Tristan Layfield talks about a few things you can do to make yourself competitive during your job search, especially if you’ve been laid off or furloughed. With the job market constantly in flux thanks to the pandemic, we have to be diligent about making ourselves stand out from the crowd to give ourselves a chance at landing the job we want.
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TRANSCRIPT
Tristan: What’s going on, Living Corporate? It’s Tristan, and I want to thank you for tapping back in with me as I provide some tips and advice for professionals. Today, let’s talk about a few things you can do to make yourself competitive during your job search, especially if you’ve been laid off or furloughed.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, since February 2020, there were 9.5 million jobs lost, which means that the job search market is highly competitive right now. To make yourself stand out from the crowd, you should take some necessary steps.
First, you need to gain some clarity. If you were laid off, you need to ask yourself, “what do I want to do next?” And, “what skills do I have that transfer to the viable industries I’m interested in?” If you were laid off or furloughed, you were likely in an industry that was heavily impacted by the pandemic, and they may be slow to hire people. Therefore this is a great opportunity to figure out what you want to do next in your career and what transferrable skills you possess to help you get there. Gaining this clarity is one of the most important first steps in any job search. No matter if you currently have a job or not, you have to have a clear understanding of 2 things. Number 1, what makes you different than everyone else doing this work? And Number 2, how do you use that to make an impact or create results for a company? Getting crystal clear on those two things and being able to convey that to a recruiter or hiring manager is crucial.
Next, this will seem incredibly basic, but you need to update your resume and LinkedIn to cover that difference and return on investment that a company will receive. Take your resume to another level by focusing only on relevant information and moving from simply telling us about your skills to showing us by writing value-based points that showcase examples and highlight results. Add a skills section that makes it easy to play around with some of those keywords or phrases from the job descriptions to help you get past the applicant tracking system. And infuse a small pop color in your document to help your resume stand out. Focus on updating your information and rebranding yourself on LinkedIn as well. Recruiters and hiring managers will likely Google your name, and I guarantee your LinkedIn is one of the first things that will pop up. Since the pandemic has moved us to a more digital space, we must keep our digital presence updated and aligned with our career goals.
Lastly, you need to network like your life depends on it. With the job search market being as competitive as it is, you need to find any and every way to give yourself an edge. We knew, before the pandemic, that networking and referrals were the best way to land a job, and since the pandemic hit, that fact has not changed. Honestly, it has probably been solidified even further. Take advantage of the fact that the majority of us are more digitally present and try to find ways to connect with people who hold positions you want to hold, work at companies you want to work for, and people who are 1 to 2 levels above where you want to be. If you work to build genuine relationships with these people, you could find a booster who can help you land that next role.
With the job market constantly in flux thanks to the pandemic, we have to be diligent about making ourselves stand out from the crowd to give ourselves a chance at landing the job we want.
Thanks for tapping in with me today! Don’t forget; I’m now taking submissions from you all on career questions, issues, concerns, or advice you think may help others! So make sure to submit yours at bit.ly/tapintristan.
This tip is brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @layfieldresume or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.
