job application Archives

(My entire series on how to find a job is here. )

I have spoken with many people who are unemployed looking for a job or want to make a jump from whatever they are doing now to something better. I have already written about how to network with others to find a job, how to strategically prioritize the job application process, and how to nail an interview.

This piece will focus on how to create an online profile that can help you find a job. This two- or three-pronged social media strategy is incredibly helpful in presenting you as an expert professional in whatever field you are working in.

Step 1: Create a LinkedIn profile (and any industry specific online profiles).

Everyone needs a LinkedIn profile, especially when finding a job, so if you don’t have a profile create one. It’s a major hub for job networking in pretty much every industry.

But how to create a LinkedIn profile? For someone who is making a transition to a new field, the best strategy is to position oneself as if one has already done similar work. If you want to continue working in the type of job you’ve always been working in, that’s great; you already demonstrated your experience, but for those who want to make a transition from one field to the other, it can be best to highlight anything you have done that can seem like you have been doing that work or at least something similar.

If you have done something similar in a previous job, even if it’s just one project, blow it up on your LinkedIn description of that job. If you have a job where you can work on a side project that is related to what you want to do, then give it a try. For example, I have advised many who want to become data scientists to incorporate a data science component into whatever they are doing in their current jobs or to create a project at work they do on the side that involves data science. Thus, they can discuss their current work as involving data science work and use that to present themselves as a fledgling data scientist.

People often will describe themselves on LinkedIn as “aspiring data scientist,” “aspiring designer,” etc. Saying you are “aspiring” is the next best alternative if you absolutely cannot describe yourself as already doing it. If you are able to describe yourself as doing it, even if a minor capacity alongside other work, then do it. (And if you don’t have a job at the moment to incorporate a project into, see Step 3.) You will be treated as if your foot is in the door, not as someone knocking and waiting to be let in.

Step 2: Create any industry specific online profiles:

Also, important: if there are specific social medias for the industry you want to work in, create those as well. I’m a data scientist, and for tech, that would be GitHub. In my experience, artists often have an Instagram to showcase your art (frequently a different profile than their personal profile). Video editors often use Fiver. Some industries have specific social media where it all happens. How do you know what profile to create for the industry you want to work in?

Well, if you don’t already know, talk to people in the industry and just ask them (here’s how to network and talk to people in the industry again). They’ll tell you pretty quickly which ones.

Step 3: Work on projects in your new field

This is especially useful for those who are unemployed. Do something in the field. If push comes to shove, work on a personal project in the field, but if you can, do some part-time work helping someone else (networking helps you find these, so see that article; I keep mentioning it because it is important). You can thus list this as work experience. Never mind if it’s only a few hours a week: it’s still work experience. This helps present you as someone already in the field, circumventing the vicious cycle of entry level jobs in a field already requiring having work experience doing it.

For example, ten years ago when I took a data science boot camp during a transition period in between jobs considering becoming a data scientist, I networked extensively to learn about different professions and what people did in the industry. As such, I spoke with someone in charge of a boutique consulting firm who needed a data scientist for a project. I agreed and worked for an hourly wage maybe 4 hours a week on this project. It was actually helpful in itself because it was the first time I did data science in the “real world” outside the simulated environment of my lessons. But I also put it on my LinkedIn as my current experience (the profile didn’t make a distinction between full-time and part-time work experience anyways). My job title on LinkedIn was now officially “data scientist,” and after finishing the bootcamp in several months, I officially had six months experience working as a data scientist. This made me a beginner data scientist in interviews, not an aspiring data scientist, allowing me to circumvent the process of not having had work experience.

The project you work on can be informal. Friends or family may have a project they want you to work on that could fit this. If they officially give you money for your trouble, even if it’s only a few dollars or an ice cream cone, that is even better: on LinkedIn and your resume, it’s now a job. Even a company you started could in theory work. I don’t like the so-called “unpaid internships” because I find them exploitative, but even these could technically work. You don’t have to spend too much time working on them either. Just a few hours a week, and you’re still officially working in the field. People can often fit only a few hours a week into even the busiest schedule.

Step 4: Create a professional website/blog

This can be the most time-consuming but super important step: create a professional website or blog in the subject matter you would like to work in. If it’s data science, make a data science blog that also showcases your data science projects; if your a designer, make a blog about design that also showcases your design work; etc. This will position you as a knowledgeable person contributing ideas in the field.

For example, when I was fresh out of graduate school, looking for a job in data science, I initially created this website (ethno-data.com). My purposes for this blog have evolved overtime, but one of my initial reasons for creating it was to find a job. From that perspective, this website reaped dividends: you’d be surprised at how many people will reach out to me because they have found some of my articles interesting and have a role that might be a good fit for what I do.

Try to pick a specific niche within your field that is interesting to you personally and compelling to at least some others. It doesn’t have to be the most popular idea in the field; more important that it is something you enjoy and feel comfortable nerding out on. You can combine multiple areas of expertise you have, focusing on how they overlap (for me, that was ethnography and data science/AI). Make it reflect you. That both helps sell you and your unique contribution to the field, but it also tends to make it more interesting to you. You won’t want to post on content again and again if it’s not you.

There are so many different platforms to use to build the website (from WordPress to Bluehost to Medium to Squarespace and so on), so do your research on which one works best for you. These platforms tend to walk through the process for non-techies anyways. Set yourself a posting schedule and have at it. Whether you write articles once a week, every other week, every month, matters less. What tends to matter is that you post according to a consistent schedule.

Last but arguably most importantly, mention your articles on LinkedIn and any other social media platform you are using to network. If you post an article in your blog that week, write a statement on LinkedIn (or any other social media you are using) summarizing what you talked about and link to it. This will not only encourage people to read your pieces, but most importantly of all, it will present you online as someone contributing to the field. You are helping to advance your field. As such, people will be more likely to hire you.

Conclusion

That’s it. If you do all four of these, you will have a kick-butt online profile that will help you find a job, even if it’s a profession you are transitioning into. They are all practical things you could set up anytime. With the exception of Step 3, which sometimes requires coordination with others, you can do each of these on your own. You can even get started right now if you want.

This is the short version of how to find a job. You can read my entire series here for a longer one.

Point 1: Set an amount of new people you can reach to a day

I recommend 4-5 people a day; 2-3 if you already have a full-time work.

->) This refers to starting a conversation, including people like recruiters who reach out to you, but not a follow-up with someone who you have been talking to for a while.
->) When someone recommends you talk to someone else, I usually count that, but it’s up to you (like later rounds of a job interview may not count; a judgement call).
->) Finding a job is a marathon, not a sprint. Snowball (aka increasingly exponentially): Talking to people leads to talking to more people, who recommend talk to more people. It may take a few weeks to build.

Point 2: Set an amount of jobs to apply in one day

I recommend applying to 10 jobs online a day.

->) For online job applications, quantity over quality works better, because of the way that the internet gamifies applications. Now, many applications won’t get back to you, so you have to apply a lot. It used to be the case that you might hear back from 10% of online applications, but the percentage may be even lower now.
->) Easy apply on LinkedIn is your friend.
->) Many job application platforms like LinkedIn notice that you are applying to jobs and are more likely to put on top of the list for recruiters looking for roles. Thus, sometimes quickly applying to many jobs on them in itself is a good thing even if you aren’t interested in those specific roles.
->) This is more important than applying online. Usually I find about two thirds to three quarters of my interviews are from networking connections rather than applying to jobs online.

Point 3: Reach out to people to talk to them

->) These are the best people to reach out to in order, those most likely to get back to you:
1) People you know and the people they know (friends, family, acquaintances, former classmates, etc.): Ask people you know if they know anyone in the fields you are interested in. Studies show that those most likely to coordinate a job are technically not friends or family but the acquaintance your friend and family members knows from “the whatever” two years. Ask for your people if they know people doing something similar to what you do.
2) Alum from any of your schools: It does not matter the year, even if they graduated decades before you. The perceived commonality of having attended the same schools means they are more likely to respond to you.
3) Internet searches on platforms like LinkedIn: For example, you can search for people in your area who work one of the jobs you would like, or anywhere. You can look up companies like those you are interest in and try to connect with people who work at that company (easier to lead to jobs with smaller companies).

->) What to say when reaching out to people:
Basic ask: Request to meet with them to learn about their experiences (the technical word for these are “informational interviews”, but I never actually use the phrase when talking to a regular person)
a) Prepare an introductory message template to use. Two important rules I follow:
Rule 1) Be succinct: Rarely more than 3-4 sentences. All your experiences, refine to a sentence or two.
Rule 2) Cut to the chase. State your request in the first sentence (after any greeting you have).

->) This is a basic template for an introductory message:

Hello,

I am passionate about _ [your desired field], and I would love to learn more about your experiences at _ [where they currently work] as _ [their title or describe their role]. Is it okay if we schedule a time to talk in the next two weeks to learn about your experiences?

More context about me: [Write 1-2 sentence bio that explains why you are interested in that field.]

Sincerely,
Stephen

Second example specifically for when you are transitioning from one field to another field:

Hello,

I have been working as a _ [your current field], but I have been trying to learn more about [the field they work in]. It seems like you do rather interesting work as a _ [their role] at _ [their company], and I would love to learn more about your experiences. Would you it be okay to schedule a time to talk in the next few weeks?

More context about me: [Write 1-2 sentence bio that explains why you are interested in transitioning into this field.]

Sincerely,
Stephen

You will refine these templates over time based on what seems to work for you and for that specific industry.

->) LinkedIn templates: You can include a message when connecting with people, but it has a very small character limitation, so I synthesize my “email template” above into something smaller that can fit their character limits. Then, for those who connect, I will write use the email template above as my basis for writing them a follow-up LinkedIn message.

->) People can choose whether to respond. It’s fine if they don’t have time. Don’t hound people. I don’t follow-up at all if people don’t respond to me. They may have better things to do with their life than talk to me, and that is fine. I focus my energy on those who apply and continue reaching out to more people if I need to talk to more people.

->) One important rule: Don’t formally ask people for a job. That puts people on the spot. They will know from such a message that you are looking for a role and will bring up a good role they have. There are a few subtle questions that draw the conversation towards jobs without asking explicitly. These work much better. Examples: “What does an entry position typically look in [the field they work in] or at [their company]?” or “How did you first enter this field? What kind of role did you have first, and how did you find it?” If they click with you, they may say their organization has a role, or that they may say they know someone who has an open position and offer to introduce you to them. They may also not say anything, often because they don’t know any roles. That’s fine.

->) Always ask: “Is there someone else who does this kind of work that you would recommend I talk to?” They may offer to introduce you to their friends. This keeps you meeting new people. Eventually one of whom will have a job for you.

With this, good luck. It’s a marathon not a sprint, so make you pace yourself, take stock, and prepare yourself for the adventure and inevitable frustration of rejection. If you feel discouraged, remember pretty much everyone has at least once when applying for a new job (for me, at least seventeen times).

Tag: job application

How to Find a Job: Short Version in Only Three Points