Beyond the Résumé: What Job Seekers Need Right Now – Part Two

This is the second post in a two-part series.

In part one of this series, I explored three challenges I’m seeing beneath the surface of today’s job search: job seekers searching for answers when gathering more evidence may be more helpful, relying on the safety of online applications, and hesitating to reach out because they don’t want to bother others.

But two other job seeker challenges are showing up consistently in my client conversations, ones that have less to do with job-search tactics and much more to do with how people sustain themselves through a difficult and often lengthy search.

Confidence is needed most when it’s in short supply.

We ask people to market themselves confidently when they may have just lost a job, experienced burnout, received repeated rejections, or spent months wondering why employers aren’t responding. And if that wasn’t enough, they open a job posting and immediately notice everything they don’t have. “I don’t have that degree. I’ve never had that exact title. I haven’t worked in that sector. Maybe I’m not qualified.”

Over time, it can become increasingly difficult for job seekers to see themselves the way we see them as people with experience, strengths, accomplishments, and unique value to offer.

How can we help?

Try shifting the conversation from deficit to evidence – from what they don’t have to what they do have. What has this client done that aligns with the job? Which problems have they solved? What changed because of their contribution? Where have they demonstrated a transferable version of the skill the employer is requesting? Help them build an achievement bank and give them opportunities to practice saying these examples out loud.

Additionally, help clients see evidence in their experience that shows they meet the job criteria, even if they haven’t done exactly what the job calls for. You can learn more about these strategies and ways to enhance mindset in Chapter 9 of the book Cultivating Career Growth: Navigating Transitions with Purpose.

More job searching isn’t always better job searching.

At work, a routine frames our day: meetings to attend, people to connect with, reports to write. But when looking for work, that routine vanishes, and we can easily keep going with no guardrails. There is always another posting to check, résumé to customize, person to contact, LinkedIn post to comment on or interview answer to practice. If your client is anxious about finding their next role, doing less can feel lazy or irresponsible. But a 10-hour job-search day isn’t necessarily more effective than a focused, consistent one that takes less time, and it’s certainly harder to sustain.

How can we help?

Help your clients create a realistic routine with boundaries around their search, and hold those boundaries using systems (like blocking off time on the phone calendar for a job search). Is your client more productive and focused in the morning or in the afternoon? How long would be realistic for them to block off for their search?

Start small, maybe one hour per day, and build on this based on the client’s energy and motivation. Encourage them to engage in a mix of activities within this routine: time to search online and apply, with a heavy dose of outreach (recruiter relationships and networking). Help them build in time for themselves, something they can do each day that gives them joy. Even small steps like going outside and taking deep breaths can keep them grounded and moving forward. Help them notice and celebrate smaller wins. They’re evidence of movement even when the outcome (in the form of a new job) hasn’t arrived yet.

Our role goes beyond the résumé.

Job seekers need practical tools to support them in their search. They need résumés with results-based achievement statements, LinkedIn profiles that clearly tell their career story, solid interview skills to articulate their value, and a mix of job-search strategies to help them identify possibilities.

But they need more than tools and tips. They need help tolerating uncertainty, encouragement to take an uncomfortable action instead of another comfortable one, help seeing the evidence of what they already bring, and support in creating a job search they can actually sustain. And sometimes, they need someone in their corner reminding them that progress doesn’t always look like an interview or an offer. Every step (big or small) is a step forward, keeping them moving while the answers are still emerging.

To continue enhancing our knowledge and developing new strategies to support job seeker challenges, CPC’s Certified Future Strategist (CFS) certification is a must-have for any career development professional.

– By Michelle Schafer –

Written in collaboration with ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, based on the author’s original ideas. Image generated using ChatGPT.