Times have changed and today’s technology is unbelievable as to what is now available for job seekers.  As a business and career coach. I have learned a great deal and today I am going to share some secrets for your consideration if you are looking for work.

 IT IS A NUMBERS GAME
Looking for work today is tough.  It is always tough.  However, recently when working with a client, she was putting out about 5-10 resumes a week.  That is not good.  It is recommended to put out at least 25-40 applications a week (depending on the position.  That’s 5-8 a day)  Remember:  Looking for work is a full time job.  Each day/week, set your intention:  How many applications do I want to send out today?  How many people do I want to chat with today?  How many meetups do I want to go this week?  Who do I need to follow up with?

FIND THE RIGHT PERSON
Often, when applying for jobs, people just go to a website, apply, attach a cover letter and application and wait.  However, now you can actually find out who the recruiters and hiring people are at companies you apply to.  Clearbit is an amazing Chrome Extension that allows you to go to LinkedIn and find emails for recruiters.  Also, a new site, www.thementat.com is doing some incredible things for job seekers.  Click on a job and automatically it find the names of recruiters, attaches your resume and a cover letter that you can easily customize so you can reach the right people.  Also, coming soon, they say they will also be able to find connections you know from LinkedIn who also work at the specific company so that you can network and get more information.

USING THE RIGHT RESUME
You need two resumes!  One for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and a pretty one.  Most companies now only use ATS.  IF YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT ATS YOU ARE AT A HUGE DISADVANTAGE.  It is essential that you place keywords in your materials based on what you see on the job description as that is how they are pulling up resumes.  Also for the ATS resume, formatting is everything.  Click here for a great guide on hot to format your ATS resume.As for the “pretty one” check out Etsy as they have a huge selection of resume templates that are stunning and cheap.

YOU HAVE TO NETWORK
If you think you are just going to get a job by applying, think again.  Today, you need to use your networks.  Use LinkedIn, meet people through an app called SHAPR which is like Tinder for networking.  Use your social media.  Go to networking events.  Talk to people in your Church, Zumba class or on the basketball court. People know people and most jobs today can be found through networking.  One of my favorite lines is, “You can’t wink at somebody in the dark.”  If you do not talk to people, how will they know?

DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY
This is a numbers game.  If you did not get the job or interview, try not to take it personally.  Often, it is not about you.  Maybe they wanted a blonde.  Someone older.  Younger. Maybe they moved someone into the role internally or hired a friend.  This list can go on and on.  If you did mess up on an interview, excellent!  It was a great learning experience.  However, in general, you do not have time to mope.  Maybe the universe knows something you do not and that job was not meant for you.

Years ago, when one of my best friends and I would go to the bars (and we were much younger), he was shameless and would go up to people and buy them drinks all the time.  When I asked him why he did this, his response was, “It only takes one!”.  [Insert rolling of the eyes here].  However, in the job search, the same idea holds true here.  You are going to have to meet a lot of people and handle a lot of rejection, but in the end, “it only takes one”