Title: A Five-Week Guide to Getting a Job
Author: Isaiah Hankel, Harvard Business Review, March 25, 2021
Summary
The article discusses the strategic approach to job search process for any individual and also
how to make yourself marketable so that job application process runs smoothly despite the
market ups and downs. The author also highlights the positive side of job search after pandemic
in the sense that competition has increased but the trend of remote work is also given diverse
options to both employers and job seekers. The job search process is also dependent on market
trends and economy. To start with, it must be kept in mind that between January and March
the hiring companies focus more on corporate strategy instead of recruitment. Job seekers must
actively search and network during summers to successfully land into a job between September
to December as companies want to utilize leftover budget to hire new talent during this period.
Following is the step by step guide for the application process during job search:
Week 1: The first important task is to update your resume and highlight transferable job skills.
Transferable job skills means that all the things that apply to various roles in various industries
such as time management, problem-solving and many more. It is better to generalize the skills
into three main areas:
a) Systems oriented: These skills are related to areas of expertise and must be written in a
practical way. This is essential in order to show their applicability in various positions and
industries. An example of this can be highlighting the expertise of “business writing” when
your job profile involves content creation that can be applicable to any industry.
b) People-oriented: These skills highlight the ability to lead and communicate with colleagues
especially in virtual teams. The keywords can be virtual trainings, performance management
etc.
c) Self-oriented: These involve soft skills such as ability to learn quickly, work diligently, and
finding new solutions to existing problems. These skills are actually high in demand as most
of the companies are trying to work in hybrid (physical and virtual) modes. There is a need
of people who can show skills like self-starter, time management etc. to remain at task in both
working modes.
Week 2: To make profile visible to hiring managers, improve personal brand on LinkedIn.
Search common words or keywords found in profiles of your field and choice and use them in
various sections of your profile. This will help gain better visibility in the search results. Also,
include desired job location, update professional photo and engage with your network to elevate
your Social Selling Index (LinkedIn’s metric).
Week 3: Reach out to existing network or connect with new working connection in the
organization of your choice. These informational interviews (just to educate yourself) help
you gain information about positions to be advertised or referrals. This largely helps in better
understanding of hiring market in terms of career, company, or industry. in general.
Week 4: Request job search referrals from new connections made during the informational
interviews. This shows to potential employers that another person is confident in your skills
and helps in job application being seriously considered and higher chances of interview.
Week 5: Conduct plenty of research on the industry trends, company, products, new projects,
hiring manger in order to be prepared for first virtual job interview. This will help in creating
few questions regarding the work of interviewer, new projects, products and company that
shows to the prospective employer that you are genuinely interested in the position. There are
few things to keep in mind other than those listed above while preparing for job interview:
a) Download the right technology (WebEx, Zoom, Microsoft Teams)
b) Make sufficient eye contact in order to look confident
c) Dress in neutral colours
d) Using effective hand gestures to emphasize important points
e) Respond properly to engage in conversation
Discussion Questions-
Q-1 Discuss regarding advantages and disadvantages of using job search websites such as
Indeed, Glassdoor, Monster, Shine in comparison to LinkedIn.
Q-2 In your opinion, Virtual work mode has increased competition or work opportunities?
Give reasons in your support
Vocabulary words1) Yearn- desire strongly or persistently
Sentence example- We all yearn for what we have lost or what we don’t have. But sometimes,
we forget what we have.
2) Zenith- highest point of something
Sentence example- Some people have their energy at its zenith in the morning and hence they
prefer to complete larger tasks at the start of the day.