The modern day job search is not what it used to be.  If you’re on the job market today, odds are you’re going to be looking longer and have more competition that in any previous search.  What is different?  There are many things that have changed and continue to change thanks to advances in artificial intelligence and advancements in communication.  My goal is to help those of you looking for work today to understand the battlefield you’re in and help provide tools that will help you win.

Are you frustrated?  You’re not alone.  Many will tell you that the system is broken.  I don’t agree.  The system is simply changing before our eyes; and has yet to stabilize.  Part of the frustration job seekers experience is the lack of human communication.  They are used to receiving feedback from employers when they submit a resume for consideration.  To the job seeker who applies for a job they feel they’re a great match for, not even hearing back for an interview can be devastating.  They feel as they have been “ghosted,” and the cycle of anxiety, stress and anger continues.

How do you win a job in today’s battlefield?

Ghosting New Norm

Why is ghosting (the lack of response from someone you feel owes you a response) become the new normal?  Because AI (artificial intelligence) run systems don’t have feelings.  When you submit a resume/CV file for consideration, it’s likely a computer, not a person is viewing the submission.  In the old days (even just a few years ago) your application was handled primarily by a hiring manager or human resources professional.   Humans with feelings work differently than efficient but cold algorithm analysis programs.

Knowing your audience is key.  You may not realize you’re in sales at the moment, but if you’re looking for a job, welcome to sales!  Your current job is to sell yourself to a new company, and convince them you’ll bring more value than your competition.  The first order of business in your job application is to figure out if you’re going to be analyzed by an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) utilizing AI to screen your profile, or if you are still dealing with a human being.

Why is this so important?  The way you structure your resume/CV should be altered depending on who’s going to look at it.  Know your target, figure out how they operate.  A simple Google search on careers at (fill in the blank) company will usually help you find a thread quickly on how the company in question filters their incoming job applications.

Applicant Tracking Systems New Corporate Standard

When in doubt, you’re safe to assume that a corporation is using an ATS.  Why?  It’s less expensive and more efficient (even if cold and heartless) than paying human counterparts.  The software runs fast, never takes a break and isn’t subject to any bias.  We as humans don’t like the ATS yet, because we still think as we used to, that applying for a job is a two way street.  The AI doesn’t care how many applicants apply, it simply acts as a filtration system.  You apply and get screened in or out until you eventually make contact with a real person, or you don’t.

So how do you win with ATS?  You need to understand what the company has programmed their ATS to look for.  Each job is different.  How?  The employer has put in key terms they are looking for and assigned each a weighted value.  When your resume/CV is processed, the AI screens for these predetermined words and ranks you based on the preset values.  The higher the score, the more likely you are to move on.

The key to winning becomes reading the job description carefully that you will be applying to.  Then you must adjust the terminology in your resume to more closely match what they have asked for.  You don’t want to fabricate anything; you simply want to alter your terminology to match theirs.  For example sometimes you are not specific enough.  They might ask for a rose or a wall climbing rose, and you might have yourself listed as a flower.  The terminology is key.  With ATS systems, using more key words and less story summaries will help you.  The system isn’t going to like you better, and pick you, it’s simply looking for who matches the criteria.

Career Coaches and Paying for Help

You may be asking yourself, how can I win in a modern job search? Most job seekers are not an expert with artificial intelligence nor do they fully understand ATS.  Like I said in a recent YouTube video, job searching is now like car repair.

We used to fix our cars ourselves for the most part, now we seek help.  Why?  Because cars are full of computer components and an untrained person, without the right tools will not soon be successful tinkering with their repairs.  Likewise a job seeker is now dealing with an automated system that is full of AI and software processes that an untrained person will struggle to succeed with.  Each day, more and more companies are switching to the software solutions for HR.  Even first round interviews are being conducted and reviewed by artificial intelligence.

The solution then, like with your car, is to let an expert help you.  Career coaches, Resume Writers, Independent Recruiters who work with job seekers don’t work for free usually.  They make their living helping people find jobs.  The idea of paying someone help us find a job is hard to swallow at the moment.  I hear this every day.  Paying for professional help is going to become as normal as paying someone to change your cars’ oil, eventually.

How Much Does It Cost?

After job seekers get used to the idea of paying, they‘ll start budgeting for the service, like an insurance plan.  The market for services varies and therefore so does the costs associated with getting assistance.  Please note that each professional has a separate scale of fees, from bundled packages to a la carte offerings.  Fees and how you pay are also still being determined as the practice becomes more established.

A universal truth in regards to fees seems to be that the higher you climb the corporate ladder, the more expensive the help becomes.  This seems to be true because the level of work increases as the responsibility with the position does.  Entry level management jobs might take a few hundred dollars for soup to nuts service.  An executive job could run up over a thousand dollars.

Most professionals spend somewhere between $250-500 for help with career advice, resume writing and interview preparation.  Again the professional offering the help is the one who determines the pricing.  Individual prices vary and sometimes vary a lot.

Isn’t there free help still available?  Yes there is.  You can find a plethora of resources, even like #ProjectHelpYouGrow for some free help.  The consumer has to determine what is best for them.  How much is it worth to find a better paying job?  Is it worth paying for help, to find a good job sooner? Would paying to find a job that makes you really happy be better than finding a job that you might want to leave again in a few short years?

Winning the Job Search Takes Effort!

To win today’s job search, you must put in strategic effort. You must study the job listing and revise your resume for each individual submission.  You will not get past the ATS, or impress the hiring managers today without some forward thinking.

My friend Foster Williams is famous for saying, it’s not what you know, “it’s who ya know!”  Find someone to help you.  Use LinkedIn and other social networking tools to connect with those you might want to work for.  The job search battlefield has evolved and continues to evolve before your eyes.

Old fashioned application methods shouldn’t be expected to succeed in the technological age.  We should not let a lack of human communication dishearten our efforts to win.  You need to understand where the world is, in respects to the job market and adjust accordingly.  If we want to win, we have to take the bull by the horns and give it all we can.  Don’t sit in despair because your techniques are antiquated.  Decide to improve.  Let your call to action from this blog post be to work smarter.  Mass applications, with a wish and a prayer won’t get it done.  You need to become a sharp shooter.

Take your time when studying the company you’re going to apply to. Don’t race to 100 submissions.  Make a few submissions really good, by customizing your marketing materials.  Get help you need from experts.  Adjust your approach to match the world you’re living in today.

Remember, you’re not in this alone.  I am here to help.