The Job Seekers Mini-Guide Everyone Needs To Read.
Over the past 18 months, 1.4 million over 55’s in the UK have chosen not to return to the workplace since the pandemic, unsurprisingly prompting a productivity challenge. The Great Resignation, or ‘The Great Reshuffle’ as LinkedIn cites it, is more than a curiosity - it’s a biting reality.
Meanwhile, tech companies have realised that their over-inflated valuations in recent times are the latest self-induced bubble to burst. Some have lost 75% of their value. So, who pays the real price for this harsh reality check? The C-Suite? No. The Shareholders? Some. The employees? You bet.
Regardless of the unique circumstances of recent times, history, unfortunately, repeats itself when companies get it wrong, and it’s the employees with the boots on the ground that feel the seismic impact of the mistakes of others. Your CEO is ‘very sorry’ but where does that leave you?
I’ve felt this pain myself over the years, with roles being ‘put at risk’ and two redundancies within the past eight years. I am so glad it happened! What? Harvey, get a grip mate. You heard me, I am glad. But why am I jumping over fields of daffodils to tell you about this?
It took some time and some pain, but it really helped me work out and work through what it was that I really wanted. I knew something was ‘up’ for years as I gradually became professionally unfulfilled working in multinationals. Financial constraints, life choices or just plain old fear stopped me from taking control of my own career and being at the mercy of the decisions of others.
As you stare at the letter or email that states, ‘your role is at risk’ or some variation of the same, I want to offer you not just my empathy, after all, I’ve been there more than once. I want to offer you some practical reassuring steps you can take. Steps that can help you get on the path to what’s really next.
You Aren’t Really Prepared For What’s Next.
I’m guessing what’s next for you has already happened. Only, you were not expecting it, nor were you ready for it.
A wise and philosophical former manager of mine used to give me insight into c-level discussions. He used to say “I include myself in this Harvey, but always be ready for what’s next.”
It’s fair to say that when ‘what’s next came’ (redundancy), I was not as ready as I could have been because I did not pivot. I did not think more laterally about what I wanted to do; I defaulted to doing the same thing. Get another job. But we all know that doing the same thing yields the same results.
What if I wanted to step off the hamster wheel of corporate life?
At this particular point, I was not quite sure what I wanted to do was any different to what I already knew. That is to maintain the status quo.
You Are The Product.
Another wise manager once advised me to understand what my value was in the market before deciding anything. Given that this is central to how you position anything, we can concur that you are the product, and you need to know how to position yourself in the market you want to enter.
When mentoring, I often advise those looking for career guidance to think of themselves as the product they are working on. Do the same work on yourself that you would for your latest product or service, and only through this process will you understand your value and know how to position yourself to the (job) market you are targeting. Get your positioning templates and frameworks out and put yourself through them.
You Need To Play The Numbers Game.
You need to learn it and play it relentlessly. If you apply for only one job and you do not get it, you can’t be disappointed as the odds are not in your favour, even if the market is. Despite some markets having a rich number of vacancies, the amount of people applying is insane! We’re talking four figures in some cases! The chances of your application getting lost in the noise or to the applicant tracking software is quite high.
From my own experience and learning from others in similar circumstances, the application-to-offer funnel is a lesson in harsh reality you need to learn.
Pre-Covid, the UK Department of Work and Pensions (🇺🇸Department of Labor) told me that only 5% of job applications result in a first interview. That means 95% of applicants aren’t even considered as someone the hiring company wishes to meet with. When you dwindle on from that 5% who do make it, this funnels down to a very select few who make it to the 2nd or 3rd interview.
Just think of the meagre odds. You are barely feeding on scraps here.
From my own and my peer analysis, I found that you have a 1 in 100 chance of getting the job you applied for. Let’s run the maths:
I applied for 125 jobs, of which around 32% came from recruiters who approached me. In total, 35% of applications secured a first interview which is around 43 interviews. Of those 43 interviews, 50% of the time, I got a second interview. By the time I got down to the 3rd round of various interviews, this left around 5 viable job opportunities in the process before I was eventually offered a job. This means that despite a 35% ‘hit rate’ at the top of the funnel far exceeding the average, the conversion rate at the bottom of the funnel resulted in a less than 1% average. However, this can change completely if you diversify and apply the power of your network.
Is The Job Market Friend Or Foe? The Answer May Surprise You.
It depends.
Despite all the doom and gloom of the tech world getting a bloody nose, the market facts were simple: there were more jobs available than candidates!
Twelve months ago, the market was driving salaries up and enriching offers for those well-positioned to take advantage. Not only was it a good time to pivot if you wanted to, but it was also a good time to move to a better version of the status quo.
Looking at the market now, it's totally the opposite. After multiple rounds of well-publicised lay-offs, there are more candidates than jobs, and there's price pressure on salaries being offered as a result.
But the key is to be a well-positioned thoroughbred in your field. Despite the market conditions, no one accepts average; rockstar status is table stakes these days.
There’s Only One Person Who Will Suffer From Your Terrible LinkedIn Profile. You.
In the past twenty years, I’ve had five jobs. Two of the five gigs I applied for and three of the five sought me out. Ignoring the network effect and personal brand-building capability of networks such as LinkedIn is effectively saying to the market, ‘I don’t care’ and ‘I’m not worth it’.
LinkedIn is the very top-of-funnel for every job seeker and the platform for business engagement for everyone else.
So why is it that most LinkedIn profiles are terrible? Your profile and activity on LinkedIn are more important than your CV at this stage. There, I said it. It’s more important than your CV. Recruiters with a LinkedIn Recruiter account can search and compare with ease (I’ve had one, I know) and are more likely to approach you than entertain your application.
I hear it often. ‘Harvey. I am going to make a website for myself with my portfolio to show the world how shiny and fantastic I am’. I gave everyone the same advice; don’t waste your time or money. I make no apologies if I’m squeezing your creative juices for the simple fact that no one is looking for you. The fish all get caught on LinkedIn, and the oceans of LinkedIn are your opportunity to shine within the networks that care.
It might be that your profile right now is not so great, and you are in a job. What happens when a trigger such as redundancy happens? Or you wake up one day massively unfulfilled, you have to start over, and it takes time, the time you already wasted on ‘my name.com’.
There are so many ways you can raise your profile within networks that care. It can take a little time, but it should not cost you money. I encourage those in the product marketing community to contribute via article writing, event talks, or even becoming Ambassadors or Experts in Residence. We provide the platform and the audience. If you want to create and contribute, you can start here.
We have meet-ups online and in person around the world, too, most recently in the UK, Australia, the US and Africa! Join our free Slack and engage with 30,000 like-minded product marketers.
This advice applies to everyone. In every field. Everywhere.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Do not ignore the power of the network. It is the roadmap to your next opportunity.
Your CV Needs To Be A Missile, Ready To Penetrate.
If a rockstar profile on LinkedIn is top-of-funnel, then your CV/resume serves the consideration stage. Once a recruiter has hit you up on LinkedIn, they will ask you for your CV/Resume. This is the asset that gets circulated inside the company.
It has to say, ‘this is the candidate you have been looking for’, as if Yoda himself put a Jedi mind trick across the whole organisation you are trying to join.
However, as a hiring manager of more years than I am willing to admit, I am still shocked at how terrible most CVs are.
There are two key considerations you need to take:
What you don’t know is that your CV is an X-wing missile to penetrate the Death Star applicant tracking software (ATS), and if it’s not formatted for the purpose, the ATS will act like the Death Star’s reflection shield and blow you up! Case in point, if you have fabulous key points to make contained within a border, the ATS will see an empty space, and you don’t move through the funnel; your CV will have a terminal meeting with Darth Vader.
For the key content, now you know your own positioning, you should focus on keywords (the ATS will reward you), a snappy synopsis of your career across no more than 2 pages and use numbers to cite your achievements.
HR and hiring managers luuuurve numbers as it grounds discussions around your achievements. Yet, 95% of the CVs I see have zero numbers.
If Yoda was writing your CV, he’d tell you that “There is no try; there is only do”. You need to do it.
If you need help, Matt Shewbridge is a rockstar CV writer who I’ve worked with in the recent past.
If CVs Open Doors, Side Hustles Blow Them Right Off.
Having a side hustle is a good diversification strategy, especially in the current climate. Volunteer, create a podcast, vlog, or blog for yourself or others in your chosen field. Do pro-bono work. Any of these things will serve to enhance your CV.
The beauty of side hustles, in general, is endless. Firstly, they can create some excellent transferable skills to slide you into a different career path, which following the aftermath of Covid-19, could make all the difference. Plus, you might be getting paid to do something you enjoy on top of your regular income. It could even be that you’re able to turn that side hustle into full-time work. It also signals to an employer that you're engaged in what is, hopefully, central to the positioning you have chosen for yourself.
Likewise, if you’re a marketer, create engaging, relevant content and market yourself. During these trying times, content online is being consumed at a breakneck pace, so there is a real demand for it. If you are not sure how to go about this, there is plenty of free content to absorb on the likes of LinkedIn Learning or YouTube to sharpen your skills.
Remember that the power of your network and your personal impact is your net worth in this context. If your CV is a door opener, this will blow that door right off its hinges. So as tough as it is and no matter how many knock-backs you face, keep the productivity levels up and eventually, that work will have an impact.
Help Is At Hand. You Just Need To Know Where To Look.
Most of us are not experts at applying or interviewing for a job. Why should we be? We want to be good at being in work! Inevitably though, these challenging times come around for all of us so let’s review some of the available resources.
Suzy Welsh rocks it on MSNBC with her Get To Work series. Suzy founded the Jack Welch Management Institute, ranked as one of the top online MBA programs in the world by Princeton Review and CEO Magazine and has great advice for anyone looking for work. Check out the whole series of free videos here.
Adding to the guidance of Suzy Welsh, when it comes to nailing that interview, I wrote an article called How to Ace A Job Interview last year that’s grounded in my own experience of dozens and dozens of interviews. It’s practical, actionable advice that I have relentlessly field-tested myself. And delivers results.
Your five-step plan.
So there you have it, challenges afoot but nothing insurmountable. There are five key steps:
Despite the positive overtones I’m playing, it’s very hard being out of work. Hard on you, hard on your loved ones and sometimes, hard on your finances. It’s too easy to get into a negative spiral. After all, rejection is not easy to take, but, unfortunately, it’s a part of life. And the last thing anyone needs after an unprecedented two-year lockdown is to lose their job. In some cases, again.
I am appealing to the sense of goodwill of everyone in the business community. I’ve seen the power of networks at play, the generosity of others and happy career-search endings.
But only you can make it happen. If you take and follow through on 50% of the lived-in advice in this article, you’ve moved forward further than you know.
It’s hard. It’s not your fault. You are not alone, and you can and should ask for help. Most of all, please remember to be kind to yourself and look after your health.
Stay safe. Be kind to one another.
Harvey.
Did you know I recently opened my book of business?
I've recently helped a number of people back to work with career coaching and interview prep. If you need to get your 2024 back on track, I could help you, too.
Please DM me via LinkedIn if you have any questions, or book directly here.
🚀 Absolutely love this, especially the part about positioning yourself as the product! As Steve Jobs once said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” Applying this mindset to job seeking can indeed transform the journey. 👏 Keep inspiring, your guide sounds like a beacon for many! 🌟 #CareerGrowth #Inspiration
Creator of PMM Camp | Building community for product marketing leaders
12moLove this list - especially number 4 (people really are kinder than you think they are AND they want to help). There must have been something in the water today, because I JUST soft launched my new free mini course which helps PMMs do the first item on your list - position themselves as though they are the product. It's called Personal Positioning for Product Marketers: bit.ly/personalpositioning
Former non-profit Leader | Scrum Master | Experienced in Project Coordination, Team Leadership, Event Planning, and Process Improvement | Passionate about People/Relationships and Driving Success
12moThanks for sharing!
Partnerships @ Nift
12moAs much as quality matters, you definitely have to account for quantity needs. It's a numbers game.
Helping Leaders & Teams Thrive | Transformed 50+ Clients | COO | Top Ranked Leadership Creator Globally | Speaker | Sharing Insights from 20 Years of Global Management
12moI love this mind-shift ⚡️Harvey Lee ⚡️: You are the product - position yourself.