Before you started your job search, you probably felt optimistic, confident and hopeful. After all, with the experience you have under your belt and your track record for success, you might have thought landing a new job might take time but it shouldn’t be too hard. Now fast forward months later, and you can hardly recognize that confident version of yourself anymore.
But, it’s not uncommon for your confidence to waver during the job search process. As a career coach to corporate high-achievers, I hear from top performers who, despite their years of experience and skills, happen to feel the same way while job searching. However, rather than questioning your worth and picking apart your capabilities, it might be time to focus on how you’re approaching your job search instead. Because, it actually might be your job search that needs fine-tuning.
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Here are five signs to help you determine if your job search is the real culprit:
You don’t have a solid idea of what you’d like to do next.
A lack of clear direction is one of the biggest detriments to your job search. Without a solid idea of the type of roles, responsibilities and companies worth your time and energy, you can easily get distracted and waste your time on opportunities that don’t yield the results you’re looking for in your career.
You might even start to mistakenly believe that you can’t have a better job or that you must start over to land a new role when the real problem is you haven’t taken the time to get clear on which type of opportunities you’d like to pursue. On the other hand, gaining clarity will not only help you tailor your job search, but it’ll also increase your confidence in finding the right fit for you.
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You spend most of your time constantly applying to jobs.
Gone are the days when you could “spray and pray” and hope for the best. Not only is blindly applying ineffective, but it can also quickly erode your confidence when those countless job applications turn into countless rejection emails. Before you know it, you’re convinced that no one wants to hire you.
So, rather than applying to as many jobs as possible, take a more targeted and selective approach. Be strategic and intentional about which jobs you choose to apply to and don’t be afraid to skip over the ones that don’t align with your career goals, expertise and interests. By only applying to jobs you really love, you’ll find that you’ll feel more confident putting yourself out there and more excited to demonstrate how your skills align with the needs of the role and organization.
Your resume sounds more like a job description.
Your resume is one of the best ways to market your skills, value and experience; it shouldn’t be a collection of past items on your daily to-do lists. So, if you can’t tell the difference between your resume and a job posting, then that’s a sure sign that you might not be standing out from the crowd when applying for new positions.
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To fix this, you need to shift your focus from duties to achievements. Understanding the impact you’ve made throughout your career and communicating that on your resume in a relevant way will not only help you stop second-guessing yourself, but will also help you catch the attention of the right employers who want what you have to offer.
Your LinkedIn profile isn’t clear or compelling enough.
Sure, when you were content in your current job, you could get by with a lackluster or even nonexistent LinkedIn profile. But now that you’re ready for a new job, in today’s digital world, a vague LinkedIn profile is not going to attract your dream companies.
For example, without a confident and compelling LinkedIn profile, recruiters actively looking for top talent either won’t find you or won’t be inspired to interview you when they stumble upon your profile. Not to mention, if hiring managers look you up after reviewing your application and don’t see a coherent and consistent message on your LinkedIn profile, they might move on to the next candidate. So, invest the time and energy to optimize your LinkedIn profile so that you can open doors to new career opportunities.
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You don’t know how to talk about your skills and expertise.
While you’ve likely spent tons of time developing your skills, building your track record, and excelling in your career, you probably haven’t spent as much time talking about your skills and expertise. So, rather than doubting yourself or assuming you aren’t good enough for the roles you want, you need to focus on getting better at communicating the value you bring to the table with clarity and ease.
As you get more comfortable talking about your track record, accomplishments and skill sets, you’ll feel more confident and exude more confidence during interviews and networking conversations, which will ultimately inspire others to want to help you and hire you.
Of course, it’s tempting to judge yourself or criticize your personal shortcomings when your job search isn’t going the way you hoped. But landing a new job isn’t about changing who you are–it’s about elevating how you present yourself so your ideal companies understand exactly why they need you. By taking the focus off yourself and reassessing your job search strategy, you will feel even more in control of your career journey, and you’ll boost your chances of standing out and getting hired for the roles you desire and deserve.
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Adunola Adeshola coaches corporate high-achievers on how to take their careers to the next level. She is the author of the guide How to Go From Zero Interviews to Dream Job Offers.
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