Job Hunting Tips for Young People

I know how to get a job. That’s because I haven’t had a job for over a decade.

I do something more difficult. I create a job for myself each and every day.

All of it comes from my network.

In many ways I am surprised that I am writing this blog.

I have used paid interns or assistants since the beginning to help market myself and make me smarter.

I find young people very resourceful but since I network with a lot of people I still hear horror stories.

Some I don’t want to believe.

Creating a job is not easy and neither is finding one. You have to be at the top of your game. In the New Normal there are no Guidance Councilor Offices and least of all no fairness. It is all about hustle, initiative, and looking smarter than the other candidates.

It is not what you say, it is how you appear and are perceived.

I was helping a client find a digital marketing person. Great company. Great job. I gave them a couple of candidates that they really liked. They responded that they have three of their own.

One great job. Five candidates.

Who is going to get that digital marketing job? The person with the most social media game will certainly have an advantage. Certainly not somebody with 74 LinkedIn connections, 43 Twitter followers and no other presence on the internet.

Probably somebody really robust on LinkedIn or other social media platforms. Probably somebody with their own simple site. Probably somebody with their own business cards. Or maybe their own blog. Certainly somebody very tech savvy. Maybe somebody with a resume that looks like an infographic. Maybe somebody who knows another person at that company and has had them reach out to the hiring person.

Most likely somebody that looks like they are participating in the game and not just watching it go by.

You see your online and social media assets aren’t just something for an interview. They are something for you for life as your reputation is increasingly found online. So you have to look involved and smart with good content.

Marketing yourself is your job each and every day in the New Normal.

In many categories it is not the best person necessarily that gets the job but the best Marketer.

I also hear stories about candidates not bringing their resumes to an interview and expecting their potential employer to have printed it out.

Work is about making your bosses job easier and not giving them more to do but less. The simpler you make it for people the greater your chances are of getting employed.

To get a job you need to have an attitude of bringing game to them and that means making their life easier and anticipating everything. Where are you going to park, how much money should you bring, what should you wear or carry, what should you bring? What would impress them? Have a brag book? Bring it.

That’s why signatures in e mails are so important with your cell number, LinkedIn profile, Twitter page and any other social media platforms. Make yourself easy to connect with. It improves your odds of getting hired slightly and when you have five candidates slightly is enormous.

Then I got a call from a client telling me that a candidate I had recommended came to the interview in sweats and sandals. I thought I was dreaming or watching some dumb movie. No say it isn’t so. Not in this day and age. Haven’t people heard enough about dressing for success? Your roommate is not the hiring manager. If the company has offices dress like you are going to an office.

Job hunting is not a game. It is your career and reputation. Your actions create your word of mouth. Zero chance my client would recommend that person to somebody else. They would have been better calling in sick.

One of the most important elements of finding a job is an attitude of wanting the job. Job hunting is like dating. Show some passion.

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