Making the Job Search Less Awful

Hundreds or even thousands of applications enter the ring; only one will prevail

If you’ve ever been discouraged during a job search after weeks of sending out applications only to see zero responses, you’re not alone.

As noted by Robert Meier, President of Job Market Experts, in an article for Workopolis, “98% of job seekers are eliminated at the initial resume screening and only the ‘Top 2%’ of candidates make it to the interview.”

Those numbers are grim, but you can increase your personal success rate by making a few tweaks to your job search strategy.

  1. Go Outside

No, seriously. Networking is the single most important thing to do when it comes to the job search. There are plenty of jobs that are never posted online, and you’re not going to hear about them if you spend all your time on online job boards.

This can be as simple as meeting up with friends for coffee or as complicated as going to a job fair to meet recruiters in person or joining a professional group. All of this comes with the added benefit of bettering your mental health.

  1. Apply for Jobs You (Mostly) Qualify For

In theory, filling out as many job applications as possible would increase your success rate. However, there are two problems with this strategy:

  1. If you don’t qualify for the jobs you apply for, your success rate will stay low.
  2. If you spend hours a day applying for jobs you aren’t right for, experiencing near-constant rejection, your mental health could be affected.

So, we highly recommend making sure you have experience that relates to the job you’re applying for. You don’t have to match every single one of the minimum qualifications, but your application should tell a story of how you’re great for the job. That can mean substituting in relevant experience and explaining how it applies, or fitting the application to a “T.”  But if your background is mostly in administration, for example, you shouldn’t be applying for experienced welding positions. If you want to change your career path, you’ll have to start closer to the bottom.

  1. Contact Express

Okay, so you know you need to network. You know you need to curate your job search and not apply for everything under the sun. But what if you aren’t good at networking or find yourself unable to keep up with all the demands of the job search? Luckily Express Employment Professionals can help with all that.

If getting a job is all about who you know, why not get to know Express? Express has offices across the U.S., Canada, and South Africa and staffing is our business, literally. We connect you with recruiters who have existing relationships with local companies, meaning that you get your foot in the door without having to network. Find your local office, or register online.

Do you have any job search horror stories? Let us know in the comments section below!

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