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Where your work meets your life. See more from Arise here.

There'south no other way to put it: Finding a job during Covid-xix is hard. If you are looking to country a new role, your success depends largely on hiring trends and the economy, both of which are working confronting you right at present. Hiring savage to a seven-twelvemonth low last fall.

While the economic downturn has tilted the market in favor of employers, many companies are financially strained and lack the resource to survive another lockdown. Virtually 100,000 pocket-size businesses have permanently airtight since the pandemic began. Together, these factors amount to increased contest for scarce positions and farthermost stress for job candidates.

As a job seeker, you may feel powerless right now, but rest assured — this is not entirely true. Yes, your competition has increased, only so have your opportunities. Remote work has expanded talent pools and fostered more than diversity in hiring. Before the pandemic, the majority of recruiters were express to candidates located in their cities. Today, virtual piece of work environments take freed up companies to search for talent regardless of location.

Now is the time to comprehend these opportunities and form a strategic approach to your application process. Even though y'all tin't control the ebb and catamenia of the market, there are still ways that you tin make yourself a marketable candidate.

Through my work equally the CEO and founder of Cheeky Scientist, a task search training platform for people with PhDs, I have developed a five-week strategy to fast-track the task search — and anyone, at any stage of their career, tin can use it.

Before you lot even begin to look, you need to know your odds.

Companies hiring elevation talent ofttimes spend the first few months of every yr focused on corporate strategy instead of recruitment, which will typically hinder your task search between January and March. Afterwards this initial rough patch, the marketplace hits peaks and valleys based on the state of the economy, which explains the increase in unemployment during the pandemic.

Hiring trends, all the same, tend to surge upward again at the end of the twelvemonth, betwixt October and Dec, because companies desire to devote any leftover budget to new talent.

The traditional "expressionless zone" of January through March will likely exist exaggerated in 2021 as large companies recover from the effects of Covid-xix, and so don't be disheartened if you lot fail to land a job before April. This summer may exist the all-time time to actively search for and collaborate with potential employers earlier the September through December hiring surge.

Now, let's begin.

Calendar week one: Update your résuméto highlight transferable job skills.

People talk about the importance of having "transferable skills" on your résumé all the time, merely what practise they really hateful?

Transferable skills are all of the things you're good at that tin can be practical to various roles in diverse industries. For instance, potent writing, fourth dimension management, and problem-solving are all examples of what would be considered "transferable skills." The fancier definition of this term is "an ability that isn't highly specialized." Non-transferable skills, frequently called "hard skills," are specific to certain industries, like coding, blitheness, or graphic pattern.

You might have been told to tailor your résumé for each role you apply for, but from what I've seen, that strategy won't work in 2021. Many companies are nervous about hiring more specialized candidates because they're unsure what the concern landscape volition expect like after the pandemic. To show you lot are adjustable, generalize the skills on your résumé into iii main areas: systems-oriented, people-oriented, and self-oriented.

Systems-oriented skills are associated with your areas of expertise. Under each role listed on your résumé, try to phrase these skills in a practical manner to bear witness how they tin can utilise to a diversity of positions and industries, not but your specified field. For example, suppose you lot worked as a content creator at a software company. In that case, highlight "concern writing" on your résumé and specify what you mean by including more than distinct tasks — like creating blog posts or writing marketing emails — under your role. Doing so volition help prove that you lot tin employ this skill to any task rather than just at a software company.

People-orientedskills highlight your power to communicate with colleagues. Right now, companies value candidates who tin collaborate remotely and take the potential to atomic number 82 virtual teams. On your résumé, exist certain to include keywords like performance management, virtual training, and task delegation, either under a particular role or a separate "skills" section at the lesser of your résumé to demonstrate your ability to collaborate and pb.

Self-oriented skillstell your potential employer that y'all can work diligently, learn speedily, and apply new solutions to existing issues, similar the ones acquired by the shift to remote work (decreasing productivity, burnout, etc.). You might think of these as "soft" skills, only they are in demand and will help y'all stand up out as companies continue to decentralize their workforces. Words like "autonomy," "time management," and "self-starter" prove employers you can stay on job, remotely or otherwise.

If you have been using a chronological résumé just are struggling to become responses from employers, or if you are trying to enter an industry you have no previous experience in, try mixing things upward by showcasing your transferable skills first — even before your job titles. Use them every bit headers under the experience section on your résumé.For instance, sticking with the content creator example, you might put:

Business Writing

Content Creator at [Company]

  • Bullet bespeak about your specific responsibilities.
  • Bullet point nigh your successes, including metrics.

According to our data, list transferable skills earlier your experiences can atomic number 82 to better callback outcomes. When candidates failed to get a response with a chronological résumé, we constitute that this more functional format was constructive 21% of the time. Meanwhile, combination résumé  formats (combining a functional skills list with chronological work experience) and sidebar résumé formats (focusing on scannability) were only constructive iii% and two% of the time, respectively.

Many employers will read just the bolded portions of your work experience department earlier contacting you, so highlight your transferable skills appropriately.

Week ii: Amend your personal brand on LinkedIn and make your profile visible.

The narrative behind your career path is critical when y'all're trying to stand out in an employer's market. Companies desire to know where yous've been, what yous've learned, and how information technology has shaped y'all equally a professional. This will help them sympathise your value even before you land an interview.

Make sure hiring managers see your LinkedIn contour by using keywords to land more search results. Merely like y'all use Google to find specific data, hiring managers use LinkedIn to search for candidates. To start, copy the descriptions of ten similar jobs that involvement y'all and paste them into a word deject. The most common words are the ones you should contain into the diverse sections on your contour.

You'll likewise want to include your desired task location (fifty-fifty if you're targeting remote positions) to catch the attention of recruiters who are searching for candidates using location-based keywords.

Additionally, you should upload a professional — but friendly — picture and consider personalizing your imprint photograph. Profiles with a photograph receive 21 times more profile views and 9 times more than connexion requests than those without them. Banners should follow a cohesive colour scheme and shouldn't be too complex or decorated. If you desire to make your banner actually pop, try listing three to five keywords or transferable skills at the summit of your prototype.

Y'all can besides catch an employer's attention by engaging with your network. Think of LinkedIn as a way to show off your expertise. Attract more people to your page by liking and commenting on posts related to trends in your manufacture, publishing text-simply posts (which receive 42 times more views), sharing original manufactures, and regularly searching for connections. Increasing your activity on LinkedIn is a fast way to elevate your Social Selling Alphabetize (LinkedIn'due south metric for success in terms of your personal brand), which helps increment your visibility to employers.

Week three: Behave informational interviews with potential co-workers.

An informational interview is a conversation y'all can have with some other professional to acquire more nigh their career, company, or manufacture. Different a job interview, the goal isn't to become hired; y'all're trying to educate yourself. In your job search, this type of interview serves two purposes:

  1. It allows y'all to gather intel on companies that are hiring.
  2. It helps you lot form connections with employees at those companies.

Through those connections, you tin learn about open positions earlier they're advertised. You might fifty-fifty proceeds referrals to roles you lot're interested in pursuing.

A great way to first is past reaching out to your existing network. Talk to school alumni, LinkedIn contacts, family unit members, and friends who might work at or know someone employed by an arrangement you're interested in. These conversations might land you an informational interview, or they might guide you toward other potential opportunities (like a company or position you hadn't considered before).

If you accept your middle assail a certain system, some other pick is to use LinkedIn to connect with someone who works at that place. It'southward all-time to cull someone who holds a position like to or cross-functional to the one you're seeking. The goal is to discover someone who can credibly respond the questions y'all have.

When you reach out, bear witness them that you are a valuable contact by first offering to connect them with someone who could benefit them, professionally or personally (if you lot tin can). Keep your request concise and exist specific about the topic you would like to hash out and the time delivery you're seeking:

 "Hello! I noticed your team is looking to learn more most [topic or service]. I deeply admire your organization'due south work around [mission], so I wanted to accomplish out and let you know I accept a connection to [person], who may exist a valuable contact. I don't want to accept upward besides much of your time, only I'd love to leap on a 10-minute phone call to provide you with their information and talk about your company. I'thou a big fan of [cite their work] and would love to acquire more about [their role]. Are you by chance bachelor to chat in the next couple of weeks?"

If you don't have a contact to offer upwardly, then it'due south best to exist upfront most your intentions. Begin your bulletin by maxim something specific about their organisation — or even ameliorate, their personal work — and and then go in with your asking:

"Hello! I saw the recent post you shared on [topic], and I really appreciated your commentary nigh [cite their piece of work]. I noticed you work in [industry or visitor], which is an surface area I'one thousand really passionate virtually. I was wondering whether y'all might have time for an informational interview in the adjacent couple of weeks. I'd love to acquire more most the work you lot exercise and how you got to where you are."

One time the call is scheduled, come up prepared with a few questions, and try to continue the tone of the conversation casual. The dainty thing nigh informational interviews is that they are depression stakes for both parties. So, while you lot should be professional, don't treat the process too formally.

Whoever you terminate up speaking with, exist sure to end the call by sincerely thanking them for the coming together:

" I only wanted to let y'all know that I really appreciate the time you spent talking to me almost [visitor]. I learned a lot about [topic]. Please let me know if there'south anything else you'd similar to talk almost that I may be familiar with or if I can connect you to someone professionally."

Depending on how things go, yous might also enquire whether in that location is anyone else who they might suggest you contact to learn more. Taking the time to take this conversation will prove that y'all care enough about a position enough to reach out before the application procedure, which already places you ahead of more than passive candidates.

Week 4: Ask for job search referrals from your connections.

If you made any good connections during your informational interviews in calendar week three, ask your contact for a referral before you apply to the role at their organization. This is important because getting a job search referral shows potential employers that another person is confident in your skills, and it'southward normally a guarantee that your awarding volition be seriously considered — which increases your odds of getting called in for an interview. It's best to follow up with your contact no sooner than one week after your informational interview to avoid bombarding them.

Glassdoor recommends existence honest from the start about your goals while providing your contact with ideas for how they can assist you lot in your professional person task search:

"T hank you again for talking with me about [company]. Learning about [topic] during our conversation made me realize how much I'd like to piece of work for your visitor. I'm interested in applying for the position of [title and link to task clarification], and I wanted to ask whether y'all could refer me or if you'd be willing to pass my résumé on to the hiring managing director."

AsThe New York Times notes, the pandemic has become the great equalizer in today's economy. Task candidates are no longer selected based on location or attendance at live networking events. If you have references who can speak to your feel and abilities, yous'll go further than candidates who don't.

Week 5: Gear up for your virtual job interview.

Prior to your interview, conduct plenty of research so that y'all are upwardly to date on recent news surrounding the company you lot're applying to as well as trends happening in your industry. You tin commonly observe these updates on their website and social media channels, or past setting Google alerts for the company'southward name and key players. This footstep is especially of import if time has elapsed since y'all originally applied.

I'd also recommend looking into the person who will be interviewing yous, provided you lot're able to gather that data from your recruiter beforehand. Check out their LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to learn more than virtually their career path and interests.

With the information you gather, arts and crafts a few questions catered to the company, the piece of work they do, or projects they've launched that catch your interest. You should likewise come with a few questions specifically about your interviewer and their work. This will immediately fix you apart from other candidates by showing your genuine passion and marvel for them and their organization.

In terms of what you will be asked, know that many employers are concerned almost piece of work-life rest in the remote piece of work era. That said, I can almost guarantee queries similar "How do you lot stay productive?" and "What'south your daily routine?" will come up. Prepare your answer beforehand to showcase your power to prioritize tasks and manage time.

Lastly, when information technology comes to your physical presence, know that you volition likely be interviewing remotely as well. The most common virtual interview tips includedownloading the right engineering science (Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams), having an appropriate environment (go with a plain background), lighting yourself from the front to avoid appearing like a shadow figure (use a ring light), and making eye contact to appear confident (look into the webcam). To this list, I'd add ii things:

  1. Dress in neutral colors on elevation and go with a business casual outfit, fifty-fifty if the visitor culture seems casual. Your try volition bear witness the interviewer that you're serious about the hiring procedure.
  2. Make it a signal to show that yous are engaged in the conversation past nodding, raising your forehead, saying "yes" in agreement when the other person is talking, and using hand gestures to emphasize important points. Enthusiasm is difficult to communicate on video, and so y'all'll need to make an extra endeavour.

While Covid-19 vaccines are on the horizon, your chore application process begins now. The sooner y'all can follow these steps and become started on your search, the better off yous'll be in the long run. Information technology's time to take your career to the next level by following this five-week job application timeline.