As people continue to search for jobs they love, and ask me to help them with their resumes, I continue to learn and improve (hopefully) as a resume coach. Here are a couple of things I have learned recently, one quick, the other less so.
1. Don’t trust the job descriptions on job websites. As much as possible, go to the Careers page on the Company site to examine and confirm the job information there.
Of course, I know you all know better than to send an application to a job without researching the company, if only to enable you to customize your cover letter. But you should double check the job listing itself also. In the last week, I found a typo on the form on a LinkedIn listed gig, that changed the type of job that it really was. Then I found a job being pushed and promoted on another listing service site that had expired some unknown time prior, according to the company site.
2. Develop a deep understanding of what kind of job you want, and ensure that you are searching for that kind of job.
Or in other words, make sure that you are laser targeting your job search and making applications to jobs from which you would actually accept the offer. One of my clients alerted me to the notion that it is not enough to find a job appealing, and think it is probably fulfilling and fun. It also must be the right job under other, more objective criteria.
The point is that if you are spending your limited, valuable time and energy on inappropriate job applications, that is time that you won’t be able to use on the applications to jobs, companies and opportunities that will work better for you under all the criteria.
I made a Venn Diagram.
When I start with my clients, both in show business and other fields, the first thing I send them is my New Client Survey. This helps me know you better and especially write better cover letters, but it should help you know yourself better too. The longer you take, and the more you write, in answers to the Survey, the more you can winkle out your motivations, passions and target jobs. I include the Entertainment Industry version in my book.
Best wishes for the upcoming holidays, and as always if you wish to contact me, please do so directly via email
RobynLCoburn@gmail.com