How Clarity Can Make or Break Your Job Search
The job search process can be daunting and often feels like a critique of your skills and experiences. In a lot of ways, it is. The job search gives people you don’t know license to scrutinize who you are and what you have learned while standing between you and opportunities that you need to survive. It is frustrating.
Clarity about what you want and why you are applying for specific positions is crucial for a successful job search – it’s sometimes the only thing that helps us keep moving forward but it also leads to a more fruitful job search. Let's break down the essential steps to finding clarity in your job search.
The Importance of Clarity
Recruiters dislike when applicants apply for positions in which they haven’t explained how their skills and experience align with the role at hand. While job seekers may be eager to find new opportunities, paradoxically, applying for every job you lay eyes on often wastes time for both parties.
Essentially, if your resume is written to appeal to a sales position at a fashion company, but out of an eagerness to land any job at all, you sent this same resume to a broker position at a real estate firm – you have casted a wider net with the wrong bait.
In a recruitment effort for an Accountant, for example, it is obvious when I receive a resume for an Account Manager. Often the screening software in job boards can do a pretty bad job of screening out these types of applications. This underscores the importance of job seekers trying to be as clear as they can about their job targets.
Why Clarity Matters
Avoiding Wasted Effort: Applying for positions you aren’t interested in creates unnecessary work and frustration. Go for roles where you feel confident about doing 50-60 % of the job on day one, without any guidance.
Targeted Applications: Clear goals help you tailor your applications to roles that genuinely align with your skills and interests. This increases your chances of hearing back.
How to Achieve Clarity
Understand Your Motivation: Are you currently unemployed and seeking any job to make ends meet, or are you looking for a role that better aligns with your values, interests, skills, and abilities? This distinction is crucial. Telling recruiters you will “take anything” is one of the quickest ways to be dismissed in the job search. Even if you do feel like you’d take any job – don’t make your explanation about why you should be hired about that. Talk about what you will bring to the company. If you are at a loss about identifying your skills and explaining them, watch our Interview Like a P.R.O. webinar. We all have a story!
Assess Your Alignment: Reflect on your values, interests, skills, and abilities (The Real V.I.S.A). Finding a role that aligns with these aspects will lead to greater job satisfaction and professional growth. If you are going to go through the whole job search process, why not make sure that frustration results in something you really want?
Determine Your Career Needs:
Short-Term Needs: Are you looking for immediate employment or a gig to sustain yourself while searching for a more meaningful role? If this is the case, then go for it. Send out as many applications as you can, but remember to talk about your skills in your resume and job interview.
Long-Term Aspirations: Are you seeking a position where you can grow, feel safe, or prepare for retirement? If this is the case, pause and reflect on what you want and strategize on a full job search.
Plan Your Job Search Timeline: Are you actively looking for a job now, or are you planning to start searching next year? Being in or out of the job search process impacts how you approach it. It also adds to your frustrations.
Craft a Clear Summary: Your resume should include a summary of qualifications, ending with a clear statement of your career goals. This helps recruiters understand what you’re looking for and how your skills align with the position.
Avoid Common Pitfalls
Testing the Waters: Sending out resumes without a clear goal can lead to unnecessary changes and confusion. You should be either fully committed to your job search or not engaged in it at all.
Casting Too Wide a Net: While it may seem like a good strategy, applying for many types of positions can dilute your application’s impact. Instead, focus on roles that align closely with your skills and interests and create a stellar resume based on that.
Finding clarity in your job search is not easy, but it is essential. By understanding your motivations, aligning your applications with your values and skills, setting clear career goals, and avoiding common pitfalls, you can navigate the job search process more effectively and ultimately find a role that suits you.
Dr. Marcia F. Robinson, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is the CEO of The HBCU Career Center. She’s an award-winning HR and leadership expert with 25 years of experience in HR and Career Development Education. Known as Dr. R, she’s on a mission to make workplaces more inclusive and to help professionals find welcoming spaces that align with their V.I.S.A. (Values, Interests, Skills and Abilities).