Job Searching Tips for 2021

Searching for a job can be disheartening and soul-draining at the best of times. But during a global pandemic with substantial economic repercussions and immense financial pressures on all of us, the job search process can feel even harder. I see you - don't give up!

Based on my decade of experience on both sides of the hiring process, I wanted to share some hard-earned tips with anyone who is looking for a first job, a new job, or just any job in this tough market. Most of my experiences are within the health research and post secondary research industry in Canada, but they might still be useful for someone who is looking for opportunities outside these areas. 

Many of the online articles on job tips are quite generic and not always helpful. So I would like to offer tips that were learned from my own experience looking for jobs as a new graduate, as a woman of colour, and as a young professional in my 20s. Although I am now in a career I love and in a working environment where I feel supported, it has not always been this way. I have applied to over 120 jobs in the last ten years and was lucky to have been offered over 20 interviews and a handful of job offers.

If it feels like a numbers game, that is because it is. Be persistent, be consistent, and take care of yourself. 

Resume - Communicate the basics and set a solid foundation.

• Structure is important: Put the most important things in that order and think of the top half of the first page as your “elevator pitch”. Most hiring managers will read the top half of the first page and then skim the other half. The majority may not even read the second page if they lose interest.
• Brevity is key: Limit to 4-5 bullets per position that quantify and demonstrate your proudest achievements. Ideally these are the points that your references are most likely to bring up as achievements they valued in you.
• Consider space and readability: The blank space is as important as the content for a hiring manager who has to read a high volume of resumes.
• Edit for simplicity and clarity: Delete all unnecessary details (e.g. for a job over 1 year, no need to include the month you started and ended the job when just the year will suffice). Simple is best.

Cover Letter - A chance for you to shine.

• Structure is still important! Remember to write an outline and stick to it, just like you were trained to do in your high school essays :)
• Elaborate: This is a chance for you to further expand on your “proudest achievement” bullets in the resume - provide more tidbits to entice the hiring manager to bring you in for an interview to learn even more.
• Be compelling: Always provide examples and pick unique ones that demonstrate your abilities in 1-2 sentences.
• Be a human: While many of us don’t write snail mail anymore, it’s still important to know how to communicate in this format in a meaningful, compelling, and professional way. This is a chance for you to show your personality, so be genuine and authentic, as employers will - consciously or subconsciously - gauge whether you fit with the team and the organizational culture through this letter. 

Interview - Congrats! Keep shining. 

• Not just an interview: Consider this as a free session for you to practice your abilities, reflect on your career, and also to network with others in your industry.
• Structure is (surprise!) still important: Prepare for your interview with questions that you have encountered in previous interviews. Or, if you are really new to interviews, there are lots of example questions online. Prepare a practice set of questions and answer them as you would in the interview. Practice structuring your answers (e.g. using the “STAR” method) so that you don’t end up rambling, getting sidetracked, or mismanaging your time in the actual interview.
• Expect the unexpected: No matter how much you practice and prepare, there will always be a question that might surprise - or even stump! - you. I once got a question during an interview that I still do not know how I could have answered better - “how do you know when you don’t know what you don’t know?” I sincerely hope no one ever asks you this question during an interview (and no, I didn’t get that job).
• Ask the hard questions: Always prepare questions to ask the interviewers. It’s a chance for you to gauge your interest in the position and will help you with decision-making when you (hopefully!) get multiple job offers. Try to take full advantage of the chance to ask some hard questions of your potential future employers. They might be leaders in your field and so at the very least, their answers would give you insight into the industry.

If you are a person of colour, pay attention to the interviewers and how they talk about issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Listen to your gut but remember that EDI is not just what meets the eye - it goes deeper and should reflect the culture of the team and their actions.

Negotiation - Time to advocate for yourself. 

• Always at least try: If you are able to negotiate, always take up the opportunity. It shows that you know your worth and most employers expect it anyway.
• Beyond dollars: There are many aspects of a job to negotiate beyond financial compensation. Consider what is most important to you - is it the flexibility to work according to your own schedule? Is the job title important to you and is there a way to adjust it? Do you have a training opportunity in mind that you want them to support? Or perhaps extra paid vacation days?
• It's a process: There will be other opportunities to negotiate. Perhaps you did not get as many of your terms as you had hoped. Don’t worry. There are other times when you will get a chance to negotiate - for example, during a performance review or during a check-in conversation.

The negotiation process is on-going and so it’s important to reflect on your own changing needs and advocate for yourself accordingly.

• Negotiation tip for women: Do not feel guilty for negotiating. We have not been culturally conditioned to stand up for ourselves in this way, but it is an acceptable and expected norm in most industries. Talk to other women in your industry about their experiences. Talk to male colleagues or friends about their techniques while keeping in mind that, unfortunately, what works for men in negotiation may not always work for women, due to organizational cultures and bias (here are some examples). Think about how the negotiation process reflects on the prospective employers; if they make you feel ashamed or uncomfortable during this process, that speaks to how they might treat you in other aspects of the job (e.g. harassment issues, parental leave, medical accommodations).

I hope this article was helpful for you in this tough job market. Like many of us this holiday season, I am looking to give back and am immensely grateful for all the mentorship and career advice I've received along the way.

Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn if you have comments, questions, or would like more details on any of the points above.