7 Steps to Finding a Job: Advice from a CEO

Finding a Job and getting employed is not rocket science. Just follow this advice from a CEO and you will get multiple invitations for interviews with the companies for which you apply.

I have been reading resumes for 46 years. I have hired hundreds of people. I have helped tens of thousands to get jobs. I focus entirely on assisting U.S. Veterans; however, this article will help any job seeker get a job faster.

Finding a way to support yourself and your family is not as difficult as it may seem, if you do it the right way. It is a multi-pronged offense and attack. You must use all of these tactics.

First: You must have confidence in yourself. You must believe that you can do the job you for which you are applying. The people who hire personnel have talked to thousands of applicants. They are very astute at reading people. You are probably not going to fool them. – Do not apply for jobs that you are not qualified for and that you cannot do to the company’s complete satisfaction. It will not work out well for you or for them.

Second: Write a short, confident and intriguing cover letter, include it with your resume. This is a brief summary of why you are the perfect candidate for their job opening. Make them want to read your resume. Include the title of the job and a few of the keywords the company has used in their job description.

ThirdThis is essential! When you send a resume to apply for a specific job, use the qualifications and experience listed in their job posting for reference when writing. Use their key descriptive words in your resume. (Ask yourself this question: When the person posted this job, which words in their job description did they choose as the “keywords” for their computer to look for, in order to send them only qualified candidates. (Most resumes are read first by a computer that chooses resumes to be seen, based on their use of the keywords in the job description. The others are deleted.) Most companies do this now to save time. All that companies are looking for is a brief and honest response that proves that you meet their job guidelines, in order to fill their positions ASAP. 

Too many, in fact, most applicants, send in a general resume. They have not included any of the information that the company needs to decide about whether they are qualified. They have not responded specifically to any of the list of qualifications and experience included in the job description. And they have not added any of the keywords listed in their employment ad. – You will not be hired if you do the same. You will be like all the other frustrated job seekers.

*Note: do not apply for jobs using the same resume! The best way to conquer your objective is to use a bullet, not a shotgun. Snipers are sent for specific objectives. “Street-Sweepers” are for crowds. Hence, when applying for specific jobs, use a bullet to bring down your objective.

Fourth: If you were in the US Military, do not make a long list of what you did in the DoD, without explaining how that makes you qualified for their open position. (Saying that you were an 0311 Infantry Rifleman will not get you any jobs. Such descriptions cannot be understood or translated by civilians. Perhaps if you said “0311 Infantry: Trained to use various sophisticated equipment and electronics in multiple situations as needed. Experienced in communications and in filling reports. Trained to assume leadership immediately when necessary. …”  (Note*: Most first readers of your resume will be non-veterans and be in their early 20’s. They will not be the decision maker. They are probably not a US veteran and cannot make any sense of what your military responsibilities were and how they relate to the job they need to fill, unless you explain it in words they understand and can apply to the job they must fill.)

Fifth: Use LinkedIn. This is the Number One worldwide space for companies, employers, employees, and serious job seekers. Create a profile. Fill it out completely. Join 50 relevant groups. Follow some of the leaders in your industry and join some of the groups to which they belong. Follow companies for which you want to work. Connect with executives and employees in those companies. (Use the Search bar to do all this.) Read the posts that they make, like them and make a comment. Also, write and post articles and send them to your groups. Make your self known. Build relationships.

The connections you make on LinkedIn can be extremely valuable in putting you on the top of the list of candidates a company will consider. If you can get a recommendation from an executive or an employee of a company, it helps tremendously.

LinkedIn is also an online space that virtually every recruiter in the world has joined and uses to find job seekers to fill every job opening they acquire.

Take the time to watch all the videos that LinkedIn offers for job seekers. (Click Here.

Sixth: Use niche job boards. Look for job boards that are exclusive for your experience and industry. If you are a US veteran, go to sites like HirePatriots.com. Post your resume and search for the jobs and the state or city in which you want to find employment. If you find a job you know you can do well, give them a call. HirePatriots will act as your agent and contact the company and recommend you. – There are such niche job boards for every industry. The BIG job boards are becoming obsolete. They are too expensive and less effective for employers to use. And for job seekers, it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

Seventh: For those of you that are not shy, here is a sensational way to get seen and noticed: Your local media wants stories about US veterans. They also want a US veteran that can explain what it is like to be in the military, what is learned and gained by being in the US military, and why it is so hard for our military to transition. Write the producer, editor, station manager and some of their reporters. Send a short letter letting them know that you are a US veteran and that you would like to talk on these subjects and educate their listeners. You will get interviews! The News runs out of things to say every 24 hours. By offering them to speak about US veteran issues, you help them fill their News time slots. During your live interview, give a brief resume of your own experience and mention that you are currently looking for employment. — This will work with civilians too, if you give them a story their audience wants to hear.

Go to these links and search for local TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines in your local area. Magazines in the USAUSA newspapersUSA TV stations, and USA local news media by city and state.

P.S. If you are a US veteran, reach out to me. Let’s talk and see if I can be of any further assistance.

Mark Baird/ [email protected]/ 760-730-3734

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