The Voice of Job Seekers

Mark Anthony Dyson ★ Career Writer ★ Speaker ★ Thinker ★ Award-winning Blog & Podcast! ★ I hack and reimagine the modern job search!

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10 Obstacles to Remove in Your Job Search 2023

 

Remember when scrutiny of workplace and job search practices was so prevalent in recent years? Trendy discussions of “quiet quitting” and”quiet hiring” are hyped by the media as a thing as if it were something to prevent. Feel free to ignore the distractions, and pay attention to what’s more critical regarding your career development and advancement.

There are obstacles you can jump over, and the unlisted hurdle to jump is to start. Once you pass that hurdle, you will see progress and more barriers to jump over or bash through. Although I’ve listed ten, there are many more. But these are one people are talking about, and ones you should ignore:

  1. Lacking preparedness for multiple stops

Problem: Jobs are opening and closing within a year. It’s frequently happening, and you wonder if these were full-time with benefits you worked hard to compete for successfully. When the job ended, you started from scratch because you needed it.

Solution: While I’m not suggesting you look past your current position and leave work undone, I recommend you create multiple streams of opportunities through networking, collaborations, and future-proofing your career through continual professional development. Job search is a lifestyle in season and out—plan on continuing professional development, networking, and pivoting as a way of life.

2. Unprepared and surprised by wishy-washy companies

Problem: One company pursues a top-line candidate to woo them through the job interview process and sends a job off, only to rescind the next day. Two weeks later, they get another offer from a different company with the promise of a written request coming. The same company rejects its original job offer to make the second one below the first one.

Solution: This is today’s job search. Companies, like job seekers, change their minds and strategy in the middle of the process. The best way to control your outcomes is for you to have multiple companies to pursue and for companies to want you. Your job search is still ongoing. Even an offer letter shouldn’t keep you from marketing yourself, at least in a minimal way.

3. Forgetting today’s job search is more competitive than ever

Problem: As the economy and the job market tightens, the competition for job intensifies. During and after the 2008 recession, unemployed older workers took jobs traditionally teens or recent college graduates took as “bridge jobs.” Every job opening is competitive.

Solution: Getting a referral from your network is hard, but it does make a supersede an often-daunting online application first process. Also, joining and participating in industry organizations or association committees, activities, presentations, or boards can give you access to opportunities job boards won’t provide.

4. Not deploying critical thinking

Problem: Job seekers often need help to think of ways to determine the employer’s needs. In today’s job search, there are tools to target specific companies whose problems you can solve. While focusing on your problem-solving skills has some value, you must know how and who you can help.

Solution: My colleague Bethany Wallace points out in a recent article on Lensa, “The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveyed employers in the United States and found that over 98% of employers in 2022 consider critical thinking extremely important for job search candidates.” Putting yourself in the shoes of the employer’s thinking is the beginning of critical thinking during the job search process. Those who successfully deploy this thinking understand each employer may want the same skill but wants to utilize them for their organization in their unique way.

5. Not seeking feedback

Problem: An up-level in skills without feedback is an incomplete skill. The best education you receive is the one where feedback is honest and constructive. You can get many certifications without feedback, but without critique and responding to real-life problems, you’re heading through the land of comfort and abyss (see point #4).

Solution: While there’s value in hiring career coaches and consultants, resume writers, and so on, the people who are where you want to be can clarify the best road to where they are. All routes are different, so it doesn’t absolve you from responsibility. The grind is still there for you to do. Have some business conversations (informational interviews) with those who’ve reached your desired goals.

6. You lack follow-up skills

Problem: Every phase of networking, job search, company research, and interviewing success is contingent on your ability to consistently and persistently follow up. Unfortunately, most job seekers spend less time making the second or third call if they get a needed call back.

Solution: It would surprise you most employers are glad you follow up because they’re busy. It’s scary to ask for a callback or an email, even if you’re promised one. But people are busy like we are, and sometimes a nudge is needed. Your competition will follow up, and you will be remembered if you do.

7. Giving in to discouragement

Problem: No one looks forward to a job search. It’s stressful and full of uncertainty and rejection. The longer you’re job searching, the more discouragement spreads through your diminishing self-worth and confidence, affecting your closest friends and family like gangrene. Eventually, it’s obvious to employers, recruiters, and people who can refer you that you’re giving up, especially when it comes across during interviews.

Solution: One anecdote I’ve seen work is to be accountable to people who refuse to give up on you and temporarily cut out neutral or negative-thinking people. Those steadfast in your fight know what it’s like and won’t let you down. The people who encourage you the most will challenge your thinking of doom and gloom. They understand others who are facing the most trials.

8. You’re a ghost online

Problem: The number of employers and recruiters who vet potential job candidates through their online presence increases yearly. In 2011, they might check your profile to see if you have a regretful reputation (drunkenness, bad judgment caught on camera, bad-mouthing an employer, etc.) during a reference check. Today, not having an online presence will hinder your chances of being found. 

Solution: A LinkedIn profile 100% filled out with a professional photo is more visible than a scarcely filled-out profile. It’s OK to look at other colleagues’ profiles to get ideas to help inspire (not plagiarize) yours to completion. LinkedIn has written an article on how to create a shape. It’s a great model to follow. It’s better to think “digital assets” than “digital footprint” if you want employers to find you. You want your social presence to be proof of value, not just existence.

9. You fight novel and adaptive thinking and career agility

Problem: All professions are facing changes in skill, supply and demand, and scarcity of some kind. Employers and recruiters (for the most part) are looking for something other than textbook ideas. They are looking for creative, out-of-the-box solutions. Whether you work in retail or engineering, ideas that save money and time are welcomed. The challenge for job seekers is using applied knowledge from several skill sets (hard, essential) to bring new solutions to companies.

Solution: As the job markets change, skills must evolve for growth and adaptability. The professionals stringing job opportunities one after another are proactive about skills and market demands. They are well connected to their network and competition through LinkedIn, professional communities, and applying for jobs. The feedback from these opportunities informs their need for development and additional experience.

10. Online salary discussions get you in your feelings

Problem: If all of the advice about “grabbing the bag” and “getting what you’re worth” has you feeling pressure to negotiate, you’re not alone. Instead of finding your reasons to negotiate your compensation package, you are feeding off of the social energy. While someone could post well-intended testimonies about getting more money from their negotiation experience, unknown details could lead to insecurity. The posts also can mislead people to be reckless by implementing well-intended but not-meant-for-your-situation advice.

Solution: There are cues to listen for when you’re at the proverbial negotiating table. But, if you don’t have your reasons to negotiate, you’ll feel pressure to perform than to accomplish. Researching the market value of a position, conversations with peers and people who’ve had the role previously, and understanding your worth before you start a job search is critical. Not only not knowing market value is essential, but also not knowing what value you bring to the market creates an obstacle hard to break through.

You can easily set traps, snares, and obstacles by not researching and thinking through what you want. Many intelligent and savvy professionals are indecisive about what they want and get trapped in jobs they don’t want. You can’t fulfill your desire for a fulfilling career if you don’t prioritize clarity.

While there’s conflicting advice everywhere you’ll need to sort through, take extra precautions the advice you take to make it apply to your goals. If it doesn’t apply, move on. It’s always better to hear people talk in-depth about their experiences and successes than fine-sounding arguments and sound bites. Many scammers masquerading as experts want to sign you up for shallow programs. Do your own research, get second and third opinions, and get trapped by someone’s timeline for success.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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4 Audacious Job Search Strategies From 2018 Will Work in 2023

Many of us have felt desperation at our feet at one time or another in our adult careers. Whether we needed a job yesterday or wanted to accomplish a goal before a certain age, we’ve been there. We took a bold measure or two because, in our mind, choices were dwindling, and fear had set in.

I felt the pressure once when I was fired, and bad luck was piling on because I was laid off. I was desperate enough to call the company that laid me off (the same day I was fired) to let him know I was available for any work.

6 Bold Job Hunt Strategies to Try

They told me to come in the next day because someone had just quit. I was out of work for three hours.

Everyone knows private school is expensive. I was grateful beyond measure. It was bold, yet it paid off.

I wrote an article for Payscale several years ago that still applies to today’s job search.

Here are my points summarized but updated:

Connect and forge other connections and conversations

When people rushed to LinkedIn at the beginning of February, people were on the verge of a career crash. The world was on the brink of a health and professional crisis. Many, however, embraced their networks and created community and career-altering conversations. It’s still happening. Great networking breeds great networking, and you dictate its quality. 

Have an entry and exit strategy for jobs 

Professionals embrace job, and career changes more now than ever, but few are strategic about quitting. It’s wise to consider your standards for exiting to benefit your career choices for the long term. Entrepreneurs have exit strategies for their businesses, and you should do so for future jobs. You’re planning and constant career engagement will keep steady streams of opportunities more often than not.

The Audacious Follow Up Call After Your Interview

Social proof matters

In the article, I said, “Since your competition is global, you need to impress employers more quickly. Your competitors are posting their training trips, Toastmasters speeches, and writing clips to showcase their expertise. Declining to demonstrate value through social proof diminishes your career story. It’s also a missed opportunity to show your network why they should refer you.” More importantly, credibility matters to your network, employers, and recruiters. Social proof makes viewing your online presence as a quality connection easy.

Get salary intel from your network.

Since 2018, there has been a growing number of cities and states in the U.S. mandating salary transparency from employers. In July 2022, Indeed.com, a job board and employment site stated they would only post positions with salaries posted. We can only hope other job boards will follow and more states with salary transparency laws. Social networks provide opportunities to ask people we know about their knowledge of salary and negotiation. The news is an excellent prompt to start and continue discussions to help make informed career decisions.

If you’re currently conducting a job search for the first time in years, passive efforts have little value and only elongate navigating a tough job market. However, there’s much value in taking bold steps like meeting decision-makers and asking your network to help you discover vital information about employers and salary information.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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What’s the One Thing Job Seekers Could Do to Stand Out with Orlando Haynes, Jack Kelly, and Tristan Layfield

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What’s the One Thing Job Seekers Could Do to Stand Out with Orlando Haynes, Jack Kelly, and Tristan Layfield by Mark Anthony Dyson

Today’s show features a couple of helpful conversations:

I discussed with Tristian Layfield how job seekers could gain traction after getting laid off. Tristian is the host of The ClariTEA podcast. I interviewed Tristan last year on the podcast.

I asked two recruiters, Orlando Haynes and Jack Kelly, how job seekers could stand out to get their attention.

More about my guests: 

Tristan Layfield is the founder of LayfieldResume.com, a service helping professionals with resumes, cover letters, career coaching, and the like. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice for 2020 in job search and careers and has been featured in Black Enterprise and The Muse.

Orlando Haynes is a recruiter, talent acquisition business partner, speaker, and host of the CareerTalks podcast and video show.

Jack Kelly is a Compliance Recruiter, entrepreneur, CEO of WeCruitr.io, and Forbes Senior Careers Contributor.

You are more than welcome to join the discussion.

Here are three ways you can:

– Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number

– Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message

– Send email feedback to mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

 

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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7 Job Search Strategies to Use In 2023

7 Job Search Strategies to Use In 2023

7 Job Search Strategies to Use In 2023 by Mark Anthony Dyson

If you’re not strategic and intentional about achieving success in your job search in 2023, then you depend on luck. This year will look different than past years (I know, it’s said every year). As a job seeker, a job you hate can feel like a mouse with its tail in a trap. I understand why people who see the need for job change can forget all they learned about finding jobs. It takes time, some rigor, resilience, and more. I’m here to help prepare you for this journey.

If you haven’t looked for a job since the beginning of the pandemic, you’ll be surprised how much has changed:

  • Video interview software used by employers is more prevalent than ever.
  • Tik Toc is a real resource for recruiters and job seekers with areer advice and job announcements.
  • Job scams include scammers masquerading as real companies.
  • The broken relationship between employees vs. employers is a bureaucratic civil war of a different kind.
  • The notable rise in layoffs while maintaining a low unemployment rate (an anomaly worth following).
  • “The Great Resignation” is a normalization of job-hopping for career advancement and more pay.
  • The noticeable but slow elimination of the college degree required for entry-level positions.
  • The ease of finding 100% remote or hybrid jobs has significantly increased.
  • Laws in California, New York, and Colorado require employers to post salary requirements on job postings.

The successful mindset and shift

It’s hard to overlook how much has changed in three years when finding work, not just for now but anticipating the next steps. Many job seekers who don’t have a linear job path will find it harder to navigate. It’s easier to say, “I can do any job,” but it’s the path with the most resistance.

The job seekers who perpetually find a stream of opportunities have many things in common.

Here are a few of them:

  1. Clarity of their skills (essential and hard), value, career path, and compensation.
  2. They are tied into networking channels and industry organizations and become helpful to others.
  3. Perpetual learners participate in professional development at “scale.”
  4. They have created a personal ecosystem that propels and thrives in any economy or job market.
  5. They know the scope of their skills and their value across several industries.

Knowing these trends helps you navigate the job market.

To find the right job, one strategy won’t be enough. Just as you want to diversify investments to optimize your financial potential, you’ll want to diversify your job search strategy to optimize your choices of opportunities. Marshall Goldsmith’s book title, “What got you here won’t get you there,” is true regarding a job search done some time ago. Every industry experiences a logistical and technological disruption, while others create new pathways.

I list a few to choose one or more from below. There are sage strategies for all time, but here are a few to consider and implement in 2023:

1. Volunteering

The many layers of leveraging volunteer work are effective at every stage of career advancement, including career transitions, future-proofing, and career cushioning.  Not only it’s a career enhancer for many, but also it creates a referral and connection engine, unlike other strategies. The social nucleus often crosses ethnic, career, and purpose lines to advance a cause and share a natural connection not felt in a workplace. It appears people who found work through volunteering focused on helping people, delivered on promises and welcomed feedback.

2. Personal SEO

I’ve written articles and created podcasts about “personal SEO” and its importance in being found online. There are two small but useful strategies to try:

  • If you’re active on LinkedIn and Twitter, search your name on those platforms with and without hashtags. It’s possible to find your name with “#” and not always the “@.” You might have a job requiring you to make public content for your job. Even if you’re not active on social networks, it’s good to check your name and reputation for misinformation, misrepresentation, or unwanted exposure.
  • Make it a habit to check Google and other major search engines (DuckDuckGo, Bing, Brave, Yahoo) every two or three months (more often if you’re active), as your comments from social networks yield search results. If you’re helpful and informative, it could work in your favor in how your reputation is viewed.

I used Bing for this search on my name using “Mark Anthony Dyson,” including quotes. My posts showed results on page six of the search after creating a LinkedIn post.

3. Prime your “perfessional” narrative

Through the years, LinkedIn has evolved from the sole workplace, career, job search, and human resources information-sharing hub to an all-encompassing “perfessional” network. Users are sharing their professional and personal stories with sprinkles of confessionals. While this change has pros and cons, some find it the one place where their authenticity and transparency shine. It seems as if the user who practices “perfessionalism” benefits from the increased visibility (After all, that’s the name of the game, right?).

4. Always interview 

I repeatedly say, “job search is a lifestyle,” but I can’t omit how important you interview in all seasons of your career. Most people ramp up their interviews after a job separation or need to change jobs because of a bad boss. Interviewing when you are not in a middle of a transition at least once a year helps you identify industry trends to follow or training to stay marketable. If there are company layoff announcements, or you’re entertaining a change, you’ve already had some traction creating a shorter transition if needed. It’s also good to utilize informational interviews to prime your path, whether working or not.

5. Feverishly follow up during every phase

Follow-up calls are the fuel to profit in business and career building. This is a skill where there’s no room for passivity, and it’s everything aggressive. Doing it with tact and respect creates space for growth, results, and accomplishments. For job seekers, it’s about being memorable and marketable. Every stage of today’s job search requires follow-up calls and action. It’s one of the few things you can control within your ability to obtain and maintain streams of opportunities.

6. How flexible and adaptable are you?

This question is a double-edged sword, and the clearer you know what it looks like, it can favor your candidacy. Saying “yes” can make you a more palatable candidate. One question job seekers should find out: Will the employer freak out if I tell them about my second full-time job, freelance gig, or contract? You can talk to other employees in the company, but chances are they are over-employed or moonlighting on the down low.

Don’t be surprised if you’re asked to work a swing shift.

7. Address and impress by showing impact through storytelling

If you need one piece of resume advice this year, I recommend reading Donna Svei‘s article on Fast Company. Her suggestions are not just “tips and tricks.” It will inspire you to think more like an executive in your interview presentation than an expert to show capability. Although delivery and potential matter (the way most people write a resume and tell stories), they want to see the impact of what you do on your team, company, and leaders. While accomplishments matter, your results must yield a significant return for the company, team, or client instead of filling in the blank.

These are seven trends that impact how we consider and search for opportunities. I hope jobs and opportunities come to you without the pain of going through a rigorous process. But you must start somewhere; again, the idea of an ecosystem paying off takes time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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I talked with John Tarnoff and Kerry Hannon of “The Second Act” podcast about job searching after 50 in October 2022..

I was on “The Career Confidante” podcast to talk about “boomerang employees” and “job fishing” in June 2022.

Making Job Search a Lifestyle With “Dr. Dawn Graham on Careers,” SiriusXM Ch. 132, Wharton School of Business May 2021

In May 2020, I talked with LinkedIn’s Senior News Editor Andrew Seaman on “#GetHired” Live.”

Beverly Jones, host of the NPR podcast “Jazzed About Work,” invited me back to talk job search in May 20202

WOUB Digital · Episode 132 : Mark Dyson says “job search is a lifestyle” and connecting with others matters