5 Questions To Troubleshoot Why Your Job Search Is StuckgettyI’m in my 60s, was laid off, and have been having a hard time finding my next job. I have been laid off before and was able to land something before, but this time around it’s harder. Is it ageism?
Job candidates at all ages are having a challenging time in today’s job market. The number of job seekers who have been looking for more than six months has increased over the last three years. However, what’s more important than the overall job market is your individual job search.Here are five questions to troubleshoot why your job search is stuck:1. How much time are you spending on your job search?Job searches are taking longer than before, so if it feels like you’ve been looking for a long time, it may be more a function of today’s job market than your efforts. That said, be honest about your efforts and time management. When you’re unemployed, your job search becomes your full-time job – are you spending 40 hours on your job search? Track the amount of time you’re spending, the number of applications you have submitted, the number of companies you are targeting and the number of people you have approached. Make sure you’re productively working on your job search and not just worrying about your job search but not moving it forward.2. How much time is spent on active v. passive tactics?In addition to overall time spent, you want to make sure the ratio of time is focused on active over passive tactics. Passive tactics include submitting to job postings and contacting recruiting agencies. These tactics are passive because you cede control of your job search to whomever (if anyone) is reviewing applications or to recruiters who may not have anything that fits your background. On the flip side, active tactics include networking with people who could be helpful to your job search and targeting companies you’re interested in with a compelling cover letter, even if a specific role isn’t advertised. Active tactics allow you to ask for the help you need, maintain control of your story and uncover job opportunities before they are broadcast to your job search competition.MORE FOR YOU3. If you’re actively reaching out, are people responding?If you’re already networking and reaching out to people, your job search may still get stuck if people don’t respond. In that case, you need to troubleshoot why you’re not hearing back. You may need to follow up more than once before people get around to responding. You may need to contact different people – maybe the ones you reached out to who don’t remember you or don’t feel close enough to you to know how to help. You may need to contact more people altogether if your initial contact list is too short to yield enough leads to pursue. 4. If you’re getting responses, are they leading to live job openings?If you are hearing back from people, the most helpful response would be referrals to live job openings. Other helpful responses include information about companies or decision-makers, so you can approach them with a more tailored message. Insight into company pain points can help you pitch consulting work or create a job. If you aren’t getting leads to actual job opportunities or information that helps you create opportunity, then you may not be clearly explaining what you want or the help you need.5. If you’re in play for job openings, where in the hiring process do you get stuck?If none of the above apply because you’re getting enough leads but not closing them, then troubleshoot where you’re getting stuck. If you get a first-round interview but don’t move on, you’re not leaving the interviewer with enough compelling information about why you’re the best candidate for this opening. Do a mock interview with a career coach or friend who has hiring experience to figure out what’s missing. If you get closed out in later interview rounds, know that callback interviews are different than early rounds, and you need to prepare accordingly.Control What You Can ControlAgeism exists (among other -isms), but if discrimination is a factor in your job search, you’ll never know for sure or how much it impacts. Control what you can control, which includes your efforts, job search tactics, interview preparation and persistence. A productive job search requires both quantity and quality. Are you doing enough? Are you doing it well?
