5 Secrets to a Successful Job Search

We at Career Hackers have secrets for a successful job search.

But we want everyone to know them! We’re an open book. 😉

So help us and get the word out AND help yourself. The sooner you apply these tips for your own hunt, the more the Career Hackers mentality will catch on! And you’ll have First-Mover-Advantage.

Here we go.

Secret #1 – Be interested

If you want to be interesting, be interested.

A kick-butt life starts with curiosity. If you want to do what makes you come alive, start with following your interests.

You can chalk this up as life advice, but it’s specific to a successful job search, too. Why? Because companies want to hire people who are intrinsically motivated, not cogs-in-a-wheel.

Start with asking what bothers you. What burning problem do you want to solve? Then go find companies solving that problem.

This also applies to building a body of work, or a digital footprint. Go pursue hobbies, projects, and pursuits that excite you, then document it via a blog, video series, podcast, etc.

When a company looks you up (they will), you’ll be an interesting person!

Companies are people too. People want to work with interesting people.

Be interested.

2) Zero in on a small number of companies

This relates directly to Secret #1. As you seek companies that spark your interest, don’t feel you need to find a hundred of them.

Contrary to the popular belief of “it’s a numbers game,” go deep on ONLY those companies that you’re super lit up about.

Quality, not quantity.

Learn everything you can about the company, and send a value proposition (projects and a pitch), not a resume.

This will take more time than tweaking a cover letter/resume. But the ROI will pay off, big. Even if the company ultimately doesn’t hire you, you have built a personal Iron Man Suit. You’ve learned how to go deep. You’ve learned how to pitch a company.

3) Don’t click ‘apply’

Yeah, so skip clicking ‘apply’ on generic jobs boards. Companies rarely hire that way, anyway (85% of hires are outside the applicant pool).

Instead, find specific human beings at the company, and build social capital with them.

Follow on social, listen to their podcast appearances, write a blog post about why you love their work, reach out on LinkedIn to an employee who is doing a similar job to the one you want.

As you connect to and learn about the company that you love, you’re priming yourself as a prospect on their radar. Then when you send your value prop, you’ll already have a leg in.

Way better than a cold apply with a resume!

4) Years experience don’t matter

It’s easy to feel intimidated when you see “2 years experience required” on a job posting.

But you can transcend that.

What companies really want is someone who will create more than value than they cost. If you can sell yourself on your soft skills, hard skills, and growth potential, you don’t need what they claim to want.

For example, if you are looking for a sales role, and you send a list of 100 leads just for that company, along with a kick-butt pitch video about why you love them, will they really say no to an interview?

You don’t need experience, only gumption.

Speaking of pitches….

5) Send a pitch (or 2)

Yeah, and the pitch economy beats the resume economy.

We live in 2020 where videos are everywhere. Practically, it’s the water in which we swim.

Apply this to job apps and send a pitch video. Signal your boldness, show your smile, and don’t wait for permission.

After an interview, you could even send a second pitch! We call this a warm pitch – it’s a great way to seal the deal.

Companies are waiting for you

Bottom line: it’s time to Crash the party. And be the person at the party everyone loves!

Sure, the company didn’t ask for a pitch.

But they crave it.

…this is BY FAR the best and coolest application I’ve ever seen in over 20 years of reviewing applications. You absolutely blew me away and made my morning.
~ Recruiter in an email to a subscriber.

Break the rules, and you’ll actually have a successful job search