in your job search. Make an effort to schedule yourself at least two networking events per month and schedule yourself time for reaching out to friends, family and professional contacts who may have the inside scoop on a position you’ll love.
3. Scheduling for success.
If you’re spending eight hours a day job searching, you’re doing it wrong according to CAB’s survey. Surprisingly, only seven percent of job seekers spent more than three hours a day searching and applying for positions. The most successful job seekers spent somewhere between one and three hours a day job searching, and some -- mostly job seekers over 41 -- spent less than an hour a day.
The key here is scheduling for success. Just because the best job seekers don’t spend more than three hours a day searching, doesn’t mean they aren’t efficient while they’re searching. Take time to reconsider your job search priorities and plan out how you’re going to spend your time each day. Don’t just jump online and start surfing the web; have a plan and execute it each day.
Schedule time every day for locating only best positions (those you’re at least 75 percent qualified for), researching companies, contacting hiring managers to learn more about the role, and customizing your resume to apply for the best chance at success.
4. Customization in all things job search.
Whether it’s a cover letter (56 percent), resume (67 percent) or preparing interview questions and answers (46 percent), the most successful job seekers customize their materials for each position they’re interested in.
When you take the time to customize your resume and cover letter using keywords and specific responsibilities from the job listing, you’re decreasing the chances your resume will be weeded out by computerized resume review systems.
More importantly, you’re taking steps to communicate what you can offer a company instead of just telling them what you’re good at -- a skill 28 percent of job seekers cited as the No. 1 success factor in landing a job.
What are the best ways to customize a resume? What is the skills/requirements threshold you use to choose positions to apply for?