Getting past the application stage.

Let's elevate your career! Weekly advice to energise and elevate your job search and career - the tips & tricks recruiters don't want you to know.

Introduction

You might be surprised about this but I strongly suggest that you stop applying for jobs. Seriously stop.

Rarely does someone get a job through an application these days, read on to understand why and what to do instead.

Not to bash internal recruiters out there as there are some fantastic ones who do an amazing job and I love work that TA do but I have to call out the bad practices happening out there at the moment.

The job market as of 2024

The job market right now is unprecedented, with an all time high of candidates looking and a 3 year low since covid of open vacancies. This imbalance is really highlighting bad practice from recruiters and keeping really good candidates out of work for much longer than ever before. It is not you, it's them.

I am hearing from so many people right now that they are applying for a crazy amount of roles and only getting rejection messages from a very small percent and maybe securing an interview or 2. This is because overworked and underqualified staff are reviewing your CV so don't overthink it, remember it's not you it's them and read the rest of this and get in touch.

The below is the harsh reality of the market right now so the advice in this newsletter is for the market as it stands (early 2024), once the market goes back to normal I will create a new one of these which is more relevant.

This is just a normal Marketing Manager role that has been advertised for a couple of weeks, nothing exceptional about it but as you can see it has received over 1000 applications during that time (which is absolutely ludicrous).

As you can see this mid-level marketing role is attracting a majority senior candidate base which again shows that the market right now has completely flipped on it's head with senior candidates having to apply for lower levels roles.

Ok but why should I stop applying to job adverts?

Because it's a waste of your time. Below is a list of reasons why you should avoid applying for jobs:

The odds are stacked against you even if you are perfect for the job. Even if it were 500 applications on an advert I don't like those odds.

Often adverts are used as a tick box exercise or for networking/ marketing purposes when the company already has a person in mind for the vacancy like an internal promotion

I also read a stat out there that 1 in 10 adverts are 'ghost' adverts (which means they are not real) they have been scraped by a 3rd party site

Then there's another stat that 1 in 10 adverts are completely fake so the maths are just not looking good.

The applicant tracking systems (ATS's) that companies use are great at saving time for the internal teams but can prove as a barrier for those candidates who are better than their CVs portray

The person reading your CV is often under qualified or is too time poor to be able to understand or be able to go through every application to make sense and connect the dots from your experience to the job requirements

Ok so how do I get past the application stage then Dan?

Start by reading my networking and building your personal brand edition of the newsletter, this will give much more detail and useful tips.

But for now the plainest way I can put it, it's time to go old school.. Back to networking basics. Introducing yourself to the right people and growing your reputation for the things you want to be known for.

Below are some clear instructions of what to do when you see a job advert you like the look of and think you have suitable experience for:

Set an alert so you are told daily when new adverts go live

For each advert you like, really read it and do your research, don't just assume you are relevant based on the job title

Invest in LinkedIn premium, they often do a free trial or have a rolling contract, I definitely recommend investing in the short term

Click on the company LinkedIn page and find the 'people' section

Then find filter the people to the location where the job is based

Then search the job title for the likely hiring manager, internal recruiter and HR person and sometimes the department manager (yes that's 3-5 people)

Connect with all 3-5 of these people with an opening note, something light but adding value, not asking anything from them

Once they accept your connection request, send a follow up message mentioning that you saw the job advert, who would be the best person to speak to about the role

Then you should be engaging with their content and posting content of your own so that you show up on their feed

Create a spreadsheet which maps out the companies and the people you have reached out to, this will make it easier to follow up

Notes and things to remember

This is a numbers game so the more companies and people you reach out to and follow up with will increase your chances.

Remember to tailor your messages to highlight your skillset and relevance for the opportunity.

Only ever apply for a job if someone asks you to for admin purposes.

Review your LinkedIn profile and CV constantly, tailor it if you need to for the specific role type and company.

Having a positive mindset when you reach out to people will come across.

Reach out to someone like your Recruitment BFF to help in your search

Conclusion

Now is the time to take ownership of your search, stop feeling sorry for yourself for not securing interviews, you are 1 of 100,000's looking right now. Ask yourself are you doing anything differently to your competition? Probably not.

Yes it is tough out there, so read my previous editions of this newsletter so that you maximise your career and job search and do things the right way.

Do invest in specialists to help with your CV/ LinkedIn profile and presence because we can advise and pick up on the things you may not have thought of that could be the difference between a smooth and fast process to the opposite.

For an intro with your Recruitment BFF (who is also a LinkedIn top voice for Career Coaching) use this link to schedule a free call!

https://calendly.com/dan-bff/30-minute-meeting

Because everyone should have a Recruitment BFF