It’s often said that small actions can make a big impact. However, it turns out that those words of wisdom apply not only to business, sports and entrepreneurial endeavors but also to the job-hunting process.
For instance, even though sending a thank-you note after an interview is a good way to stay top-of-mind and show interest in an opportunity, less than 50 percent of technology professionals bother to send one, according to talent acquisition leaders. After taking the time to apply and interview, it is hard to fathom why someone wouldn’t spend another five minutes on an email that could affect their ability to move forward in the hiring process.
Don’t be penny-wise and pound foolish. Here are eight small things that can have a big impact on the effectiveness of your job search.
Read the Job Description
When recruiters are slammed with resumes, investing an extra 10 minutes to read the job description and tweak your resume could make all the difference between rejection and an interview.
“Most job seekers don’t spend enough time reading the job description,” lamented Mike Peditto, director of talent at Teal and co-host of the Corporate Pizza Party podcast.
A well-written job description will tell you the focus of the role, what the team is like, and which skills and traits are critical, he explained. Once you ascertain what the employer is looking for, adjust your resume, cover letter, and other materials to highlight those things.
Peditto emphasized that he’s not calling for a top-down rewrite for every potential job. Do small things like switch the order of the bullets in the opening summary to match the requirements, tweak your job title or use bold face type or italics to highlight certain attributes or skills to capture the reviewer’s attention.
Respond to Job Application Questions
Applicants that leave answers blank or reply to application questions with N/A or “I’ll tell you at the interview,” don’t get interviews, according to recruiters.
Again, recruiters and hiring managers aren’t looking for an essay. Short answers that take five minutes are perfectly acceptable and have the potential to make a big impact on the reviewer.
To save time, try consolidating specific talking points or success stories that you like to discuss during interviews into one or two sentences so you can quickly insert them into applications, with minor modifications.
Be Prepared to Ask Questions
Candidates who don’t ask questions during an in-person interview have about a zero percent chance of moving forward, noted Benjamin Mena, managing partner of Select Source Solutions and host of The Elite Recruiter Podcast.
“I’ve been recruiting for two decades, and I can’t tell you how many people never ask a single question, even when they’re given the opportunity,” Mena said.
Technology professionals with rare skillsets for hard-to-fill positions are the exception, and even then, they only manage to advance about 20 percent of the time, Mena said.
Just take 10 minutes to review the company’s website and come up with one or two questions to ask the hiring manager to show that you're interested and engaged. If you’re really pressed for time, just ask standard questions like: “What does success look like in this position?” Or “What can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?”
No matter what, just don’t say: "No, I don’t have any questions for you."
Comment on the Hiring Manager’s Post
Five minutes may not sound like a lot, but it’s just enough to get on a hiring manager’s radar.
Simply head over to LinkedIn, find the name of the hiring manager for a company on your target list and comment on one of their posts, or add value to their post by sharing a solution, opinion or resource. “I’ve actually seen people get jobs by using this strategy,” Mena said. That makes this a small job search activity that can deliver massive results.
Send Work Samples
A fast way of showing that you are interested in working for a company and manager (even if there's no job available) is to provide an example of the value you can bring to their team.
Email the manager a brief introductory note with a link to a side project, code sample, programming solution, case study, or pretty much anything that demonstrates your relevant experience and tells a hiring manager, “This is what I can do for you.”
Overall, you may want your message to align with the following structure:
- Introduction: A brief overview of your intent (i.e., why you’re messaging).
- Your hook: Provide a short summary of relevant skills and experience that offer value.
- Your call to action: Restate what you want and why you’re qualified.
Try Something Different
Speaking of email, as long as you’re taking the time to reach out to hiring managers, why not share your message via video messaging instead? These days it’s fairly easy to create a short email video that provides a more intimate and in-depth look at who you are and what you do.
Following Up
Following up with recruiters and hiring managers via email, text or phone only takes a few minutes—and spending that time can set you apart and impact your success. It’s a low-effort task that can yield huge results.
Display Positive Body Language
It costs you nothing to smile or exhibit positive body language during an interview, yet research shows that it can sway the outcome.
Much about a person’s attitude is conveyed through tone and inflection. Try using hand gestures to convey enthusiasm and passion, lean forward when you speak, and make eye contact. Using positive body language requires little effort but has substantial upside potential.
