Ten Tips, Tricks, and Resources for Job Seekers

Oct 26

Being in a job search during a global crisis is tough. But don’t get discouraged. In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, there are plenty of online resources and at-home exercises that can help you navigate today’s challenges and ultimately find the right company and job match for you! Here are some tips, tricks, and resources to get you started.

1) Data Axle Reference Solutions

Data Axle Reference Solutions (formerly Reference USA) is a great free resource (through the local library) to help you compile a list of organizations within a radius of your target location related to your industry or area of expertise. You can even search by SIC codes, NAICS codes, or keywords. Depending on your industry and region, you can potentially find hundreds of companies you never knew existed. Each company profile offers valuable information like location information, job listings, industry profile, business profile, business demographics, management directory, etc.

Learn how to access and navigate this excellent resource here.

2) Designing Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

If you want to change careers or aren’t sure what you want to do, Designing Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans is an excellent book to help you develop your compass and find some direction. Many helpful exercises encourage you to explore where you find your flow and what paths might lead to the most fulfillment. There is also a more recent, Designing Your Work-Life book. That one is great if you’re already working in a job but want to learn how to make it a better fit for your career goals and sense of accomplishment.

They give great TedTalks too!

3) What Color is Your Parachute, by Richard Bolles and Katharine Brooks EdD

The book What Color is Your Parachute comes out annually and includes a “Flower Exercise” that’s great for better understanding your areas of strength and expertise, as well as a ton of useful information for the entire job search process. The new 2021 edition is available for preorder and comes out in December, to include COVID-related updates. These books have been around for a while now, but the more recent ones are excellent resources for any modern job search.

4) Find Just About Anyone’s Work Email: Hunter.io

Once you have a list of companies that you’d be excited and passionate to hire as your next employer, it’s useful to reach out directly to a hiring manager. Utilize LinkedIn to figure out who might be your boss or your boss’s boss. From there, you can reach out directly on LinkedIn and underscore your passion for the company paired with your skillset and experience. But not everyone is super-active on LinkedIn (although they should be). It can help to have their work email.

That’s where https://hunter.io comes in handy. As long as you know the company domain name and the name of the person you want to email, Hunter will either provide you with their actual verified email or the best guess based on the company’s email structure. Hunter is also helpful when you want to send a connection request to someone on LinkedIn, and it requires their email to connect. Best of all, Hunter is free! While signing up, it asks for a business email; you can use a Gmail or other personal email instead.

5) Get Your Resume, Cover Letter, and LinkedIn Profile past an ATS with Jobscan

Most larger companies use an Applicant Tracking System to scan resumes and job applicants to find the best match. Too many qualified job seekers are never seen by a human being because their resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile get thrown into a black hole by the ATS. But Jobscan is an excellent resource that uses AI to compare job postings to your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. It then offers specific suggestions, such as which keywords to add to increase your match score and improve your chances of getting past the ATS.

Jobscan can get pretty expensive. But, if you join JS101 (Job Search 101) classes, all 100% free and online, you’ll learn how to get Jobscan for free!

6) Using Group Messaging to get Around LinkedIn InMail Credits

If you’re not connected to someone on LinkedIn, and you want to reach out to them on LinkedIn, you’ll have to use an InMail credit (or use Hunter to find their work email). InMail credits are precious, and if you’re not a Premium subscriber, they can be hard to come by. But there is a way around that. If you scroll to the bottom of a person’s profile, you can see what groups they’re a member of on LinkedIn. If you’re in the same group or join the same group, you can message any fellow group members for free, regardless of if you’re connected or not!

7) Practice Video Interviews for Free with JS101

Video interviews were becoming super-popular even before COVID came along. Now, video interviews are pretty much a guarantee. It’s essential to get your location, lighting, and sound right to make a great first impression. It can be challenging to think about all that on top of having great answers to the interview questions. Practice is key. Practice will not only allow you to get the technical aspects of video interviewing in place, but it will also help you feel less nervous and more confident when the real interview arrives. JS101 offers access to video interviewing software so students can practice to their heart’s content for free. Attend a free JS101 class to find out more.

8) Get Social on LinkedIn for Greater Networking Reach

Yes, LinkedIn is social media. But it's social media for the professional arena, and it's all about networking! The more active you are socially on LinkedIn, the better your chances are of being seen and being found! But LinkedIn is NOT Facebook. That means –– keep it professional! Being social means liking, commenting on, and sharing posts relevant to your industry, skill set, and areas of expertise. Remember that LinkedIn is public, and everything you do on it can be seen by others, regardless of whether you are connected.

9) Show Off Your Knowledge and Industry Expertise with LinkedIn Articles

A great way to show off your professional strengths and knowledge is to write original content in the form of LinkedIn articles. It also helps you look like an industry expert to your audience. Every professional has topics they can write about on LinkedIn. For example, a tax accountant might write about the Top Three Mistakes People Make During Tax Season. An oil and gas engineer might write about How to Spot XYZ Danger on Oil Rigs. And a photographer might write about Top Studio Lighting Do's and Don'ts. The point is, WRITE. Show off your industry knowledge. If you're still stuck on topic ideas, a simple Google search can help. If you're nervous about grammatical errors, Grammarly is a helpful tool.

10) Monitor Your Social Selling Index (SSI) on LinkedIn

The more active you are on LinkedIn, the more your Social Selling Index (SSI) will go up. The SSI measures how well you're doing to establish your professional brand, find the right people, engage with insights, and build relationships. It also shows you where you rank compared to people in your network and people in your industry. You can find your score here.

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Steph Guillen

I’m an art therapy and counseling master’s degree program student, as well as an artist, writer, and program director with a strong background in communications, photography, art, and job search/employment strategies. I have a passion for uplifting marginalized communities through means that champion knowledge, growth, and empowerment. My professional history largely resides in working with unemployed mid-to-high level executives, refugees, immigrants, and newcomers from the Middle East. I’ve advocated for and empowered these communities through the mediums of online graphic communications, writing, education, workshops, program development, and art.

I combine skills in art, graphics, photography, writing, project management, content creation, social media, advocacy/awareness initiatives, program development, and research to make a positive impact.

Certificates in: Positive Psychology, The Science of Well-Being, Creative Writing, Therapeutic Art Life Coaching, Career Brand Management, and Social Media Marketing. Education in Graphic Communications Technology, Photography, Middle Eastern Studies, and International Relations. Pursuing a competitive M.A. program in Art Therapy & Counseling.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies while working full-time.

• Nominated for membership in Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society, Sigma lota Rho Honor Society, and The Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement.

• Recipient of the Global Goodwill Ambassador’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of years of impactful volunteer work, primarily in the refugee and international arena.

• Inducted into the Golden Key International Society with a 4.0 GPA in Middle Eastern Studies.

• Invited and accepted into the following committees and board: YMCA International’s Refugee College Scholarship Committee five years in a row, YMCA International’s Triumph of the Human Spirit Art Selection Committee two years in a row, United Nations Association of Houston Board Member & Global Classroom Liaison, World Refugee Day-Houston’s Panel Committee and Fundraising Committee.

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