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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady So Many Openings!Depending on your chosen field, and your preferred work arrangements, there are a lot of jobs for which you could apply. While remote work availability gives each job applicant many more work options, figuring out how to prioritize open positions can be overwhelming. Here is my recommendation for evaluating open roles and prioritizing which job applications you submit. Searching for Available JobsIn this scenario, we'll look at how someone in a role as a Training Specialist can sort through a the sea of job listings and prioritize which openings should recive applications. To begin, I searched on Indeed.com for the job title Training Specialist. This search generated these results:
Without superpowers, it is not feasible to apply for 631 jobs in one week. Time to Apply and Available TimePersonally, when I decide to apply for a given role, I take about 30 minutes to research the company, customize my resume, and complete my formal application. In a given week, there are 7 days, which is 168 hours. There are not enough hours in a week for me to apply for that many jobs. Even if I somehow managed not to eat, sleep, or do even the most basic self-care, I could only apply for 336 jobs. Closer to the realm of feasibility, if I decided to dedicate a full 40 hours per week solely to applying for jobs, I could apply for 80 jobs—but definitely not well. In addition, working this long and this hard solely on submitting applications can put you on the fast track to burnout. Even half that, dedicating 20 hours solely to applying for jobs, and applying for 40 jobs in a given week, is most likely overkill. If you're currently in career transition and not working full time, you cuould probably dedicate 20 hours a week to job searching. I would argue, though, that even 20 hours solely focused on applying for jobs is probably more than anyone can do well. If you're currently working full time, I'm guessing that even if you did dedicate 20 hours, your results would not be stellar after working full time and any other non-job searching life activities you decide to take on. More Is Not Necessarily BetterThe more jobs I try to apply for in rapid succession, the less effective I am. While applying for jobs is in some respects, a numbers game, it’s not as easy as applying to all the jobs and knowing that one will work out. This strategy often causes people to waste time applying for roles that aren't a close enough fit. A better strategy is to prioritize jobs that are the best match for your skills and what you want and focus on applying for those well. When I'm in career transition, my goal is usually to apply for three jobs per week. However, if I see several great opportunities or have not searched for a job in a while, I may apply for as many as six. Beyond that, though, my application quality suffers. Prioritizing ApplicationsTo apply for jobs well, you need to determine the best way to prioritize your applications. Instead of the “spray and pray” approach, think through what you want and apply with more purpose. This approach favors quality over quantity and will help you focus your efforts on where you can get better overall results for your time investment. Step 1: Know Key Characteristics of What You WantEarly in your job search, it’s essential to do at least a little soul-searching and be able to articulate what you want. This may include revisiting your values, identifying your strengths, and thinking about the work you enjoy. For example, earlier career Brenda would have a list something like this on what she wanted from a role:
Having a stated list of preferences, and continuing to hone it as you learn more, is your first step in determining which jobs to target. Step 2: Narrowing Your SearchLet's go back to those 631 search results from my Training Specialist searches. By adding additional search parameters, we can narrow our results to jobs that more specifically meet our criteria: Starting with those 43 roles in Omaha:
Starting with those 588 remote jobs:
Step 3: Quick Job Listing ReviewNow that I have a more reasonable number of jobs to go through (12 and 45--57 total), I start to do a cursory review of the short descriptions of each role. No
Yes
I have now reduced the number of jobs that interest me to 31 roles. Step 4: More Detailed Job Listing ReviewNow that I have those 31 jobs in Teal, I look more closely at the following:
I remove jobs where I am not eligible. This includes the following:
I remove jobs with anything that might be a dealbreaker for me. This includes the following:
For the remaining jobs, I give them an initial rating of 1-5 stars and make notes on any areas I might want to explore further. I now have 18 jobs in Teal. Step 5: A Little More ResearchNext, I investigate a few things outside of the immediate job descriptions.
Now, I have 13 jobs In Teal. Step 6: Customize a Resume and Prepare to ApplyFrom the 13 jobs I have listed, I will apply for the jobs I'm most excited about and continue to reassess other openings listed. I will also add, remove, reprioritize, and take notes on specific roles as needed. Learn More
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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Using LinkedIn To Build Your BrandSharing content on LinkedIn is a great way to engage with your connections, add value to your professional relationships, and promote who you are and what you know. However, only about 1% of LinkedIn users ever post anything at all--which I think is a huge missed opportunity to stand out. Why People Don't Post on LinkedInWhen I've asked people what is stopping them from posting on LinkedIn, the overwhelming answer is, "I don't know what to post." Like with most everything in life, it comes down to your overall goals. Whether I'm promoting myself in general or actively searching for a new "day job" in L&D, my goals remain consistent: to share knowledge and strengthen relationships. There are many ways posting on LinkedIn can help. I suggest using LinkedIn to share posts that support who you are as a professional. Types of PostsYou don't have to write a long, original manifesto to post on LinkedIn and make an impact. Here are examples of what you can post on LinkedIn that will help you "build your brand" and share what you're all about, both professionally and as a person:
Let's look at a few examples of my posts. Showcasing Your ExpertiseWho are you professionally? What are your skills? What do you bring to the table as a possible employee of a given company? For me, my skills include training leadership, needs assessment, relationship building, instructional design, project management, technical writing, facilitating classes, and more.  You as a PersonWho are you? What is it like to work with you? What are your interests? What do you care about? For me, I love helping people to succeed. I love removing obstacles so people can be successful. I enjoy board games, inline skating, my cats, my family, and a good cup of coffee. I am also kind of a nerd. I also own a velvet Elvis--because of course I do.  Inspirational ContentWhat picks you up when you are down? What insights struck you? What motivates you? For me, I love quotes about the value of lifelong learning, self care, and shifting your mindset.  Promoting OthersWho inspires you? Who do you learn from? Who shared a useful resource that benefitted you? For me, I enjoy finding awesome people to learn from and sharing useful articles with others who might also find them helpful.  You Doing ThingsWhat do you do? What did you write? How do you volunteer? For me, I lead classes, go to professional development meetings, deliver webinars, inline skate, and, on rare occasion, beat my now-adult child at a board game.  Your Work SamplesWhat projects do you work on? What do you write? What content to you create? What experiences have you learned from? For me, I teach custom webinars, write blog articles, assist other instructors, and design learning.  Sharing InsightsWhat have you learned about your chosen profession? What's a tip you like to share? What's your go-to strategy for solving a problem? What's something unique you have noticed? For me, I make observations, see unique solutions to common problems, or see how training and learning are out there in the world. And also coffee.  Sharing Opportunities and ResourcesWhat problems can you help people solve? Who do you know who is a go to person for a given topic? What is a solution you learned about from a common problem? For me, I share information for people who want to get into corporate training, share job search resources, point people towards others who share topic-specific content.  Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Messaging With Your ConnectionsOne of the benefits of having connections on LinkedIn is that you can directly send them messages without having a paid subscription. However, this feature has also been used poorly on several occasions. Let's look at how to use LinkedIn messaging effectively to continue building professional relationships and provide some guidelines for how to use this feature well. The Value of Mutually Beneficial RelationshipsTo have a valuable professional newtork, make sure those relationships are mutually beneficial. Networking is about give and take. Make sure that you are adding value along the way. This includes sharing useful content, congratulating people on their accomplishments, and answering one-off questions when people ask for advice. In short, be a good LinkedIn neighbor. If you give more than you take, your LinkedIn connections will be more likely to help you when you need it. Messages That Add ValueWhen directly contacting your LinkedIn connections, make sure you are not overfocused on asking for favors. It is important to provide value first. Here are a few types of messages that give more than they take:
Make sure you are not THAT PERSON who only reaches out when they need a favor. Direct Asks For Help: Worst PracticesAsking for help is an art. First, you need to be willing to ask for help. Next, you need to craft your ask in a way that you have a higher likelihood of getting that help. Here are a few significant issues I’ve seen from people attempting to ask for job search help:
The Worst AsksHere are a three questions that may not get you much of a response:
Why are these not good asks? For one, these are big requests that require a lot of effort to do well. For example:
Direct Asks For Help: Better PracticesHere are a few better asks, but may only work with connections who you know very well and who you have helped in the past:
These requests are specific, which is better, but each is still a sizeable request. The first two may be time intensive. The next two involve your connection putting their reputation on the line to recommend you for a role. The final one requires a block of time on your connection's calendar. Depending on our interactions prior to these requests, their response may vary from “of course!” to no response at all. Again, remember to make sure your asks are aligned with how well you know one another. Direct Asks for Help: Best PracticesAsks are better when they are more specific and less time intensive. It’s also helpful if there is context. Here are a few asks that are more likely to get responses. The requests earlier in this list are more likely to get a response.
People Get To Say NoRemember, when you are asking for help, people will tell you no. More likely than telling you a direct no, they may just not respond. Ever. Keep in mind that job searching, like sales, means that you're going to hear a whole lot of no on the way to that one yes you need. When you need a specific thing, it's useful to ask multiple people for help to give you a better chance of getting a response. It's also not personal. We're each on LinkedIn using it to varying degrees and all trying to accomplish our own goals. Making sure that you are making the relationships mutually beneficial will make it much more likely that people will respond to you and want to lend you a hand when you need it. Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Preparing for a Positive ScenarioContingency planning is not the most upbeat topic. It's all about making a backup plan just in case something terrible happens. Instead of predicting doom and gloom, let's update our planning approach and focus on opportunity readiness. Opportunity readiness is about thinking about who you truly are, what you want your work life to be, and living into that future. When you step into that role of being the CEO of you, your focus shifts to what you want to be and positioning yourself for that success. If you've done that, you'll be able to identify what an amazing opportunity is for you--and be ready to go for it! An Opportunity Presents ItselfEven when you like your current company, position, or coworkers, sometimes you might hear about an opportunity that could be the right next step for you in your career. Here's what that might look like:
In each of these cases, you weren't actively looking for a new role. However, once you heard about the opening, you realized it might be just the thing you were looking for and found out more! Opportunity ReadinessOpportunity readiness is a part of career resilience that may not always occur to us. When people are not actively job searching, sometimes they neglect to make new networking connections, keep in touch with people they know, update their LinkedIn, or update their resume. However, these are EXACTLY the things to prioritize. Knowing what you want, staying in touch with your network, and always evolving your skills will position you to move quickly when the time comes. Your ResumeYour resume is the main document potential employers want to see. Even if someone contacts you about an opening, you’ll need an up-to-date resume to be considered. This document needs to summarize who you are as a candidate as well as your most relevant skills, work history, education, professional affiliations, and accomplishments. This is where you can shine! Keeping your resume current is a crucial first step. Including details on your current role, adding newly earned credentials, and highlighting recently used skills can help you shine. Getting a resume out the door within a couple of hours can improve your chances of being seriously considered. It's also a great way to help the person who connected you with the opportunity feel even more sure that you're a great fit! Your LinkedIn ProfileLinkedIn is your professional billboard to the working world. It is an all-purpose marketing tool where people can view information beyond your resume, see which other people and companies you may have in common, and read the content you share in your posts. When people are gainfully employed, they often stop fine-tuning their profiles and interacting with their professional connections. Taking time to polish your LinkedIn profile and posting content on your areas of expertise is a way to remind people of you and your professional value. In fact, continuing to be active on LinkedIn may very well be why someone contacts you about what might be the perfect opportunity for you. A great way to remind people of who you are and what you're good at is by posting relevant content. Sharing a picture of you leading a training session, or an article about a great new way to optimize a project will help people associate you even further with your skillset. Your Work SamplesYour work samples, often called your portfolio, are a way to demonstrate the skills you mention in your resume or LinkedIn profile. These work samples should give the hiring team an idea of your process and finished product examples. Creating a portfolio is not something that most people can quickly throw together. There are several steps, including identifying your overall portfolio goals, developing or selecting work samples, positioning each work sample to showcase your professional capabilities, and determining the technological aspects of how you might set up your portfolio. Since some employers may require a portfolio before seriously considering you for a role, pulling this together and updating it as needed can help make you success-ready. As you complete interesting projects,remember to add those to your portfolio It' s nice to have your portfolio grow and change as you evolve your skills. What Do You Think?What do you think would prepare you to move quickly on an opportunity if one presented itself? Include your thoughts in the comments. Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady About The Seven Layoff LessonsThrough my seven layoffs and many conversations with others in post-layoff career transition, I have learned seven core lessons:
About Layoff Lesson Five: Help People Help YouLife is challenging when nothing out-of-the-ordinary is happening. It's even harder when you're going through an unexpected job change. While I'm a fan of self-reliance, I also know how important it is to find your people and support one another as you go through challenges. You're not weak for needing people. You are strong because you know the value of building and leveraging relationships to help get you through trying times. I have found that people genuinely want to help. In many cases, though, they might not know what you need. Not only is it vital that you seek out help when you need it, but you need to figure out what type of help you need. One Career Transition RevelationHere's something that might surprise you. When you tell people that you're looking for a new job, this is when you will discover that many people don’t know exactly what it is you do for a living. Instead of being taken aback that they don’t know, use this as an opportunity to learn how to tell them what you want and need during your career transition--and it's much more than just a new paying job. Figure Out What Life Help You NeedFirst off, you need to figure the types of life help you might need:
Figure Out What Job Search Help You NeedIn addition, you need to figure the types of job search help you might need:
It Takes a VillageOnce you have a better idea of what you need, make sure you don't expect one person to fill all of these roles. Think about who could help you in each area and reach out to them. Leveraging Your Professional NetworkLinkedIn is my goto tool for building and managing my professional network. It's importan to make sure your LinkedIn profile represents you well, and that you showcase your experience and the value you bring to others, and to a new role. There is also an art (and a process) to asking people in your professional network in a way that is mutually beneficial. For The Whole StoryFor all the information on each of the seven lessons pick up a copy of my book Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide.  Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady About The Seven Layoff LessonsThrough my seven layoffs and many conversations with others in post-layoff career transition, I have learned seven core lessons:
About Layoff Lesson Four: Shape and Share Your StoryNow that you’ve determined what you want in your next role, your new challenge is learning to tell your story. This includes telling the overall story of who you are professionally and the value you bring. To this end, you'll use a few key documents to summarize what you do, highlight your core accomplishments, and persuade that employer that they should spend more time learning about you. Your Job Search ToolkitYour job search toolkit is the collection of information you need to showcase your value to a potential employer. Each item in this list helps you share a part of your story during the hiring process.
Your What I Want StatementBased on what you learned during your Structured Soul Searching, the next step is writing a clear and concise “What I Want Statement." This statement can help you as you review job openings and prioritize your applications to those that most closely align with your goals. This statement can also be repurposed when letting other people know what jobs interest you the most. Your Professional SummaryIn addition to your “What I Want” statement, you also need to be able to tell your career story. Your professional summary is that paragraph of quick-hit information that starts to outline who you are, your qualifications, and what you bring to the table as a candidate. This statement can also be repurposed when letting other people know what jobs interest you the most. Your Interview AnswersThe same stories you use in your resume to showcase your skills and the results they generate can also become the answer to commonly asked interview questions. Instead of answering with no plan and hoping for the best, you can use a model, like CARL or STAR, to structure your answers and get to your point more quickly. For The Whole StoryFor all the information on each of the seven lessons pick up a copy of my book Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide.  Learn More |
Author7-time layoff survivor Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady, waxes poetic on layoffs, job transitions, & career resilience. Buy The Book!
Were you recently laid off? Need a roadmap for what's next? Or planning just in case? Check out my book, Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide!
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