Structure Your Job Search

I was looking for a resource to help Marlow members structure their job search in order to get the most out of their time. I came up pretty empty handed. Everything out there is vague and incomplete. Sure, that makes for a nice, short article…but it leaves much to be desired for people who actually want a bit of guidance.

If you see any resources that seems great, share them in the comments. We need to be crowdsourcing this knowledge and experience!

In the meantime, I’ve shared a structure that’s worked well for many of the people I’ve worked with over the years.

NOTE: What works for someone else, may or may not work for you. Life is one big science experiment — just try it a few times (practice is everything) and see if it works for you.

Everyone wants some quick solution to how to find a job (or how to get rich…or how to get famous…). But the majority of people who actually succeed in achieving their goals do so because they didn’t quit. Put differently, they were able to find their motivation to stay on track.

Throughout this structure, it will be REALLY tempting to simply say “Forget this…I’m just going to go apply.” And that’s fine (you can scroll down to skip right too that part). But chances are high that you’ll find yourself in a role that doesn’t work for you and you will be repeating this whole process again in a year or two.

Why not just do it right the first time?

What does it mean to do it right? I mean that you should take the steps to discover what you want (and don’t want) and how you can get there most effectively. The secret here is to move forward in a way that keeps you motivated. Motivation is the secret sauce to not quitting.

The Structure:

We’ll start with the north star — your long-term career goals. Then we’ll move into brainstorming your options and gathering information. Finally, we’ll get you all the way through networking and applications. This is just a structure (okay, a pretty robust one). But, if you want more tips on how to better accomplish each step in this journey, follow me on Medium or join Marlow.

What’s your north star and why does it matter?

Having an idea of what you want to be doing 5 or 10 years from now is powerful and will help you stay on track. It’s worth spending the time up front to discover this goal because once you have it, it’s like a point on a map. There are multiple ways to get to that point, and the easiest way it to work backward.

Some of the most successful people in the world did not take a linear career path. And you don’t have to either. But when you know what you might want to be doing in the future, it’s easier to choose jobs that will help you make progress toward that goal. Otherwise, you’re sort of just guessing about which jobs would be enjoyable and meaningful to you.

I have an activity that you can do before you launch into the job search structure. If you’re not interested, just scroll on by.

Before you go through this “North Start Activity”, quickly write down three potential roles you might want to have in 5 or 10 years. Do it without thinking to much.

Okay…

Got the list? Let’s get started.

North Start Activity

• List all potential career options 5 or 10 years from now that would make you happy. It’s okay if these have nothing to do with each other. It’s also okay if they are exactly what you’re doing today (if that’s what makes you happy).
• Next, try to identify the themes between the items you listed above. Maybe they’re all in different industries but have a common responsibility. Or maybe they’re all creative. Or perhaps they all give you the ability to earn a solid income while also spending a good amount of time with your family. Think outside the box as you try to connect these.
• From here, choose one direction and work backward (you can repeat with the other two later) to figure out what you’ll need to do to reach this long-term career goal.
• You will start by identifying the skills and experiences you will need to reach the goal. You may have to talk to other people who have experience in this field.
• Then, you can identify roles that align with those skills and experiences. Try to think through various levels of roles. Also, think outside the box.
• Next, think about experiences you want to check off in your life time. Maybe you want a job that lets you travel for a few years. Or maybe you’ve been dying to be in the music industry but just for a little while. There are ways to build these roles into a career path that still moves toward your long-term goal. See how these experiences might align with your long-term plan. If they don’t, then ask if the experience is really what you want. It might be that your long-term goal is actually misaligned. Do some double checking.
• Next, in order to determine which roles might be necessary, find people on LinkedIn who held similar roles and see what it was they did. But remember, your career doesn’t have to be linear.
• If you’re looking for a book to read on this, I recommend “Designing Your Life” by Dave Evans and Bill Burnett.

Job Search Structure:

This process can be a long, drawn out process, giving you plenty of time to think. Or, it can be a short process that you squeeze into a weekend with friends helping you along the way.

Here’s the process in order:

• Discover Your Options: Brainstorm!
• Create a List & Focus
• Reflect & Assess
• Identify Companies & Gather Information
• Prepare your application or outreach(this part is easy if you do everything else first!)

Discover Your Options: Brainstorm!

So now you have thought through your long-term goals and have worked backward to see which jobs might be necessary. As we move into starting your job search, consider all of your options. For now, do yourself the favor of assuming they are possible.

• Write down your career values. Here is a list of values. Here’s another. This list will grow as you work through the process. You will often add values after interviewing at a company and remembering that you absolutely don’t want a certain type of culture. Prioritize these in order of “top priority”, “nice to have”, “don’t want”, “not important”.
• Write down your interests. This can be anything from hobbies to activities you did in your previous roles. But it can also be topics you catch yourself reading about in your free time.
• Look through each of your previous roles, one-by-one, and ask yourself: (1) what it was you loved about those roles, (2) what you would have changed about the company or position, (3) what you personally could have done differently to make the situation better for yourself, and (4) what you achieved in those roles.
• Have a brainstorming party with a few friends and family. Get the sticky notes out and have everyone share their perspective of your values, interests, skills and potential next roles.
• Think about yourself as a child or young adult— what did you want to be? How has that changed over time?

Create a List and Focus

This is really one of the most exciting and fun steps in your job search. It’s okay to have assumptions, but don’t let them prevent you from adding a field or industry you might love to the list. You can validate (or invalidate) these assumptions later.

• Make a massive list of options. List potential (1) industries (or sector) and(2) fields that seem worth looking into.
• Prioritize your list. What seems to stand out to you the most? Don’t let your existing skills or experiences limit you here. Go with your gut — what would you LOVE doing? What would make you feel fulfilled?
• List your assumptions. List assumptions that you have for each field or industry. For example, maybe you listed “Healthcare” as an industry but you have hesitated to join this industry because you view it as being “stuffy” or “archaic”. Write these down as assumptions that need to be validated or invalidated. You might find that there are ways to join healthcare and still be in an innovative, fast-paced environment.
• Gather information. Starting with your top priorities, start doing online research. Google is your friend, but so is LinkedIn. You can find people who are in these roles and reach out to them to learn more about the position. Other ways to gather information is to learn about other people’s experiences. Podcasts in your field or industry will be a great place to start. Stitcher and iTunes have great podcasts.
• At this point, you can narrow your search even further.

Think Through Your Choice (Reflect, Assess)

• What is it about this industry or field that seems appealing to you?
• What concerns or obstacles seem to be standing in your way? Is there anything you can do to move these obstacles? (sometimes it’s really just changing our frame of thought).
• What companies seem the most appealing in this industry? Are they hiring for people in your desired field?
• What other information would you need to gather before actually applying to roles in this industry and/or field?
• Is your hypothesis too broad? How can you narrow it in? Or perhaps it’s too specific, are there alternatives you can look into?
• What existing skills do you have? What skills would you need to acquire before applying?
• Who can you talk to in the industry? Are there people who are a couple years ahead of where you are right now? Find those people on LinkedIn and send them a message.

Identify Companies & Gather Information

You have a long-term career goal. You know your values and interests. You have a decent idea of your skill set. And you have talked to enough people in your desired field or industry to have a general sense as to whether this is the right direction for you.

At this point, you need to focus your search, research specific roles and companies, and start showing your interest!

• Research the company. This article might help.
• Don’t limit yourself to the job description, but do make sure you are actually qualified on some level.
• If you aren’t qualified and you are set that this is a job you would like, you need to consider your alternatives. It may be that you are indeed qualified but haven’t made the connections between what they are asking for and what you can offer.
• Before you apply, try to meet with people in the company or in similar companies (including competitors). Ask as many questions as you can and be a sponge.

Prepare Your Outreach

More than 40% of people still get hired by applying directly to a role without knowing anyone. But that also means that most people get their job through someone they know. This means you need to try both options.

The Secret to Networking

The secret to networking? It takes practice — don’t give up.

Secret 1: Know what you want. By the time you start thinking about networking with people in order to find a job (as opposed to the above networking which was intended to simply gather information), it’s important to have a clear idea of what you want to be doing in your next role. This is nothing worse than someone who says …

• “Here are my skills…..do you know anyone who could use these?”
• “I don’t really care what I do as long as I’m adding value.”
• “I really just need a job”
• “I’ll want a job in marketing” (hint: why type of marketing??)
• “I am open to doing recruitment, marketing or product management. I’m really good at all of them.”

Secret 2: Spread the word. Make sure your friends and family know you are looking (this is particularly important if you still have a job — as people won’t assume you are looking for new opportunities). Your friends and family are likely to advocate on your behalf when they randomly learn that an acquaintance is looking to fill a role that aligns with your interests.

Assuming you know what you want to be doing, you can start reaching out to people you know. If they don’t share your skill set or interests, consider simply asking to meet with them about the job search in general. From there, ask them if they know anyone you should talk to in your particular field. Most people will recommend one other person.

Secret 3: Reach out to strangers who seem interesting. can also reach out to people you have never met. To be honest, I have found this to work surprisingly well. Make sure you know what you want from them. Here are an intro example….

• “Hi Sara, I’m interested in transitioning into digital marketing in the e-commerce space and noticed that you have quite a bit of experience. Would you be willing to have a short call to share your process for ending up in this role?”

The Secret to Applying Directly

Networking is a long-game. It takes time and it’s really not for everyone. Even if you think you hate networking, I recommend sticking with it. There are ways that even the most introverted individuals can network productively.

Secret 1: Know what the company does AND actually want to join their team. You would be surprised how many standard, template cover letters cross my desk. It’s just not a good use of time. When someone knows what your company does (like, really, really understands it) and also has a compelling reason for why they want to join, I’m already paying attention.

Even if they aren’t a good fit for that specific role, I am usually brainstorming other roles that might make more sense.

Secret 2: Be qualified — and communicate that qualification. There’s a wide spectrum of who applies for a job. On the high end of the spectrum, you have people who are 100% qualified and super excited to join your company (note: this is rare). On the other end of the spectrum, you have people who saw your job posting, aren’t even remotely qualified and just submit a really bad application.

It’s really not hard to come to the high end of the spectrum if you understand the problem the company is trying to solve and actually have the experience they’re looking for. Most companies aren’t looking to take a bet on a stranger. They might take a bet on someone they found in their network, but if you’re applying directly, you need to have a compelling story for what makes you qualified. Your cover letter and resume should be ON POINT. This means you should be able to link every single bit of experience you have to something that is relevant to the job they are posting.

It’s actually not as hard as it sounds, and it’s a lot easier if you brainstorm with a friend. They won’t have the same insecurities that you have (applying for jobs can beat up the ego) and they may be able to draw connections that you didn’t see.

Also, job descriptions usually suck. They rarely tell you exactly what the company is looking for. So dig deeper and figure out what it is they really need. If you can understand the problem they are trying to solve, you might be able to offer a solution they haven’t thought of. This will help you overcome the problem of not matching their job description. This approach takes a bit of courage and likely requires reaching out to the hiring manager (rather than just the recruiter).

Secret 3: A/B Test Everything. In product and marketing, A/B testing is when you put two versions of something up and see which one performs best. For your application, this means testing various versions of your cover letter and resume to see what works best. You can also do this with your cold-messages on LinkedIn. Which messages get people to respond to you most often?

I could go on and on about A/B testing (I‘ve literally designed my life with these types of experiments), but the point is to learn from your mistakes and keep iterating until you figure out what works best.

Secret 4: Don’t give up. It’s a numbers game, but you can increase your odds if you find the balance between applying for a lot of positions and actually taking the time to do the necessary research.