I loved working for American Eagle (a regional partner with American Airlines). This job awakened my love for travel, and the benefits were amazing. I frequently flew space A (space available, for free), with no guarantee of getting on a flight, to the horror of my parents. My most adventurous trip was traveling space A, as a solo traveler, to England. I remember running through Chicago O’Hare Airport to reach the gate for my next flight, because I had to make my connection.
During that time, I spent a lot of time waiting at gates, and in my subsequent work with clients, I started using the term “gate” to mean a stopping point when it came to their job search or career goal. Can you relate to any of the “gates” described below? Which one are you stuck behind?
GATE #1: YOU’VE SPENT HOURS ON YOUR RESUME, HAVE SUBMITTED IT ONLINE AND TO THOSE IN YOUR NETWORK, BUT IT’S GETTING FEW, OR NO, RESPONSES - Based on my years of experience in working with clients, this can be for a variety of reasons: You don’t have the experience or requirements they think are most critical (Hint: You don’t need ALL of them to apply); It’s not written as clearly as it could be; it’s formatted poorly because you are using a template that doesn’t scan well (I see a lot of this); you haven’t used the right key words; your experience is buried under too much text; your experience isn’t standing out…the list goes on.
GATE #2: YOU HAVEN’T MADE CHANGES TO YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE FOR YEARS OR HAVE A LINKED PROFILE THAT YOU SUSPECT ISN’T AS STRONG AS IT COULD BE - Your LinkedIn profile is an important marketing tool—just like your resume—and recruiters use it frequently to look for potential hires. There are things you can do to enhance it, highlight your experience and skills, and bring more attention to yourself, which will increase your chances of being noticed and, eventually, of being hired.
GATE #3: YOU ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR A JOB, BUT IT FEELS LIKE YOU’RE JUST SPINNING YOUR WHEELS - There can be many reasons your job search isn’t working or is not as effective as it could be. If you’re spending hours in front of your computer, submitting your resume on job boards, you are wasting a lot of time. There is a better, much more effective, strategy that you can use to look for a job, one that increases your chances of connecting directly with the people who are in a position to hire you.
GATE #4: YOU NEVER MAKE IT BEYOND THE INITIAL PHONE SCREEN - Most people don’t prepare for the phone screen as well as they could, and the primary reason for this is they don’t know what to expect or, if they do, their responses aren’t strong enough, and they fumble through. There are 3 primary things recruiters or hiring managers are looking for during the phone screen process, and you need to know what they are, how to prepare yourself, and the best way to answer their questions to increases your chances of moving forward.
GATE #5: YOU’VE HAD INTERVIEWS BUT NEVER MAKE IT TO THE OFFER STAGE - This is very frustrating for job seekers, and the reasons can be numerous. Give yourself credit that you’ve made it this far, because the job market is competitive, but also consider that you can’t deal with issues if you don’t know what they are, and most recruiters and hiring managers won’t tell you the reason you weren’t one of the chosen ones to make it to the offer stage. Why? Because of possible legal backlash. It’s important for you to know the types of interviews you may be facing and how to navigate each one.
You need to be prepared to clear all the “gates” put in front of you during your job search—when it comes to developing the best resume through the interview process—and I can help you to do this. I’ve worked with thousands of professionals, in many industries, to help them improve their chances of finding a job in the most effective way possible. Reach out to me for a complimentary 20-minute consultation today.