If you’re tired of applying to job boards, and no one of hiring significance is paying you any mind, then keep on reading. You’ve heard it’s not a numbers game where the more you apply increases your hiring chances. In 1990, this was a useful strategy but in 2015, not so much. Your friends tell that it works, but it’s been five years since they’ve looked.
How many times have you tweaked your resume to no avail?
I understand bad job search advice is everywhere, but so is good and meaningful information is still at your fingertips. Last fall on an episode of “The Voice of Job Seekers,” Jim Stroud had shared some of his own he wrote for his book,“The Number One Job Hunting Book in the World!”
Listen to the episode at TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com/101
If you listen to much of what we talked about, you should concentrate on being more visible than forcing your way to be seen. If you look like the rest of the ducks, then no one will remember you. During your job hunt, be the lead duck or the different one. Just don’t be the lame duck or the same duck. You dig?
1. Add value to relationships without asking for reciprocation (at least for some time)
Why not be helpful during your job hunt? Although we are not talking about taking out someone’s garbage or washing some stranger’s car, we are talking about being a resource or helping make life easier for someone. If someone offers immediately to reciprocate then ask without inundating them (wash my hands, feet, clothes, and car please will get you block if you know what I mean). Online, it could be done in many ways but to name a few:
- Articles, links, or quick tips to a free or low-cost resource
- A “how-to” phone call teaching someone how to do something
- An encouraging tweet, note, phone call for no reason
- Providing a resource he/she needs to improve a website, comment or share their resource
- Provide a contact for someone else to get a job
2. Get on someone’s podcast, video show, or guest post on a popular blog
Stroud suggests that you go to iTunes, look for your industry’s subject in podcast form, and pitch to get on that show so you “…can be seen as an expert.” I think it’s even cooler if you had a blog or even on your Tumblr page include a player that person can hear you share your expertise on your blog. Or go to YouTube and explore the video shows in your niche, and pitch an interview idea that will help you appear as the “go-to-person.”
3. Go to your community radio station and do a weekly show
Go to your local community or college radio station to pitch a show interviewing local experts or be the expert yourself. You can do the same with a podcast (local or national experts will get you international listens if that doesn’t scare you). As you talk with experts, you will be seen as an expert. Some won’t let you use it to promote your small business, but others will allow almost any type of content. Of course, you want something that will boost your expertise and your job hunt experience.
4. Target large companies so you can be hired by other large companies
Stroud also shared with us “… by focusing on top companies or startup companies that are winning awards or growing in popularity, you become attractive to their competitors. By virtue of working at Verizon, you automatically look attractive to AT&T and Sprint.” Again, the theme is gain visibility and not gain attempts. It will figure into your career trajectory for years to come. This job hunt can’t be a temporary solution even if the job is temporary.
5. Volunteer
By now, you can find countless stories of careers by people who started as a volunteer. I wrote about it a couple of years ago reasoning how there is no reason not to volunteer. You don’t have to volunteer even full-time to create a valuable experience. In fact, don’t wait for your options to run thin to volunteer.
6. Go Mobile, Young Man/Woman
I dare you to write an article on your LinkedIn platform and provide a reading of the article too. You can use SoundCloud to embed on LinkedIn (it’s the only audio service LinkedIn allows the player for people to listen right there). You can also do it via YouTube (for the really bold as YouTube is the only video player anyone can embed). This way, those who frequently use the LinkedIn app will access your article through a mobile device particularly when he or she doesn’t feel like reading. When you publish it, curious people to just click play and keep moving. You can easily get in front of recruiters and others who are influential in the hiring space.
I hope you can pick one of these strategies today and focus on a career that will have a longer-term return for you. Notice some of the strategies require forms of selflessness. It really has a great return, but it does require a little faith. By no means are these suggestions for only desperate job seekers. These are creative suggestions for the dog days of your job hunt, and for those who want to level up their personal branding efforts. If you want to be seen differently than the other 100 applicants for positions you apply for, be different and try alternative methods.
How many times are you going to tweak your resume?
This article first appeared on LinkedIn Pulse. I sprinkled an extra point. Let me know your thoughts.
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About Mark Anthony Dyson
My name is Mark Anthony Dyson, and I am the Founder of The Voice of Job Seekers. I am a career advice writer, but more importantly, I hack and re-imagine the job search process.. I've worked with hundreds of job seekers one-on-one helping them to construct a narrative and strategy that appeals to hiring managers and recruiters. I present at colleges and organizations, and facilitated many workshops including my volunteer effort through a Job Lab. I write and create useful job search content on this blog and write career and workplace advice for blogs such as Glassdoor, Payscale, Job-Hunt.org, Prezi and more. Media Feature highlights: Forbes, Business Insider, NBC News, Glassdoor, LinkedIn's #GetHired, and NPR Freelance writer and content contributor: Glassdoor, Payscale, job-hunt.org, The Financial Diet, RippleMatch.com and more. Contact me to contribute career, job search, or workplace advice for your site at markanthonydyson@gmail.com.