Greetings, fellow Mavericks! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, and are ready to finish 2023 strong with a happy and fulfilling Holiday season!

This week in the group was our most tactical week yet, as we focused on the keys to finding the real job opportunities to apply to, and what to do before, during, and after the interview to dominate the process. You’ve gathered the intelligence, and now it is time to launch your plan of action!

1. Do your research.
The first step to finding a good job is to do your research, and gather your intel. This means understanding what kind of jobs are out there, what the qualifications are for those jobs, and what the salary range is. You can do this by talking to friends and family, networking, and doing online research.

During the Live At Five session, we looked at a few examples of “real” jobs that are currently being advertised, and how you can tell which job ads are for real positions, and which ones exist to only fill the company’s hiring pipeline. As we said in previous weeks, the best time to find the job is before it has been formally advertised, because that’s when there is the least amount of competition. Leverage your contacts within the companies you intend to apply for, so that you can add to your knowledge base about the organizational structure, culture, and other information that will help you perform at your best during the job interview.

2. Target your search.
Once you have a good understanding of the job market, you can start to target your search. This means focusing on jobs that are a good fit for your skills and experience. You can do this by using job boards, company websites, and networking.

Again, your personal professional network is key. If you are able to determine who the hiring managers are for your most desirable opportunities, look to connect with them or follow them on LinkedIn. You want to establish rapport with the person conducting the job interview and making the hiring decision. The more you know about them personally, the easier it will be to do during and after the interview. And remember, the secondary objective for the job interview is to add to your personal professional network. Even if you don’t end up getting the job you applied for, you can remain top of mind for future opportunities.

3. Tailor your resume and cover letter.
When you apply for a job, it's important to tailor your resume and cover letter to the specific position. This means highlighting your skills and experience that are relevant to the job you're applying for. You should also take the time to proofread your resume and cover letter for errors.

We talked about how to tailor your resume for the ideal job description you created from the highpoints of your own life and career, so the only tailoring you need to do would be to update the job title you are applying to, and the keywords to make sure the ATS system will score you as being highly qualified for the position. But don’t ignore the cover letter. This is where any intel you have on the hiring manager and company’s mission will come in handy. The resume mostly exists these days to support the automated hiring pipeline process (which we will talk more about next week), where the cover letter is written directly to the person making the hiring decision. So whatever you do, don’t start your cover letter with “To whom it may concern”!

Here’s a link chock full of additional tips to aid your job hunt:

https://careersidekick.com/job-search-tips/

4. Practice your interview skills.

Once you've landed an interview, it's important to practice your interview skills. This means preparing answers to common interview questions, practicing your body language, and dressing professionally.

As I stated repeatedly during the Live At Five session, practice is the most important thing to do if you want to enter the arena with confidence. If you don’t have someone to practice with, our Facebook Group can help. We’ll create a thread in the group for people in the group to find a partner to “spar” with, so you can focus on being present during the interview and establishing rapport with the person across the desk (or on the other end of the Zoom call) with you.

Here are some common interview questions to practice with and to come up with natural and succinct responses.

https://hbr.org/2021/11/10-common-job-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer-them

Remember, it’s just as important to ask questions during the interview as it is to answer them. Asking questions shows that you’ve done your homework and that you are genuinely interested in the company and the opportunities therein.

5. Follow up after the interview.
After the interview, it's important to follow up with the hiring manager. This can be done by sending a thank-you note or by calling to express your interest in the position. You’d be surprised how few people actually do this, and even if you don’t end up getting offered the position you interviewed for, you have added another node to your personal professional network, which will increase the likelihood of great opportunities being available to you in the future.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of finding a good job and landing the perfect interview.

Here are some additional tips for preparing for a job interview: