You might know–or think you know–what’s important in conducting a successful job search. BUT…are you overlooking or unaware of job search trends that could sharply reduce your odds of success?
A recent article by personal branding guru William Arruda, titled “6 Unspoken Requirements for Every Job Seeker” makes some telling points about this subject. I highly recommend reading the entire article, but I’m going to share the 6 requirements briefly and add some of my own comments to them
What Requirements are Key to Your Job Search?
Arruda lists the following main requirements:
- A job
- Social media savvy
- Proof of performance
- A brand identity system
- A fan club
- Video savvy
Here are some of my thoughts about these job search requirements:
- It’s grossly unfair, not to mention short-sighted (can we say blind?) on the part of employers, but too many of them discriminate against people who are unemployed, particularly if the person has long-term unemployment.
I’m always concerned about clients who list “Consultant” as their current employment but don’t have any substantial consulting gigs to show for it. Companies will probably suspect that it’s a lame cover-up, and they could be right. In any case, it’s not impressive if it’s insubstantial.
Arruda’s suggestions are to make the consulting a real, active professional role with substantial stories to tell; take on leadership roles as a volunteer; or find an adult internship.
- I encourage all my clients to be active in social media wherever and whenever it could add to the impact of their online presence and help them appear attractive to employers. Ignoring social media in your job search is like trying to run a 3-legged sack race–you’re handicapped at the start, and the result is probably not pretty!
- Employers are in one respect from the state of Missouri–“Show me!” They’re not impressed by a resume that includes lengthy job descriptions with all the details of what you were expected to do in each position. Not only do you need it to include the substance of what you actually did achieve, but also you need your job search campaign to do more than just throw a resume at the employer.
As Arruda notes, you can demonstrate your ability through numerous methods, such as developing a portfolio with articles, presentations and blog posts.
- Branding is, of course, Arruda’s core expertise, and he’s very good at it. You might not feel you can even come close to his level of expertise. However, I encourage you to take this subject seriously. If you don’t know who you are and what you can (and want to) do for employers, that’s a bad start. Consistency in your message regarding that point is also critical.
- People who know you or know of you through your work–people who both like and respect you–can play a crucial role in how you are perceived by prospective employers. As Arruda says, “the stronger the tribe, the more value you bring. Having a fan club means that people endorse, respect and follow you.”
- Like it or not, the use of video interviews in the job search is on the rise. I’m concerned because not every job seeker is a natural for it and many don’t even consider preparing for it. If you haven’t thought about it for your job search, I urge you to begin thinking about what it might mean to you and doing your best to get ready.
Job Search Bottom Line
As always, the smarter you are about how you conduct your job search and the more you can do to prepare for critical aspects of it (such as the ones noted above), the better off you’ll be and the more likely it is that your job search will produce the results you need. Tackle this activity as you would any other challenge you face.
