The Best Strategy for Finding Your Next Job Opportunity

I recently responded to a LinkedIn poll: “At what stage of the interview process would you be willing to take assessments?”

Here are the results:

My answer? - If I were applying for a job, I’d be willing to take assessments at any stage of the interview process.

But as you can see, I was in the minority.

Here’s another recent LinkedIn poll:

“Do you customize your job application (resume) for each job you apply?”

Most people responded, “no”.

I’m not really surprised by these results, because many people’s primary job search strategy is posting for roles. When you post for hundreds of roles, it’s very time consuming to take assessments or customize your resume for each role.

Posting for hundreds of roles is a terrible job search strategy.

What do I recommend instead?

Five Steps to Find Your Next Job

1. Reframe the way you think about job searches.

In a job search, you’re both a “buyer” and a “seller”.

Most people pay too little attention to the “buy” side of the search.

You’re “buying” the next job opportunity. The cost is the other opportunities you’re giving up. So you want to make sure you buy the right opportunity.

Do research to find the industries and companies that need your talents. Your research should also explore which companies and opportunities are a good fit for you and which are not.

Explore broadly. Look beyond the well-known brand names. There may be relatively unknown companies that are a perfect fit.

2. Create a compass for your career to guide your job search.

Reflect on your career and get clear about what you want. As I’ve written before, think beyond position and compensation. You’re making a decision that is going to have a tremendous impact on your life. Reflect on five areas: finances, relationships, health, impact, and fulfillment.

For subscribers, I’ve designed the Career Thriving Reflection Template to help you with this. Here’s the link.

3. Network strategically.

It will be helpful to have conversations with the following people:

• Anyone with current or past experience in a company you are interested in.

• People connected to people in companies you’re considering.

• People with similar professional backgrounds.

• Current or past colleagues.

• People with the power to hire you for roles you want in target companies.

Get involved in activities where these types of people congregate. Professional associations, interest groups, conferences, and alumni groups are examples.

Tap into your existing network and expand it.

Have lots of conversations. Set a goal and track your progress.

4. Apply for roles strategically.

Apply for roles that meet the following criteria:

• The company and opportunity are a good fit for you.

• You’re a good candidate for the role based on the match of your talents and the job requirements.

• You have a credible contact who will put in a good word for you.

Having the right contact put in a good word for you greatly increases your chances of getting an interview.

Most jobs are filled through relationships.

Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager. Your success depends on making the right hire.

As a hiring manager, the first question you’ll ask yourself is, “do I know anyone who will be great for the job?” If not, “does anyone I trust know a good candidate?”

Applying for jobs when you don’t have a credible contact advocating for you is like cold calling. Finding the right opportunity this way relies on luck.

On the other hand, when a strategic contact puts in a good word for you, it warms up the hiring manager. It creates social proof for you that makes it more likely you’ll get an interview or even an offer.

5. Do your basic job search homework.

Tailor your resume to the job description, prepare for interviews, etc.

ChatGPT has made customizing your resume to fit the job description easier. Use prompts such as:

Then edit your resume to include the keywords in ways that accurately represent your experience and background. I’ve found often it’s a matter of swapping words with similar meanings.

Ultimately, don’t forget that when you’re looking for your next opportunity, you’re both a buyer and a seller. Do a good job selling yourself. But don’t forget that you’re “buying” the right opportunity too. Being patient and ensuring the right fit before jumping in will increase your odds of making a decision you’ll be happy with over the long-term.

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