Looking for a job can be frustrating – especially so, if you have the feeling that you are being super productive and effective. This is just one of many emails we have received in the past months. It’s a good example of how a “false sense of productivity” can be misleading and strengthen disappointment. Quoting Stephen Covey, “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.”
Here the email and below our response to it.
“Dear Career Angels,
Thank you for your work on my CV. Here a quick update – since our last contact:
I have hired a freelancer to collect a list of 100 companies with email addresses of the recruiters / in-house specialists.
I have been sending 2-3 spontaneous applications per day to those companies.
Meanwhile, I have signed up to job portals and been applying to job ads with titles like YYY development, ZZZZ and project management. An average of 4 applications per week.
I was surprised how many positions are available with these titles (and how many there are in English). It is also surprising how fast they respond to my emails – both when it comes to spontaneous applications and to job ads.
Unfortunately, all replies have been negative so far, and I’m wondering if it’s normal and expected in a competitive market. Do you think there is something I can improve and that you can help me with?”
Dear candidate, we hear you!
The job market was already competitive before COVID-19. Times are unusual and if you want to be successful in your job hunting, you need to put even more effort and method into it.
Let us now pick out fragments of the email, so we can comment on them directly.
I have hired a freelancer to collect a list of 100 companies with email addresses of the recruiters / in-house specialists.
It’s good if you do part of the research yourself to get to know the local job market. It’ll help you get a better feel & understanding of it.
And most importantly: you need to contact your potential boss directly – not HR! (unless you yourself work in HR – and then, go for your potential superior!)
A recruiter or in-house specialist will only check whether there are on-going recruitment processes and that’s it. Contacting the decision maker directly increases your chances of getting interviews. The reason for doing that is simple – your potential boss:
• might create a job for you
• knows what’s “in the pipeline” (in terms of projects / recruitment processes) that hasn’t been published / made public yet
• has access to strategic plans e.g. to hire XXX-speaking professionals for a special project
I have been sending 2-3 spontaneous applications per day to those companies.
It’s a good start, but not enough. Our recommendation: to contact 90-120 companies within 1-2 weeks.
Meanwhile, I have signed up to job portals and been applying to job ads with titles like YYY development, ZZZZ and project management. An average of 4 applications per week.
Do you fine-tune the applications using JobScan.co? We recommend to read our full guide on how to use it and prepare an ATS-compliant CV.
I was surprised how many positions are available with these titles (and how many there are in English). It is also surprising how fast they respond to my emails – both when it comes to spontaneous applications and to job ads.
Unfortunately, all replies have been negative so far, and I’m wondering if it’s normal and expected in a competitive market. Do you think there is something I can improve and that you can help me with?
As we mentioned, the job market has already been competitive before CV-19. Nowadays you need to be even more consequent and systematic.
To summarize:
• contact 90-120 companies within 1-2 weeks
• reach out to your potential bosses directly
• fine-tune your application documents using JobScan.co
And last, but not least: follow up within 7-10 days.
If you are a manager or executive with min. 10 years of experience who wants to discuss their job search strategy, you can request a free career consultation by clicking here or sending an email to Bichl.Sandra (at) CareerAngels.eu. Subject: Career Consultation.
