The Top 4 Reasons You're Having Trouble Landing The Job You Want
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Are you having trouble landing the job you want? You’ve updated your resume, narrowed down your job search, maybe even landed a few interviews. But your job search continues. You’re not alone. Job searchers often experience difficulties transitioning from the career they have into the career they want. So how do you land your dream career?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Most people immediately jump to a lack of qualifications, when actually, there are 4 top reasons you haven’t scored the job you want. Today, we’re going to identify the reasons you aren’t winning in your job search and ways to overcome these obstacles. Because it’s one thing to take the leap, now you have to stick the landing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#1 You Aren’t Clear on What You Actually Want.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Seriously. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, how will you ever know when you find it? It’s ok to have your hand stirring many pots, but there needs to be some direction with a clear outcome.
Resist the urge to apply for any and every job. Remember to focus on the career goal you set out in your short-term plan. This may even mean saying “no” to an offer to interview for a position you’re truly not interested in.
When applying for jobs or considering offers, ask yourself, does this align with my goals? Is this going to help advance me to where I want to be five years from now? If the answer is no, it’s time to move on.
Remember, the most important aspect of any job search is clarity.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#2 You Haven’t Optimized Your Resume & LinkedIn. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s not atypical nowadays for people to have a range of experiences or even a hiatus in their work history. This means your resume can’t still use the same typical and outdated format. Consider including a professional summary and making your resume work for you by highlighting your unique skills and accomplishments.
Optimizing your resume for your target role and field makes it easy for hiring managers and recruiters to find you and connect the dots between your experience and what they are looking for.
And if you’re not using LinkedIn, what even are you doing? LinkedIn allows you to search for future employers and allows future employers to locate you. In addition to your LinkedIn profile displaying your resume, you can also link relevant certificates and training that may appeal to future prospects. You can follow companies you’re interested in working for, look for opportunities in your network (more on this next), and even organize offline events.
Together, your resume and LinkedIn can provide a powerhouse to propel your job search forward. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#3 You Aren’t Connecting With The Right People.
Well over 50% of open jobs are filled through networking - some even say on the upwards side of 85%. It’s not what you know or who you know, but who knows you!⠀⠀⠀
But how do you make these connections and get people to notice you? And who exactly are the best people to connect with?
For one, refer back to the last point where we talked about LinkedIn. In addition to allowing you to manually search for people you know, LinkedIn will recommend connections based on where you attended school, where you’ve worked, and who you know. Once you “connect” with someone on LinkedIn, you can then reach out to them regarding insight into the company you’re interested in, providing mentorship, and even skills endorsements.
Aside from the online platform, connections can also be established by attending events of the industry you’re interested in. Additionally, if you’ve taken up volunteering, don’t shy away from building rapport with others in the group. You never know who they may know. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#4 You Aren’t Confident in What You Bring.
If you don’t display confidence in your abilities, how can you expect anyone else to have confidence in you?
The answer is, they won’t.
So how do you build confidence, especially when entering into a new career field or pivoting from a previous role? Take stock of your skills, both your hard skills and soft skills. This starts through self-assessment and self-reflection. You might also ask a trusted colleague or manager for feedback on your performance and what skill sets you bring to this table. This will help you generate and round out your list.
Once you have your strengths pinpointed, own them. Have pep talks with yourself about the times you demonstrated these skills and how they relate to the job you want. This will prepare you for doing the same when you land an interview, and nail it.
Need assistance planning your pivot? Let’s audit your resume, LinkedIn, and job search approach to ensure you’re positioning yourself to win.
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