how to job search during a pandemic
for those who don’t know - i recently got a new job! today is actually my first day as an assistant account executive for a strategic communications firm. and i’m not going to lie - the job hunt was a struggle but luckily for you i will be sharing all of my tips for job searching during a pandemic.
linkedin linkedin linkedin
obviously there are tons of sites that have job postings but my advice is to make linkedin your go-to. how to use linkedin efficiently could be another blog post in itself but basically - make sure your linkedin is up to date with your current job, projects, etc. there is also an option on linkedin to let (only) recruiters know you are ‘open to work’ or are searching for a new job so i would definitely make that change on your profile.
once everything is updated - you can head over to the ‘jobs’ page. fortunately, i am a premium linkedin user which means this page shows me jobs where i’m a top applicant. for those who don’t have premium, this page is automatically updated with relevant job postings based on your profile. i find that most of the time, this page is pretty helpful but sometimes not all jobs are relevant in terms of level.
you should create alerts under the ‘job alerts’ tab at the top of the page. you can create as many as you want with different fields, titles, locations, etc. and these will be emailed to you at least once a day. as soon as these were emailed to me, i would quickly go through and see which ones i was interested in, if any. most jobs on linkedin allow you to ‘easy apply’ which basically means you apply using your linkedin profile and attached resume or cover letter. in my opinion, this is such a game changer because it allows you to see when recruiters view your application, download your resume, etc.
linkedin sometimes also shows you the exact person who posted the job which can be helpful in terms of follow up. additionally, you can see when the job was posted and how many people have applied. these are important factors - i only would apply to jobs that were posted recently since things have changed during the pandemic and job postings could be old and companies may no longer be hiring.
always alter your resume + cover letter
big tip - read the job description, pull out those key words (like detail-oriented, creative, organized, team player, etc.) and put those exact words into your cover letter and resume. you need to show exactly how you are all of those things and more by proving it. have examples and numbers to support whatever case your making. for example: you increased your company’s instagram engagement by X% by doing XYZ or you worked on X amount of events that led to X amount of leads, etc.
different jobs look for different types of skills, experience, etc. so my advice is to really do your research on a company before applying. you need to learn what’s important to them and what their company values are and then make sure that you can show you align with those values by your ability/experience doing XYZ. go back to the job description and see what the responsibilities for this position look like and then show you are capable of doing those things or have experience doing that in the past.
use that network
don’t be afraid to reach out to people you may know that have connections in the field you are interested in! if you know someone who currently works for a company that’s hiring, don’t be afraid to send them a quick email saying that you are interested in applying for X position (or have already applied) and would love if they have any recommendations on how to stand out or how to go about following up. 9 times out of 10, they will be happy to give you a recommendation.
if you know someone who has a lot of experience in the career you are interested/curious in, it also doesn’t hurt to ask them to chat via zoom (that remote life am i right) or meet for a socially distanced coffee date to talk about how they got started, advice they may have, etc. people love to talk about themselves and it also helps you strengthen your network by keeping in touch and learning more about one another.
stay organized
it can be hard to remember when to follow up or how/when you applied to each job. when i was job searching, i kept an excel sheet that kept track of the following: company, location, position, status (when i applied or followed up), a link to the job description and how i applied (emailed HR, used linkedin, etc.) doing this helped me figure out when the appropriate time to follow up was and what the status was with all of my applications.
follow up
once you have your spreadsheet, you can now see when to follow up. it can be hard to know who to contact if you applied online so i would start with reaching out to whoever posted the job if that information is available or to a recruiter for that company. just send them a quick note saying you applied on this day via this website/form of contact and are curious to know the status of your application. this is where linkedin comes in handy - you can easily see who works where and can quickly send them a message.
it’s important to follow up for many reasons. one being that most companies are still working from home which means your email is probably lost in the millions they get each day. also, a few companies i followed up with told me that their company is actually on a hiring freeze due to the pandemic and forgot to update the job posting which is obviously beneficial to know.
keep a positive mindset
the biggest thing i struggled with was staying positive. it can be discouraging applying to all of these jobs and hearing nothing back. keep in mind that the right opportunity will come along! i know it’s tough but keep at it because good things take time + i promise all of your hard work and preparation will be worth it.
good luck to all of those searching and stay tuned for some more blog posts coming about interview tips, remote work and more!