Job-Searching Tips During A Pandemic: Guest Contributor, Jacob Hollander
#TheGroundFloor is thrilled to welcome guest contributor, Jacob Hollander, for this week’s edition. Jacob is a recent graduate from the University of Central Florida Master’s program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. He has experience with job analysis, survey design, training content creation and more. Jacob is passionate about solving organizational problems related to people and hopes to work as an internal or external consultant in the future. Jacob currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio where he grew up and is an avid Cleveland sports fan. In his free time he enjoys cooking, CrossFit and playing golf.
I am very excited to welcome Jacob to #TheGroundFloor as he shares his best job-searching tips during a pandemic.
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Andrew and I first met at BBYO International Convention in 2015 as we were both staffing the convention. Since then, we have kept in touch and discovered that we had a lot of mutual friends. Being from Cleveland, Andrew met a lot of my hometown Cleveland friends during his time as a student at Ohio University. Coincidentally, I met many of Andrew’s hometown friends during my time in Pittsburgh. We both went to Jewish summer camps and are Brothers of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.
I would like to thank Andrew for allowing me to contribute to this platform. I have observed #TheGroundFloor take off over the past couple months and have enjoyed the content. What I enjoy most about this blog is that I learn something new from each author. I wanted to contribute to this platform, especially during this time, to give back to other job seekers and offer any additional advice. In addition to these tips, I have learned a lot about interviewing, resume writing and job searching from career experts and LinkedIn posts. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions! My contact information is listed at the end of this blog.
Job Searching Tips during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Leading an effective job search during COVID-10 can be challenging yet rewarding. Below I have listed a few tips that have been working for me. I have landed interviews using these tips. Everyone’s situation is different and what may work for me may not be applicable but I hope they can helpful in your job search.
Use LinkedIn and Indeed to conduct your job search. In my opinion these are the best tools to use. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated with the most current information and let recruiters know that you are open to opportunities. This will attract more traffic to your profile and give the recruiter a better idea of who you are.
Make a list of 10-20 companies you would like to work at. Regularly check their jobs on their website or on LinkedIn to see if there is a good fit. Some companies allow you to “join their talent network.” Be sure to do this and sign up to receive alerts when a new job has been posted.
This is probably my most important tip and that is to reach out to people in your network! If you are applying for a role at Google, for example, and know someone in your network that works there, reach out to them. Re-connect and ask them for a referral, I’m sure they would be happy to assist you. Find someone who can vouch for you, referrals go a long way and bypass typical applicants. A colleague told me that at their company, recruiters look at referrals before any other applicants so be sure to get a referral if possible.
If the job posting you find on LinkedIn has a recruiter listed, reach out to that recruiter! If you do not have InMail credits to send a message, get LinkedIn premium. It is worth it. Express to the recruiter that you are interested in the role and you are the best fit for the position. Confidence is key in these messages.
There are not as many job postings due to COVID-19 and because of this you may see the same job postings over and over again. There is a way to get alerts on LinkedIn and Indeed when new positions are posted. See photos attached
Once you have applied to said company, keep the email and follow-up with the company a week later. Most companies will not list a recruiter’s name or give you a valid email to respond to. One time I emailed a company’s customer service email and got a response! If that does not work, search for people on LinkedIn that work there and have similar interests with you and invite them to connect or have a simple conversation. Most of the time, your application is not enough. Applicants who get jobs go above and beyond the call of duty. Getting in touch with a human at the company is your best shot to landing an interview.
My health teacher from high school always told us to keep a positive mental attitude. I have found that this will take you far in life and especially in your job search. COVID-19 has made it harder than ever to get a recruiter’s attention. Keeping a positive attitude during your search will impact your behavior, psychology has shown. Our thoughts influence our actions.
Take breaks when feel the need to, job searching is a marathon not a sprint. As long as you keep trying, you will break through, I can promise that. Best of luck! If needed, you can contact me directly at jacobhollander14@gmail.com.
- Jacob
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Thank you, Jacob, for being a guest contributor for #TheGroundFloor!
I am always looking to welcoming guest contributors to #TheGroundFloor! If you are interested in writing or have a specific topic you’d like discussed, please contact me!
- Andrew