Halloween Edition: The scary parts of the job search
Sunday is not only Halloween, it’s my wife's birthday! So it’s probably unsurprising that we go big: lots of decorations, and we also organize an annual family-friendly Halloween Bike Ride.
Sadly, writing a scary-themed email isn't too tricky because everything about the job hunt is scary. This week, I thought I'd focus on the scary aspects of the job hunt and how to overcome them:
People ghost you. When you apply for a job, it's typical to never hear back from the organization. I hate that this has become the norm, but it’s reality. So manage your expectations when you fire out a bunch of job applications, knowing that it's unlikely to hear back. Even if you do hear back, it's usually a form letter saying that your application has been received and that they will be in touch if it's a good fit. (For what it’s worth: I always get back to people and I try really hard to make sure the candidates have a good experience.) Think about job hunting as a process. It’s not about one job and one response. It's about multiple months of networking meetings and job applications and then eventually you'll get a nibble. Try and stay focused on the goal of putting yourself out there instead of waiting to hear back from others.
It takes a wicked long time to get a job offer. Looking for a job can be scary, especially if money is tight. Typically it takes 12 weeks to move a candidate from an application to an offer -- that’s a long time! And as we get closer to the holidays and people being out of office, it can take even longer. So, you have to be ready for the marathon and set your expectations accordingly. If you can pick up a side hustle to keep yourself busy while on the job hunt, go for it. If you are starting interviews with an organization in late October, know that it will probably take until mid-December to get to the final interview stage, which means you’d start the job around mid-Jan.
You have to sell yourself. Most people find talking about themselves and their accomplishments fear-inducing. As an organizer, I was always taught to say “there you are” instead of “here I am.” When interviewing for jobs, you need to tell stories that help the interviewer understand what value you could add to their organization. And you can get over the fear simply through practice. Make sure you have good answers to all the questions you know every interviewer is going to ask: Tell me about yourself; What's your superpower?; What are you best at? If you write down your answers and practice them again and again, the whole thing becomes less scary.
You get inside your own head. When you are on the job hunt, it's easy to feel like you are on a solo mission. A friend can make an introduction, but then you have to "wow" the person on the phone. I remember looking for a job and feeling bad about the career choices I had made. I jumped straight into organizing work after college and never went to grad school, so whenever someone asked me about grad school it also made me question my decision not to go. It's easy to get scared when needing to be constantly “on” and tell your story. I don't have any easy tips for overcoming this one, just know that everyone on the job hunt is in the same boat. Sometimes it helps to have a buddy you can talk to about the search. Find someone who isn't the person you have dinner with every night -- someone a little outside your day-to-day orbit and ask them to be your job search buddy. Do calls with them every week or every other week to check in on progress. Spend time talking about things you can control (How many people did you meet with this week?) instead of things you can't (How many job offers did you get?).
You second guess every decision. This applies to all scary parts of the job hunt, including accepting an offer. You want to make sure it's a good culture fit and that the role and organization fits with your career trajectory. One tip here is to just pay attention. How an organization treats a candidate during the hiring process is a good indicator to how they treat their staff. I'd also recommend talking to people who have worked at the organization outside of an interview context to get a feel for the culture that you can't really tease out in an interview.
Here are the top three jobs we’re featuring this week:
Vice President of Strategy & Delivery at Swell LLC; $150,000-$175,000, Remote.
Climate Campaign Manager at VPIRG; $50,000-$60,000; Burlington, Vt. (Relocation Bonus).
Senior Director of Advocacy at Voting Rights Lab; $135,000-$150,000; Remote.
Now, onto housekeeping!
NRG Consulting is offering coaching programs to folks on the job hunt, whether you’re an entry- or senior-level candidate. Check out the programs we’re offering on our website, and get in touch with us.
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