Find and Mine the Gold
Mine advertised jobs to explore and discover what you can and want to do, learn to market yourself, receive daily job alerts, apply, and then network to land a sweet spot job.
Five steps to mine online job posts work well for any job search, and particularly well if you:
- Have been out of the job market for a while
- Are not sure what you want to do
- Are considering a career change
For simplicity, I’ve assumed you don’t have a specific type of job in mind. Like a funnel, the 5 steps start with broad exploration and then help you narrow your focus to pursue targeted opportunities. You can also follow these steps if you know what kind of job you’re looking for.
Yes, these steps take time. But an effective job search is an investment in your future. It’s well worth the time to find a great fit and avoid mistakes.
Step 1: Explore Possibilities
At this early stage, explore an extensive variety of jobs without specifying a location or time frame. Cast a wide net to find new ideas, consider options, and learn how jobs are defined.
Experiment with key words in the Job Title field. For example: customer, project, program, executive, marketing, communications, and account. Words like these pull a wide array of jobs. Read them thoroughly to gain clarity about the types of jobs you do and don’t want to pursue.
I searched on Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter. But it’s important to stay current as job search platforms pop up like mushrooms (including new features on Twitter and Facebook).
Step 2: Discover Options to Pursue
Types of jobs you are most and least interested in will emerge as you read a large assortment of job posts. While reading the posts, capture a running list of words and phrases you might use to describe yourself.
This is the time to distinguish work you do and don’t want to do, and work you are and aren’t qualified to do. Be honest with yourself about responsibilities and requirements do and don’t fit your experience and capabilities. Listen to your inner voice and physical cues to discern work you are attracted to and work that makes you want to run in the other direction. You might find a patchwork of parts of jobs that are and are not a fit.
During my transition, I discovered and pursued three distinct directions, and ruled out many others.
Step 3: Market Yourself
Today’s robust job posts are a goldmine to learn how to market yourself.
Once you zero in on whole or parts of jobs that excite you (regardless of where they are or when they were posted), mine the descriptions for key words and phrases to use in your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Use job posts you are most attracted to as a source for the top one-third of your resume and the headline and summary of your LinkedIn profile. Write credible descriptions of what you have done, creatively positioned for what you can and want to do next.
Step 4: Set-Up Daily Alerts
When your resume and LinkedIn profile are ready for prime time, move full speed ahead with your search.
Set up daily alerts using key words in the Job Title Field that pulled the jobs you used in step #3. I created daily alerts on Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, and career pages of target companies. Use advanced search filters to set up alerts in your target commuting range (e.g., zip code plus 25 or 50 miles).
Job search platforms respond differently to search criteria in the Title Field. I had success with specific titles in quotation marks (e.g., “Chief of Staff”), and with a string of key words separated by “or” (e.g., Writer or Editor or Proofreader).
Your initial alerts will probably include hundreds of jobs. Once you wade through these, most jobs you receive will have been posted since your previous alert. It takes a week or two to get this working efficiently. You will get faster and faster at scanning through many job posts to find the sweet spot treasures you want to pursue.
Step 5: Apply and Network
Rather than warning job seekers to not waste time applying online, my proven method is to apply first, then network.
Based on receiving more than six job offers by submitting applications and the experiences of many people in my network, factors that increase success rates with online applications include:
- Superior quality resumes
- Strong LinkedIn profiles
- Selective pursuit of opportunities that are a strong fit
- Not submitting applications for jobs that are not a strong fit
- Customized cover letters that demonstrate the unique value you can bring to the job
- Applications submitted within 24 hours of the job being posted
- Skillful navigation of online applications and applicant tracking systems
Read Losing Your Job & Finding Yourself to learn more about these 5 Steps and other proven job search methods.