101 Course: Resume, Job Search, and Interview

Looking for a job is stressful. This is compounded when you don’t know what you’re doing – or if you’re doing it right.

Most job seekers are never taught job searching skills and go their entire careers without having learned how to properly search for jobs. The result? Failure and frustration.

This course was written with the busy job seeker in mind. The writing is clear, the format is simple, and the sections are brief and straightforward. If you apply what you learn, you’ll have the job-search skills you need to find your dream job.

The Job-Hunting Lifecycle

There are 3 major phases of the job hunting lifecycle. Each is essential in landing a new job.

These are:

1. Creating a resume/online profile
2. Searching for a job
3. Effective interviewing

Think of the job hunting lifecycle as a clock. If any pieces of the clock are broken, the clock will not work. If you do not work to improve in each of these phases, you will have a more difficult time landing a job. In fact, you could, in theory, be good at interviewing (phase 3) but if you have a lousy resume/profile (phase 1) and are not good at searching for a job (phase 2), you will have a harder time landing a role. You will not be able to get into the front door and nail your interview because you didn’t make it past the first or second phase. On the flip side, you could be a lousy interviewee but have a killer resume and be good at job searches – you breeze past phases 1 and 2 but when you get to the 3rd phase, employers won’t hire you due to your poor interviewing skills.

Examine your job hunting lifecycle. Systematically work to improve your skill in any or all of the three phases where you are weaker. When your 3 lifecycle phases are strong, you will have a higher probability of gaining new employment.

Creating an Effective Resume

When looking for a job, your resume is the most important marketing tool at your disposal.

They say there is nothing like first impressions, and this is so true when a potential employer reads your resume. It is their first interaction with you.

A recruiter or hiring manager will make a split-second decision about you based on your resume. Your resume will be put in the wastebasket if it does not stand out, is not formatted properly with correct spelling and grammar, and if your skills are not clearly identified.

10 Parts of Creating an Outstanding Resume

1. Ideal resume length – the rule of thumb is to keep a resume to one full page.
2. Proper resume format that all employers could access
3. Aesthetic fonts and colors
4. Honesty and integrity in the information provided
5. Flawless spelling, grammar and writing style
6. Using accurate and familiar job titles
7. Including all the key sections in your resume – your Personal Info, objective, education, job history, and skills
8. Proper section placement that highlights your advantages
9. Using keywords that will stand out to both human recruiters and automated recruiting software
10. Customizing your resume to the specific type of job you are applying to

How To Create an Effective Cover Letter

The purpose of a cover letter is to sell yourself to recruiters and/or hiring managers and to entice them to look at your resume. There are 5 main components of a cover letter, and they are:

1. Your contact info
2. The hiring manager’s contact name and company info
3. Self-Introduction
4. Your Top-5 Selling Points
5. Conclusion Statement

Creating a Linkedin Profile That Stands Out

Most job seekers are familiar with LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/), one of the world’s largest social media sites. For those job seekers who are not, it is a business-centric social media site that allows individuals to create an online profile that works like a resume. Not all LinkedIn users are looking for a job, but users can be contacted by potential employers about job opportunities.

Why is it important to create a LinkedIn profile? You may be able to find jobs on LinkedIn without creating a profile; however, to apply for most jobs on LinkedIn, you submit an application using your LinkedIn profile.

6 Steps To Make Sure Your LinkedIn Profile Stands Out:

1. Deciding what is your focus for using the LinkedIn platform
2. Connecting with your contacts and then with people LinkedIn suggests
3. Uploading an excellent picture of yours
4. Adding detailed, honest, and well-written information, which is in line with your focus
5. Mentioning your accomplishments and getting endorsements by your contacts
6. Continuously updating the above, with a focus on an expanding network of connections

Job Boards, Job Alerts, and The Importance of Speed

One of the most common places you will search for a job is on a job board. A job board is a website where employers post roles that need to be filled. Job boards can vary in size from large boards like CareerBuilder and Monster to niche boards like Dice, an IT job board. There are also hundreds of smaller boards, including regional boards and boards in almost every job sector.

Job aggregators are indexed job sites such as Indeed and Glassdoor which take jobs from many sources and put them together in one place.

The Importance of Speed

Every day you delay applying for a job, another person applies for that same job. Before you know it, the employer has enough candidates and closes the job. You have missed out.

Employers do not wait for latecomers to submit applications. Usually, the first people to apply have the greatest chance of getting roles. It is common practice for employers to close roles when they have enough candidates in their pipeline.

To ensure you are on the top of the list, apply to roles as soon as you see them open. Delaying by even a few hours is bad enough, but waiting days could cost you that potential job opportunity.

How do you find jobs before others do? Sign up for job alerts and make sure that you check for new job postings every day.

Job Alerts

One of the biggest ways a job seeker can save time in their job search is to create job alerts. Job alerts are daily or weekly emails that are sent to job seekers to inform them about open jobs. The job seeker simply signs up for alerts based on the jobs they are interested in. All the major job boards and aggregators have an option for job seekers to set up job alerts.

Quick Apply Applications

Another great way to save time in your job search is to use quick apply applications. This great tool gives job seekers the option of applying for jobs with a few easy clicks of the mouse. On most major sites, you are given the option to quick-apply for some jobs. What these sites cleverly have done is allow you to apply to jobs with the existing resume or profile you have created. In the case of Indeed and LinkedIn, the job list tells you what jobs offer the quick apply process. A job seeker can save tons of time by applying to many jobs with one easy quick apply process.

How to Interview for a Job

You can have a killer resume. You can apply for job after job. But if you do not interview well, you will have a hard time getting hired.

In fact, the most qualified candidate is not necessarily successful; in many cases, the best interviewer gets the role.

During the interview, you have a short time to convince a hiring manager that you are the right fit for the role and the company. Interviewing is a skill. As with any skill, once you understand the rules and practice them, you can become an expert.

What is the art of interviewing? It is being able to sell yourself and your abilities to a potential hiring manager – based on how you answer their questions.

5 Key Aspects of Being an Excellent Interviewee

1. Know your resume, background, and work history inside and out
2. Tell shorts interesting stories that present your experience and positive accomplishments instead of just providing factual information
3. Learn what are the most common interview questions and prepare yourself in advance for answering them
4. Have the right attitude – be polite, professional, prompt, and flowing with positivity
5. Dress right, smell right, and connect with your interviewer but do not interrupt him or her

For many individuals, looking for a job can be one of the most stressful times in their lives.

This does not have to be the case for you. 

If you learn how to build a stellar resume and LinkedIn profile, how to find the best jobs, and how to effectively interview, you should have a solid foundation that will help you move forward and be successful in your job search.