How To Get Hired In 30 Days During the Coronavirus Pandemic

“I’m excited to say I got an offer! This all happened in about 30 days. And it really came at the right time!”

Somayeh was on a path just like you: rejection after rejection month after month. That never feels good in the 1st place, then add the coronavirus pandemic and accompanying layoffs, furloughs, and hiring slowdowns on top of that, and the situation seemed bleak. But Somayeh did a few things differently to land the new job she just started this week. Let’s take a look at the lessons learned:

Lesson #1: Show The Recruiter Who You Are

“The recruiter found me on LinkedIn and wanted to connect with me,” Somayeh said. So, how does a recruiter “find” you? It’s not like they know your name. But here’s what they do know: the skills they’re looking for and the location their client (the employer) is in.

Recruiters conduct searches the exact same way you conduct searches. When you sit down at the computer to look for a role, what do you type in? The most likely place to start is with the job title. If you’re in sales, you may type in “Sales Manager,” or “Sales Director.” If you’re in operations, you may enter, “VP, Operations,” or Director, Group Operations.”

Drill down. The recruiter wants to make sure you’re experienced in the relevant skills. This is where keywords come in. If the role is Sales Director, skills that are essential for the job may include, “sales strategy,” and “business development.” What’s important here is to show the recruiter in your LinkedIn profile that you’re a sales leader who has these skills.

Be careful with this. It’s easy to fall victim to imposter key words. Virtually every job announcement says the ideal candidate would have, “solid communication skills,” and be “detail-oriented.” However, those are not the terms the recruiter is typing in when she’s looking for someone to fill her job order.

Lesson #2: Show The Hiring Manager What You Do

“The pay was initially lower than what I wanted,” Somayeh said, “But the hiring manager liked my resume – that’s what she told me right in the 1st phone interview.” 

Don’t just tell them what you do. Show them. For example, it’s not enough for a sales leader to list, “President’s Club” on the resume. We know President’s Club is something good. But we don’t know what you specifically did to achieve this honor. Illustrate that. 

“Drove business development, client acquisition, and revenue growth. Won President’s Club for delivering 201% over goal from booking convention and meeting groups.” That statement shows the major steps that led to President’s Club. When you show, instead of just tell, you paint a picture in the reader’s mind. You want the reader to envision you carrying out those exact same steps in order to deliver similar successes to her organization.

Lesson #3: Show The Decision Maker You’re Self-Aware

Somayeh said, “I asked the director the exact questions you said to ask, to make sure there weren’t any concerns about me that we hadn’t talked about.” Notice what Somayeh did not say: she did not say she answered all their questions well. Why? That’s the minimum. It’s critical to have your answers ready to the questions they’re likely to ask. The best way to accomplish that is to make sure you do your homework.

Research takes on a whole new meaning in these times of unprecedented unemployment and hyper-competitive job seeking while the coronavirus pandemic lingers on. The onus is on you to research not only the company, but also what the company is working on right now, what they’re about to launch next, and research the actual person conducting your interview.

Come to the interview with your questions ready. Show that you know what’s going on with the organization, and that you see where your particular brand of skills and expertise tightly aligns with the company’s current priorities.

The most important question you need to have ready is this, “Now that we’ve had this discussion, is there anything about my candidacy that gives you pause?” Asking this question lets the interviewer know you have a certain level of self-awareness. While it’s important to go into your interview confident, that’s different than approaching with arrogance.

This question opens the door for the interviewer to state what her objections are. It’s similar to sales. When you uncover the objections, you can speak to them and close the sale. Guess what you’re selling? YOU.

Somayeh went from the recruiter reaching out to her to the employer tendering an offer in 29 days. Her new title is Cell Processing QC Specialist III. The exact same thing can happen for you. Reach out to me in a direct message or [email protected] for a career advancement plan customized for you.