Lessons Learned from the Job Search
Michelle Novak is Manager, Customer Success at Iterable.com and co-founder of ThriveNetwork
In May of 2017, I quit my job. As much as I loved my coworkers and clients, I was burnt out. It was time to make a change. Enter “the summer of Michelle” (thank you, George Costanza)!
I enlisted a career coach to help identify my strengths and passions. We crafted a resume and LinkedIn profile that would allow me to pivot into a new industry. But, frankly, I spent much of that summer outdoors and with family and friends … not worrying too much about job hunting. I had strong experience and a lot of transferable skills - how hard could it be to find a new job?
Oh, the innocence of a person who hadn’t been in the market since the advent of applicant tracking systems!
Once I dove into the job search, I quickly learned the frustrating and demoralizing process of online applications. At that time, most of my network included people in my previous industry. I got little traction from applying through Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.
I felt stuck.
Fortunately, I found the Westport Public Library job search work team (JSWT) and acquired resources that served me well. I’ve since shared these with others in the hunt and hope you find them equally valuable.
Recognize the expansiveness of your network - The book “Do Over” includes an exercise in which you list the names of everyone you know on individual index cards. You then commit to reaching out to those individuals, asking for very specific help or guidance.
The Ladders Resume Guide - This 90 minute read gives excellent guidance on resume writing. But even more valuable is the section on the four audiences for your resume - the ATS, screeners, recruiters and hiring managers. It was a game-changer in understanding today’s hiring process.
Jobscan.co - This online resource compares your resume to the job description for which you are applying. It acts like the ATS for that posting and provides specific tips to get past the computerized system.
Don’t be shy - If you reach out to someone and they don’t immediately respond, reach out again. And if you see someone on LinkedIn you don’t know, but would like to, write a thoughtful connection message. And of course take advantage of the ThriveNetwork slack group to network!
Take the opportunity to upskill - I participated in Seth Godin’s altMBA program. It inspired me, improved my writing and critical thinking skills and kept me motivated. In the world of CS, you can take advantage of online certification programs (several of them are free). Or perhaps Code Academy, LinkedIn, Udemy, Coursera training to sharpen your skills and boost your confidence.
More isn’t better - Be strategic about where you apply. Spending hours each day uploading on Indeed will not produce results. This JSWT resources, Job Search Progress Chart, keeps you on track.
Thank you notes - I have always been a big fan of thank you notes. But I learned how to craft the right kind of thank you email for networking conversations, and more importantly for interviews. Now that I’m part of the hiring process, I am amazed by the number of candidates who never send a thank you. For me, that’s almost a guarantee they won’t make it to the next round.
All of these resources helped lead me to Iterable. (Although, there’s more to that story worth sharing in another post). For those searching, don’t despair; you will find that right next job!
Thanks for reading. If you have other valuable resources or have your own story you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about it.