Tips and advice for the job search (cover letters, job offer, employed)

[Phil P]

I thought it'd be cool to make a thread compiling all the things we've learned from the job search so others can see.

Here's mine:

Screenshot the application/job description page. These often go away and I've more than once wish I had them to look back at, as they will often tailor the interview around the things asked in this page. In fact, I was going to do a phone interview tomorrow where I didn't know what the position was or where it was because I lost that job description page... Not a fun place to be.

Go into the interview telling yourself you easily have this job and walk away telling yourself you didn't get it. I've made the mistake of getting slack thinking that it's likely I'll get position X, so further applications aren't necessary. And I ended up not getting position X.

Wikipedia the company page and the industry of the company page. It's easy and always helps.

Find core values on the company page and slide synonyms of them into the interview as qualities you possess or things you look for in a company. Also look at the interviewers LinkedIn page so you can see where they are coming from.

The more interviews you do, the better you get.

Be prepared to come with stories of how you interacted with coworkers or customers in various situations. If you don't have them, make them up. It's better to have a solid made up example than a not quite relevant real one.

Think of questions for them. This part of the interview, having good questions, is just as important as answering the ones they have for you.

Always go back and reanalyze your resume. I've improved it multiple times after seeing which parts of it I tended to emphasize over and over and which parts I didn't use.

I ended up getting a job offer today (woohoo!) but I thought of doing this thread before that and I wanted to get this out.

[c114]

Thank you for the tip!

Does anyone have any tip on job applications? Should I even bother applying to the jobs when I don't meet every single qualifications? I've heard that I should still apply because qualifications is just a "wish list." But I'm sure there is going to be someone out there that will meet all those qualifications. Should I even bother tailoring my cover letters to those jobs? I've applied to so many jobs and rarely get any responses, I'm really discourage. I even applied to ones such as administrative assistant. I feel like I'm never going to be employ. Has anyone been hired even though they didn't meet every requirement?

Sorry for the loads of question!

[514gal]

I like this thread!

The rule of thumb I have heard is that if you meet 60 - 80 % of the qualifications (that number varies depending on the source) you should go ahead and apply. You should always tailor your cover letter and resume to the job even when it is a long shot. It is annoying but job seekers need to stand out.

Another tip is to always follow-up. Don't sit around and wait for things to happen, go out and make them happen. Try and sleuth out the hiring manager so you can follow-up directly with him or her regarding the hiring timeline. This is also another chance to reiterate your enthusiasm and market yourself.

Don't underestimate the importance of a good LinkedIn profile. I have landed two job interviews because someone found me on LinkedIn. I wouldn't known of these opportunities otherwise. The reason I didn't get the jobs because my skill set wasn't the best match but it was at least practice interviewing. It is also useful for forming new connections and reaching out to people.

An incredibly useful networking tool is informational interviewing. To land an informational interview you identify companies and job titles you are interested in and try to reach out to people occupying those roles. You then ask for 15 - 20 minutes of their time so you can ask them more about the role or company. It gives you good practice with interviewing and can lead to you getting an internal referral for a job.

[Nickchick]

Originally Posted by Phil P

Go into the interview telling yourself you easily have this job and walk away telling yourself you didn't get it. I've made the mistake of getting slack thinking that it's likely I'll get position X, so further applications aren't necessary. And I ended up not getting position X.

The more interviews you do, the better you get.

Be prepared to come with stories of how you interacted with coworkers or customers in various situations. If you don't have them, make them up. It's better to have a solid made up example than a not quite relevant real one.

Think of questions for them. This part of the interview, having good questions, is just as important as answering the ones they have for you.

It's nearly impossible if not impossible for me to go in there knowing that I'm misunderstood and don't connect well with people in general thinking I easily have the job. Not to mention I know how much competition there is. But I obviously can easily tell myself at the end that I didn't get it so I've got half of it right.

I think the interviews are a waste of time. I apparently did really good at the last one but I think that was just a fluke. I think unless I really really want the job my "performance" is pretty consistent though I do try to apply for the jobs I would have some degree of passion for.

I definitely don't have much only working one formal job for a few months. I'm not good at lying so I can't come up with made up examples that sound realistic. Plus since I only have that experience I think they would see right through it anyway although I do have my sites on there and one interviewer didn't even know what it was but I can't assume that every interviewer is an idiot.

I do ask if they have any concerns and what a typical day is like. I don't really have any other questions because I'm not interested in the company itself. If it's a retail store I'm just interested in what they sell. They're all pretty much the same to me.

I keep thinking of something but I don't know how to put it into place. I know I can ace the interview every time if I pretend that I am a musician I admire because he exudes confidence (maybe a female version) but the problem is even if I try to pretend I am him acting as me I can't because I'm stuck on the fact that this is not an audition. I'm too authentic to even consider acting as someone acting as ME. I don't know how to train my mind into believing this is an audition because it seems like that is the way to go as many people say interviewing is an act so if you're not an exact fit you have to pretend you are. I can also think about the struggles I've survived through that is another option but it's hard to be confident when negative experiences are treated as negative experiences to employers especially since they're part of personal life so I need a way to implement them as relevant to the job. Sure I can say something like that I'm driven but what does that really mean? Anyone can say that. I need examples but don't have any that they would accept. I know they prove something about me because I know that while I'm weak from them in the way it's harder to take rejection, for a retail job for example I wouldn't worry about rude customers because I've been through too much to care what random people say. I could also say that I was the hardest worker in school but not sure if that's good enough either because to them school is different than a job and probably doesn't show through my grades since I had a disability I was unaware of. I also can't tell them about it because they will discriminate me but I don't know how to hide it either though the last interviewer said she never would have known but I had my coach with me (maybe that helped me do better too? what if I can't do that well on my own). That's bearing the fact I can even get interviews anymore because I don't see how I'll get any now.

How do you get interviews for a job if you lack work history and aren't a naturally sociable person? Bear in mind I am not picky about the salary at all. If it was legal I would work for less than minimum wage. I just won't work for free. I would have my sites documented on the resume but only would get interviews sometimes.

Also people say you are overqualified if you have a college degree for minimum wage job but then I would have a gap if I didn't put it down. I am overqualified for minimum wage but under-qualified for jobs in my field. Forever stuck in a catch 22. I tried applying to a few internships in the past but my coach said I didn't get an answer because I'm not still in school. Even if I got grants I don't know about going back to school because I would imagine I'd have to be there for a while to get an opportunity and I just want something now. I have looked for temp jobs before too and no luck there.


I am really at that point where I'm pretty confident that I'm destined to be unemployed because even with a coach I still wasn't getting offers and I have run out of time with her. If it really is a "vibe" that is keeping me from being employed I can't change that. I need a job to feel better about myself so being unemployed it is impossible to be confident that I will land a job whereas if I already had one I'd be confident about landing another one I'm sure.

All I want in life right now is a job. It shouldn't be this difficult.