There’s no doubt that looking for a job during a pandemic is exceptionally challenging. Right now, millions are furloughed, underemployed or out of work. The United States unemployment rate was 6.7% (with 10 million+ unemployed) in November 2020, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics latest news release. While this number has declined over the last six months, it’s not close to the 3.5% level reported in February 2020.

That said, looking for a job in a booming economy isn’t easy either. When people feel confident in finding another job, they often decide to begin exploring opportunities. As they move from being passive job seekers (those who need to be enticed to move) to active job seekers, competition for plum positions grows.

The truth is, standing out from your competition is essential in any job market. It’s particularly important when you’re pursuing executive roles. One of the most effective ways to do that is by establishing yourself as a thought leader. Someone that people can recognize as an authority in their industry.

While you can’t become a thought leader overnight, you can begin working toward that today by providing value to your colleagues and community.

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Welcome to 2021!

2020 has been extremely challenging. Most of us have had our professional, and personal lives turned upside down. Many people found looking for a new job frustrating, exhausting, and disheartening.

Finally, 2020 has been kicked to the curb. The holidays are behind us, and a brand-new year, full of possibilities, stretches before us.

If your goal is to get a new job in 2021, it’s time to get going. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Start today.

Get Your Career Marketing Tools Ready

#1 Make sure your resume is recruiter and employer ready. Your resume is often how hiring managers meet you. A boring list of duties and responsibilities is unlikely to motivate anyone to contact you.

People in similar positions do similar things. The best way to differentiate yourself is by demonstrating your value. And the way to do that is by creating a results-driven resume in a modern, easy-to-scan format.

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You’ve heard the saying “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s particularly true during your job search

Certainly, having the right skills, experience, and, in some cases, education is essential. However, recruiters and employers may not contact you for an interview if you don’t make a good first impression.

At least good enough to make them want to learn more.

Recruiters and employers meet you different ways. It might be when they receive your resume. It might be when they view your profile on LinkedIn. It might be when they see something on social media. Since you have no way of knowing, it’s important to cover all fronts.

If you’ve been actively recruited for your last several positions, having a boring, task-focused resume has probably worked for you. It may have been not much more than a formality.

When you’re the one approaching recruiters and employers, however, replacing your boring task-focused resume with a results driven marketing tool and developing a robust, optimized LinkedIn profile will make you more marketable.

Both of those take time, effort, and maybe even hiring a professional writer. That said, there are a few fairly simple, often quick, things you can do to make a better first impression.

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Most job seekers dread talking to recruiters and employers about salary. In many states it’s illegal to ask candidates about their current salary. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be asked about your expectations.

The truth is, you can’t completely dodge the salary question.

But, to some degree you can control it. You do this by understanding the process and being prepared.

Why do recruiters ask about your salary?

As a former recruiter, I know they don’t ask your salary requirements to put you on the spot. They ask because they need to know if you are in the salary range for the position they are filling.  Remember, recruiters don’t work for you, they work for the employer.

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These are extraordinarily difficult times. Unemployment is climbing. People on furlough wonder if they’ll be returning to work.  Shutdowns across the country make it challenging to look for a job.

Despite everything, this is not the time to stop looking for a new job. The job market has changed dramatically, but jobs are still out there. Employers are hiring. There are steps you can take to move your job search forward.

Here are 10 job search strategies that work. But reading this list isn’t enough. You need to act. You can’t do all of them today, but you can get started.

#1 Make a list of your target employers, companies where you would most like to work. Set up Google alerts to help you follow them in the news. Start contacting family, friends, former colleagues, etc. to see if they know anyone who works for one, or more, of your top employers.

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Concerns about the Coronavirus are growing daily. It dominates the news and kitchen-table conversations. Here in Connecticut, events are being postponed or cancelled, some because of a State of Connecticut mandate.

If you’re looking for a new job or want to be prepared in case you need to, you’ll need to adjust your job search strategies.

Several months ago, I created a basic job search plan. I’ve adapted it here to be used during our current public health emergency.

The plan includes job search preparation (PREP) and continuing activities (ONGOING). If you’re actively looking, as in you really want to find a job, follow A activities. If you’re passively looking, you’re open but not in any hurry, P is for you.

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Being employed does make you more appealing to employers. But it has a different set of challenges. Sneaking out of the office for interviews can be tricky. Other things, like being dressed appropriately, just take a little planning.

If you work a casual office wearing an “interview outfit” will likely be a red flag. Just as when someone comes into a casual environment for a job interview they stand out like a bikini at a funeral.

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If you’re actively looking for a job or just open to opportunities you need to be on LinkedIn. You need an optimized LinkedIn profile that tells your career story. And you need to make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to find you.

Like it or not, your LinkedIn profile needs more than compelling content. Despite being primarily a business site, it’s still considered social media. Which means a head shot is essential.

As a former recruiter, I know that profiles without head shots raise red flags. People wonder what you are hiding.

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Most of the resumes I see focus on what people do on a daily basis. The results is a boring list of duties and responsibilities that’s unlikely to inspire anyone to call them. .

Employers want to know what you can do for them. The best way to show your value is to focus on what you’ve done for your current and previous employer. They want to know about the positive impact you’ve made 

The same is true for interviews. Employers don’t want to hear about your duties and responsibilities, what you do every day. They want to hear about your achievements.

Maybe you didn’t directly generate revenue, but maybe you saved the account by providing extra service. Perhaps you redesigned a process so it takes 2 days a month instead of 5 freeing staff to take on other duties. Maybe you leveraged your business relationships to build a promising pipeline.  

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You’ve probably heard that many jobs aren’t advertised. While stats indicating 70% to 80% of jobs are unadvertised are dated, most career professionals agree that the best way to land a job is through a referral.

While job board have their place, spending all your time applying to jobs online isn’t practical. Neither is expecting recruiters to contact you, even if your LinkedIn profile and other social media platforms are stellar.

While LinkedIn is still favored by recruiters, its popularity has declined. In 2018 LinkedIn dropped to 77%, down from 92% the previous year, followed by Facebook at 63% according to Jobvite’s 2018 Recruiter Nation Survey. Survey results show that 25% of recruiters are now sourcing candidates on Instagram.

Just remember, recruiters don’t work for you, they work for the employer. They are online looking for candidates to fill specific positions. More precisely, they are looking for a square peg to fit into a square hole. If you are a round peg you’re out of luck.

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