Searching for a job or internship can cause feelings of extreme anxiety. I remember multiple times in my career and even in college, feeling so overwhelmed. It seems like there is so much to do, write a resume, update the resume, network on LinkedIn, apply for jobs, wait... wait some more... then you start questioning if you're doing it right, or doing enough. The anxiety can feeling paralyzing leaving you feeling powerless and frustrated. How can it be overcome? We've got some tips to deal with it:
1) Create a 4-week Plan (you can do this in less than 4 weeks if you make it a priority). Having a written plan will help you to organize your thoughts and your interests. Even if you're not sure where to start, or lack focus due to too many options, begin writing down all your interests. You have to know what you are looking for before you can market yourself to it. If you need help even knowing what you want to do, our career coaches can help with that.
After you have your interests, start writing down the names of organizations you would want to work at and open jobs at those companies. Next, we're making a 4-week plan. This should include blocking specific days and times you plan to spend focused time on applying, networking, and making resume updates. We suggest, at least a 10 hour commitment per week (more if you can). In step 2, we'll tell you how to fill in those blocks.
2) Know your market (Week 1) Spend your first week committing to researching organizations and reading job descriptions. You need to understand how your skills and experience match up against the jobs you want. Most hiring managers hope to get 100% of the skills and experience, but only end up with about 60% at best in the person they hire. Why? Personality, fit, and aptitude count for a whole lot. Skills can always been taught, character, values, and fit can't.
After studying the market, you'll need to focus on the jobs where you know you have the skills and experience (remember the 60% rule). Next, you'll want to verify that you're a fit.
3) Networking (Week 2) - Start talking with people in the industry. Work through friends, family, professors, LinkedIn, and whatever means necessary to find people that do the work you intend to do. A simple reach out on LinkedIn asking for a 10-minute call may be all it takes to learn about where you fit in and how to market yourself. If it really works out, maybe you'll gain an opportunity to be referred. The number one source of hires is through referrals (getting back to values and character traits being important, referrals can verify that for the company before you even show up to the interview).
4) Resume/LinkedIn (Week 3) - If you haven't already, get your resume and LinkedIn profile updated. The best way to do this is to take what you've learned in your research and networking and apply it to your resume and LinkedIn profile. Recruiters use a search engine that works like a Google search (think SEO). Companies' application systems use software to track key words and phrases in your resume. You'll want to use the job descriptions you found and reflect similar language in your resume and on your LinkedIn profile. This will increase your chances of showing up in recruiting searches on LinkedIn and your resume getting pulled by a recruiter from a company's applicant tracking system.
5) Apply & Grow Network (Week 4) - You're ready to start applying to jobs. Keep in mind that referrals are key so networking is key. As you network you will learn more and more about what companies are looking for and how to tweak your resume and LinkedIn profile to catch a recruiter's attention.
Interviewing? If you are at the interviewing stage, then congrats! Our team does interview prep for every type of interview. Read our articles and reach out to a contact us if you want to consider using one of our career coaches to help prepare you. There is a science and an art to interviewing. Its not hard, you just need to know how to prepare.
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