by Anthony Ladipo, Pipeline and Facilities Engineer (Project Delivery)
Many people give up their job search prematurely, they don’t see instant results and assume that there are no jobs out there. When I was younger I was eager to learn to play the piano and my parents got me an expensive tutor. Each day I would dedicate an hour to practicing but each time I practiced I only saw marginal improvements. I figured I was doing something wrong as I had expected to see results fairly swiftly considering my dedication and desire. I continued practicing for about four months and then gave up entirely and decided it just wasn’t for me. A few years later I met a friend of mine who had started off a lot worse than me but kept practicing. He had significantly improved and was playing at the advanced level. When I asked him how he was able to achieve the success he attributed it to one thing, he had faith in the process and so worked consistently on the steps required to learn.
The job search can be frustrating especially when we don’t see the results we want when we want. If you aren’t seeing results in your job search here are a few things you must evaluate.
- Are you doing the right things – If you start a journey with the wrong map it doesn’t matter how well you follow it you will always end up in the wrong place. If your resume has errors on it then it doesn’t matter if you apply for 100 positions online it is highly unlikely you will get a callback. Take the time to ensure that your resume has no errors on it and is tailored towards the positions you are applying for. Recruiters will take a special interest in the top portion of the resume and scan the rest of the document. Ensure that your most relevant experience is at the top of the document.
- Are you executing effectively – If you have a good map but aren’t following properly you will also get lost. This has to do with how you are applying for jobs e.g. If you have a good resume but aren’t applying the right way by customizing your resume to suit the job you are applying for then you may not be taking full advantage of the resume. You must also leverage your online and real-life networks in order to accelerate your application process. If everyone knows you are looking for a job then they will all be on the lookout for any opportunities they can find which will make your search journey a lot quicker. In highly competitive jobs it may also be necessary to do more than just the typical approach of applying for the job online as you probably know 80% of the jobs out there aren’t posted. Get in the habit of speaking to anyone you meet about your job search, don’t be negative about it but just let them know you are in the market.
- Consistency – This is the most important of all three techniques and is also the reason why I didn’t become the next Mozart. If you firmly believe you are qualified for the jobs you are applying for, you have a strong resume and you are leveraging your network and also using unconventional methods to seek the 80% of unlisted jobs then you are on the right track.
- Remember that nothing happens overnight, one of my favourite quotes is “Look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before” Don’t give up on yourself, and keep applying the systems that you know work once you have done an honest examination of yourself.