Stop Applying for Jobs — Start Positioning Yourself for Them

John Ribeiro (0:21)

Welcome back to the Canadian Job Search Podcast. Today, I want to challenge something many job seekers believe, that the way to find a job is simply to apply to more jobs. Apply to 20, apply to 50, apply to 100 But in today's job market, volume alone isn't necessarily the answer. And I've been saying this for years. You need to stop thinking about applying for jobs and start thinking about positioning yourself for opportunity.

Because most people will go out and start wondering why their 100 applications isn't really working for them.

So one of the things I work on when I'm working with clients is positioning.

People spend hundreds of hours scrolling LinkedIn and indeed, seeing jobs, click apply, uploading resumes and then repeat. Don't wonder why nothing's happening.

The question you really got to ask yourself is, how much of your job search time are you spending applying versus building relationships?

This is where I would love to introduce something called the 40-30-30 approach. And it's simply where you spend your time and effort. So consider it spending it like this. 40% networking and conversations, 30% on targeted applications, and 30% on positioning and visibility. Because most people don't really think about it this way. The last thing you should do is start with your resume, because, and I'm going to be pretty blunt, nobody really cares. What it comes down to is ensuring that you have the right relationships in place that are going to take you to where you want to be.

So visibility could include things like LinkedIn activity, reconnecting with former colleagues, going to industry events, informational conversations, professional associations, commenting intelligently on industry posts. Listen, one of the best things that have worked for my clients and the people that I've worked with is really just reconnecting with people that they already know. One of the easiest ways to get into a role is through somebody you know somewhere. And if you have any work experience, this is going to come in really handy. But if you're brand new to the experience or you're coming in from another country where you might not necessarily know people, networking with people back in your country could give you an advantage and a leg up because the organization that you work for or they work for could be an international organization. So they may actually have offices locally.

And one thing I want to share is a concept with you called the hidden job market. Now, many opportunities begin as a conversation before they become postings. So here's an example. The manager mentions to a colleague, hey, we're probably going to need someone who understands operations in AI transformation. That somebody says, hey, you should talk to Sarah. Been talking to her recently and she's been doing a lot of great work in this space. That's positioning. If somebody in your network heard about an opportunity tomorrow, would they immediately think about you? If not, your job search strategy needs more than just applications. Because it's never going to really go anywhere. What we want to do is make sure that you're positioned correctly. You got to network, you got to start talking to people, and you got to be intentional about where you want to apply. This random stuff, applying for position after position after position doesn't really work. What I'm going to put together for you is a little case study on something I'm doing for myself. I'm going out after certain work and I'm going to work key through and help you follow along the entire process. So if you want to know more, let's connect. So here's my challenge for you this week. Apply to fewer jobs, but apply with greater intention and start having more conversations because your next opportunity might not come from an application. It may come from somebody saying, hey, do you know who I should talk to?

And hopefully that name that comes up is yours. And this is what we really want to do for you. We want to put you top of mind when it comes to different people. So they start thinking about you. They start thinking about you being the right person for the role, the recommendation, you're the person who can get it done. And that is where you're going to start finding those jobs a little bit easier. All right. Thank you for tuning in to this episode. Wishing you all the best in your job search. And if you want some help and support, don't hesitate to reach out. Let's connect. Wishing you all a great one. Take care.