“I’ll never be able to get a job in my field of studies!”, cried Anna in despair. She had been looking for an entry level job in marketing, but all the jobs she applied for required at least a year of experience and nobody was calling her for interviews. “My degree doesn’t matter, I feel like it was all a waste of time and money!”
If you are a recent graduate like Anna, you are probably experiencing this frustrating obstacle – you need experience in your field to get a job, but you need a job to get experience! While internships go a long way in proving that you have what it takes, it may not be enough.
Here’s a process you can follow to overcome this chicken-and-egg challenge:
Step 1- Choose a job search system and follow it daily.
It can be joining a job search group at a local library, or using these steps. Systems will cut down your search time by 33%. Think about it as a game of darts. If you keep carefully throwing darts to a target you will eventually hit the bullseye.
Step 2- Make a list of 100 companies you’d like to work for.
Did you know that at any given time, only 3% of the companies that can hire you actually have an opening? One reason why discouragement sets in is that you only have 10 companies on your list, or that you are only applying for jobs advertised online, which represent only 10-20% of all open jobs. This list will help you strategically research firm’s pain points to engage hiring managers before they have an opening, so you can beat the competition for the job. If you are a woman or minority, add firms that focus on diversity hiring to your list.
Step 3 – Sell outcomes in your LinkedIn profile, resume and cover letter.
People do not buy skills or education, they buy results. Start by asking the professionals you already know (especially if they work in your field) about one result they need to deliver in their work and the obstacles they face in that process. Pay attention to the language they use – outcomes are generally along the lines of driving customer engagement, sales and profit. Examples of obstacles are logistics coordination, technology know-how, low motivation on the team. As you learn from them, think about all the paid and volunteer jobs, or hobbies you’ve engaged in, and about your life experiences. What technical and soft skills did you gain in the process? Which results can you create for an employer by applying those skills? An example of how to communicate outcomes is “I can handle all the logistics of delivering a course based on my experience running monthly programming for a campus organization”. Most people who just communicate skills would write “I have leadership experience at a campus organization”.
Step 4 – Build a hiring tribe and showcase your expertise to them.
Use LinkedIn to connect with peers, potential supervisors, HR recruiters and diversity office members at the 100 companies on your list. Start by inviting graduates from your alma mater, ensuring you include an introduction to your invitation such as, “I came across your profile on LinkedIn as we are both _______ (school) alumni. I would like to connect to learn more about your experiences at _______ (company name).” When they accept your connection (about 30% of them will), reply with a thank you such as, “Thanks for agreeing to connect with me on LinkedIn. I’d like to be helpful to my network by learning about the results they are looking to achieve. Can you tell me about one work-related goal you must deliver this year?”. Again, expect about 30% to reply. Any data you gather will be helpful to refine Step 3 communications and choose helpful content to post on LinkedIn with an insightful comment that showcases your expertise. Also watch your feed for opportunities to like, share and comment on posts from your new connections. And please, do not vent your frustrations about your job search to the world in a post. It doesn’t allow people to focus on what you can do for them. Vent in person/on the phone with someone that knows you well, letting them know in advance that is the role you’d like them to play on your search (or hire a coach to do that for you).
Step 5 – Bypass the applicant tracking system (ATS).
This means, do not just rely on applying for open jobs online to get an interview. Get in the habit of sending impact letters daily to hiring managers or peers, where you discuss a result you can help them achieve and offer them the opportunity to dialog about the obstacles they are facing, since you have access to research or professors at your school, and are speaking to many people in the field as part of your search for your next career opportunity. For a template to write impact letters, download my free eBook at landdreamcorporatejobs.com.
Step 6 – Interview like it’s a sales call.
If you do Steps 2 to 5 well, you should have been engaging in conversations with professionals in your field which will eventually lead to interviews. During your interview, practice talking only about the relevant outcomes you can create. In addition, prepare to share three one-word strengths and one weakness with a plan to tackle it. Don’t say your weakness is that you’re a perfectionist or that you lack experience. A good honest weakness could be the flip side of your one-word strength. For example, “I’m very analytical so I need to agree upfront with my boss that s/he is allowed to stop me if I’m going too deep into details during my weekly meetings.” In addition, end answers to their questions with your own questions to assess fit and pain points. For example, when asked “Tell me about yourself”, talk about the outcomes you think you can create for them based on your life experiences and end with “How relevant are these types of results to what you are trying to accomplish this year?”. That will generate dialog so you can better understand their needs and show you’re the ideal person to help meet them.
Step 7 – Maximize your compensation early on.
Many new graduates may feel that they are not in a position to negotiate because they do not have experience, but that is not true if you have shown that you can contribute the results. Your base salary and benefits will set the stage for future raises, and especially if you are a woman or minority, you need to be careful to minimize your diversity pay gap. To overcome this challenge, you need to prepare a reasonable target base salary range based on internet research and information from peers. Let them broach compensation first, and when they ask you about it say “Based on my research, I understand the range for this position should fall between $X and $Y, how does that compare to what you have budgeted for the role?” When you receive an offer, get in the habit of asking “Is this offer negotiable?” and ask for the full information on salary, benefits, title, reporting, timing of raises, etc. to ensure you are getting the best possible deal on compensation. Use three friends as a sounding board so you can sound positive and collaborative at the same time you advocate for yourself.
Based on my experience with coaches, I know these 7 steps will get you more interviews and ideal job offers in 90 days if you work the system as I outlined above. When you download my free eBook at landdreamcorporatejobs.com you will get a link to schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me to tailor the system to your situation.
Please comment below to share questions, other tips and successes. I look forward to finding out how you have benefited from applying my proven 7-step job search system!