Job Hunting for Newbies

Are you tired of going through dozens of blogs, looking for dos and don'ts in your job applications? Stop worrying because the HackerNoon community has the best-proven hacks for job hunting. This thread has it all, from LinkedIn tips to CV secrets that will help you stand out in the job market and get that position you've always wanted.

This Slogging thread by Mónica Freitas, Jack Boreham, Favour Amadi, Daniel Guzman, Amy Shah, Sara Pinto, EPOSI FRIDA, Ellen Stevens, Linh Smooke and Limarc Ambalina occurred in slogging's official #unpopular-opinion channel, and has been edited for readability.

We've all gone down the path of looking for work, either online, in newspapers, asking friends, on LinkedIn. Likewise, there are tons of blogs jumping to offer us the best ten tips for a job application, for writing a CV, for an interview. But now I want to hear it from you.

What job searching tips and tricks have you found truly helpful? What has worked for you and what hasn't?

Linkedin has worked for me, especially if you have fully built out your profile. I like to go on the website every day and apply for a couple a day. It keeps the momentum going and has been successful. I have found Indeed to be pretty rubbish.

When looking for work, Mónica Freitas, I play the number game. I apply to as many vacancies as I possibly can. I don't care much about if I qualify or not. I've gotten roles when I could have sworn I wasn't qualified. I review my CV to fit the role, I call this one 'being Intentional'. LinkedIn is a great place to look, I agree with Jack Boreham. What has worked for you?

Mónica Freitas, I personally consider LinkedIn is the best tip that someone has ever given me! I strengthened my profile, posted stuff, and generated a network. I've found two amazing jobs via LinkedIn haha. What hasn't worked for me? Those like job pages or job advisers.

Believe it or not, going to meetups on http://meetup.com led to something for me.

I am talking about online/virtual meetups.

Mónica Freitas, for me, the first real tip I ever got was to not do my CV on those "fill in the blank" websites, like Europass. It may seem obvious, but it made a difference, and I understood the importance of first impressions. So far, I'm not sure what works best for me as to finding a job. LinkedIn has helped me, but I haven't used it to its full potential.

Jack Boreham, I agree with you. LinkedIn 1O1 is precisely that, filling out your profile and being active. Have you ever found out what the top skills you have that kept getting the interest of hiring managers were?

Favour Amadi, I second that! Sometimes how we're selected for jobs we thought wouldn't be a good fit baffles me. Like you, I always try to design my CV according to the position I'm applying to. This gets easier the more experience you have. What would you say are your strongest cards in your CV? In other words, what do you think makes you stand out for companies?

Daniel Guzman, have you ever tried those websites for remote work like We Work Remotely or Remote Europe?

Amy Shah, interesting. I've never heard of that. How does that work?

Sara Pinto, I agree with you! I find the Europass model a bit boring, confusing and plain. I think CVs should convey your skills and a bit of your personality as well. It makes it interesting, and what better way to showcase your computer skills than through your CV design?

This is interesting, Mónica Freitas. Like everyone has mentioned LinkedIn is a good place to search. But was has worked for me personally is networking. I have gotten some great jobs thanks to some amazing connects. When your people know what you do, they'll refer you when the time comes. Alternatively, make sure you review your CV for different jobs. Read about the job in question and make sure your CV reflects who or what is needed.

I think what makes me stand out for companies is how articulate I am, my willingness to learn, and how I do more than what is expected of me or in my job description. At interviews, most turning points (you notice this in a change in tone or facial expressions) will be when I discuss a particular project, product of team I've worked on, and how I took initiative or how I handled something differently. What do you think makes you stand out?

EPOSI FRIDA, I think we hear a lot about networking, but it sounds such an intimidating concept at first. Do you have any tips on where to start?

Favour Amadi, WOW, that's great! I'd bet on my multitasking, communication, and computer skills but what probably makes the biggest impression is my work experience abroad. I'm also a bit stubborn, and I'll apply for a job I really want even if I'm denied the at first 😅

This is probably really bad advice, but I don't like keeping my CV to two pages. I like mine longer. Companies like to sort by metrics like 'keep it under two pages,' etc, well, what if a person has done more than average? I've actually always kinda hated that rule and have ended up landing pretty great gigs not following it. I'm all for efficiency of processes but I like to see that a company can appreciate proper nuance.

Ellen Stevens, when you have a lot of experience, it can be tricky to get it all down in one/two pages. Besides, some job experiences we have may not be directly linked to that job description but can be evidence of some soft skills like customer management. So I get it. One thing that bothers me is how some companies have particular CV formats in which they'd like to receive an application. It makes us constantly change forms and designs.

LOL, you’re fired from HN Ellen Stevens! JK!

This comment is scary. I'm going into hiding lmao.

Regarding going to virtual meetups, I just was networking and I found a small opportunity that was right for me. Even if it's a virtual meetup, It can be valuable to small talk.

I think it is harder to network and find opportunities in virtual meetups. Even so, it might be possible to learn about openings like being on a nonprofit board or getting a volunteer opportunity you can learn from.

Mónica Freitas, I've seen them but I've never tried them! I guess I'll take a look. I'm not used to subscribing to these kinds of pages.

My biggest tip (as someone who has gone through hundreds of resumes in a day) is to put the most important things relevant to the position front and center. You should be adjusting your resume when applying to different positions.

This doesn't have to be work experience. The first 3 things people see on my resume are accomplishments/main titles:

Amy Shah, I see! So it's another way to keep your ears up for any new opening in the market. I've never tried it because I never knew how to come about it, but I'll give it a try. 🙏

Daniel Guzman, for me, it was one of those pages that led me to HN, so not too shabby! And for people with experience in the area, it can be pretty easy to get a remote job you like.

Limarc Ambalina Those are great tips! You should do a podcast/article/video on that. And drop your CV for reference! 🙏

Even when we're looking for inspiration and tips on organizing our CV, many blogs differ in opinion and suggestions, leading to us feeling overwhelmed and with an impossible jigsaw to solve. So, it's amazing to have all these tips.