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A lot of people tell me I’m doing a disservice encouraging others to pursue their ideal careers in a dismal job market. 

They especially like to quote me the number of applicants for a job.  They’ll say, “More than 1,000 people sent in resumes that single job.  It’s hopeless!”

But is it?  

People want to equate applying for a job to playing the lottery, as if the chances of getting hired all come down to numbers.  But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I know of jobs that have gone unfilled for over a year, even with multiple job postings and hundreds of applicants.  Why?  Because the right person didn’t apply.

So don’t let the numbers scare you.  Landing the job you want isn’t as much of a long shot as you think it is.  Here’s how to  burn past your competition.

A case study

Last week, Ramit Sethi gave an insider look at his process for hiring a freelance writer.  I’m going to share an edited version of it here because a) Ramit specifically said this could be shared, and b) it’s job search gold no matter what field you want to work in.  

I’ve edited the post for the purposes of length.  If you want the complete post, email me and I’ll forward it.  You can sign up to get more of Ramit’s awesome ideas through his newsletter here. 

The words below belong to Ramit. In the next section, I share my own take-aways from his experience.

How the job search started

A couple weeks ago, I posted a job description for a case-study writer, someone who would take hundreds of notes and turn them into structured, cohesive success stories.

The application went out to several hundred thousand people.

 

I made the pay appealing (“thousands of dollars”) but also difficult to apply: I pasted several long emails from one of my star students, and told applicants to assemble the emails into a real case study. Basically, it took a lot of work to apply to weed out people who would waste my time.

What a hiring manager thinks when reviewing 100+ applications

I’m going to share exactly what I was thinking when I was reading all the applications — and how you can use these lessons when you’re looking for your next job.

Many people simply copied and pasted entire snippets from my student’s email, making no attempt to massage / edit the material. For example, over HALF of the case studies I received had the VERY SAME bullet points (the ones my student used herself). Why would you expect to stand out?

Many had no understanding of how a hiring manager goes through applications. Let me share the truth: After reading ~10, I could see the patterns in case studies almost instantly. I spent less than 30 seconds on each case study, so it is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT to make your first few sentences stand out. I only read cover letters if I was on the fence.

Insider tips to beat your competitors and get that dream job

TIP #1: MAKE ASSUMPTIONS THAT OTHERS DON’T

If someone asks you to create a sample anything, you can change things LIBERALLY.  I wish people would have made a few assumptions while writing the case study. For example, they could have written an ENTIRE NEW SECTION and made up quotes by my student — simply by adding a note: “Ramit, I assumed I would get a chance to interview Jackie, so here are a few quotes that she would have likely given me.”

TIP #2: KNOW THE SUBJECT MATTER INSIDE AND OUT

How can you write a case study without knowing how the best case studies are written? It sounds obvious, but over 75% of the applicants showed that they had no idea what makes a GREAT case study. Instead, they simply thought they could string together the emails/notes I had offered, and pray that somehow, some way, their application would stand out. I rejected them instantly.

The way to investigate how to write a truly great case study is not complicated: Search for “case studies” and “how to write a case study” or even buy a book or two. Within 15 minutes of searching, you’d stumble across hundreds of case studies — by companies who make hundreds of millions of dollars employing the world’s best case studies.

And you’d learn that a great case study focuses on ONE ELEMENT that the audience cares about. For example, you could position your case study as conquering fear, or how an artist can make a great living, or even raising rates — but not all of them.

TIP #3: IT’S OK TO MASSAGE THE TEXT

Here’s a line from an email Jackie sent me.  ”Sometimes your caustic tone and juicy, scathing sarcasm made me mad.”  Ok, she actually wrote that, but nobody talks like that.  It’s OK to massage the text in case studies — provided, of course, you get it approved by the original person.

Since 99% of people don’t know this, they turned in case studies with word-for-word copies of the original text, which resulted in stilted language. If language sounds unbelievable, the case study sounds unbelievable. And you’ve lost. 

How I would have dominated this job listing

Here’s how I would have approached this job description.

1. I would have read the page and tried to understand what the hiring manager wanted. Why is he asking for a case study instead of just having me send my resume in?  Hmm…he must really want a good case study, and he doesn’t think a resume correlates with the quality of writing. So I better make my case study good.

2. I would have dug around and searched for “case studies” “how to write a case study” and, crucially, “ramit case study” to see what kind of case studies THE HIRING MANAGER HAD WRITTEN HIMSELF. Suddenly, I would have stumbled across 5+ case studies where I could deeply study the hiring manager’s writing style, focus, length, etc — and model after him.

3. After researching (1) what makes a great case study, and (2) how the hiring manager himself writes case studies, I would have a crisp idea of how to write my application. Here’s how I would approach it: I would realize that this case study is designed to promote Earn1K, Ramit’s course for earning money on the side.  I would have realized that a case study is supposed to answer ONE OBJECTION of prospects (people who are considering buying the course). Then I would have listed out all the potential fears of people joining Earn1K: Not enough money, don’t believe it’s legit, don’t believe I could do it as an artist, no self-confidence, no time…etc

SECRET TIP: I would have picked the BEST 3 — not just one. Then I would write the same case study in 3 DIFFERENT STYLES to show off how deeply I understand the prompt…and how awesome my writing is.

4. I would have ALSO put in diagrams in each of the ones – even if i had to sketch them (caption: “These will be professionally done in real case study”). Then, I would have negotiated a 50% raise to get the images done and outsourced them to someone, keeping 30% bonus as the result of being a middleman.

5. Then I would retire to the antechamber of my Caribbean loft, enjoying a mint julep while reading a leather-bound book and reclining my feet on a heavy-oak ottoman and being showered with flower petals.

Important take-aways for applying to any job

I think Ramit does an excellent job of illustrating how most applicants miss the boat, and why the number of applicants for a job is really a meaningless statistic. 

If I had to summarize Ramit’s story into three qualities you need to be a long shot hotshot, is would be to show initiative, be creative, and work hard.  Do those three things, and job hunting becomes a lot easier.

But I saved the real gem for last: don’t wait until you want or need to find a new job to implement that advice.  It will never work.  You should start practicing those qualities in the job you have TODAY. 

Don’t wait for your boss to tell you what to do.  Listen to the undercurrent of the office and suggest what needs to be done.  Make your solution a creative one, either through your own musings or some good, old-fashioned research.  Go above and beyond what would normally be expected of someone in your position.

Do that and you’ll stand out from nearly all your peers.  In fact, you might not have to look for a job at all.  You might just be staring at a promotion.

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28 Responses to How To Get A Great Job In A Recession

    • On
    • April 5, 2011 at 9:42 am
    • Linda
    • Said...

    Hi Jen-

    TY for sharing Ramit’s case study tips. I agree that numbers don’t really matter when applying for a job. It’s unfortunate that we are such a numbers-focused society, and often lose sight of the big picture.

    I imagine while many are wasting precious emotional energy thinking in “lottery logic,” the few who will likely vow for the position are focused on being creative, drilling down what the interviewer is looking for, and researching…

    Showing initiative, creativity, and hard work are great qualities to practice on the homestead, as well.

    TY for the inspiration:). I always learn something when I visit your blog. Now off to Google “case studies” as I’m familiar only w psychotherapy frame of reference…so much to learn!

    • Exactly. We let the numbers do a trick on our mental energy and by that point, we’ve already told ourselves (maybe not out loud) that we’ve lost the game. I’m not saying that that initiative, creativity and hard work are MAGIC, I’m just saying it’s better than playing lotto. Thanks, Linda!

  2. Jen I 100% agree with you. As a Recruiter I see it all the time. People hire the right people, not just a bum to fill a seat so it is definitely not a lottery. You have to put your hand up for opportunities you are capable of delivering on and understand the filtering process in order to get yourself to even sit for that interview. As Ramit demonstrates above, if you do not do that something remarkable that gets you to stand out and grab the hiring manager’s attention it is very easy to get to the bin (your resume or application). Particularly in Ramit’s example, the fact that they are not asking for a Resume tells you you need to understand the requirement and engage appropriately and certainly offer something different.

    • Exactly. And the number of right hires applying for any one job is often less than one thinks. I hear comments like “There are people with (Ph.D.s or MBA’s or from Wall Street, you name the honor) applying for these jobs now!” So what? Who said that having a Ph.D. made you the ideal candidate? Doing something amazing beats a degree 9 times out of 10. And the reason so few people believe it? Because so few people are taking advantage of that truth!

      • On
      • April 5, 2011 at 8:07 pm
      • Linda
      • Said...

      Hey Thabo-

      Awesome tips! And for what it’s worth, I think you should copyright “Get the bin.” That is, if it’s not already a corporate phrase.

      Reading b/w the lines is a wonderful life skills tool.

      TY:)

    • On
    • April 5, 2011 at 10:09 am
    • Rachel
    • Said...

    Hi Jen-found your site through your guest post on Copyblogger. Even though I’m not looking for another job right now, your post was practical and insightful.

    It’s funny, because I’ve always done the types of things Ramit suggests, both for interviews and at work. I’m not the boasting type or the showy type, but I often got the impression that a lot of males viewed this type of behavior as too competitive.

    What do you think?

    • Hmmm, you think males find that too competitive? That hasn’t been my experience–just the opposite. Women are far more likely to sell themselves short in an effort to appear humble (I think socially, it’s more expected that women will be humble). But since I believe in making my own rules to live by, I never let that stop me either! :)

      Keep shining, Rachel. Don’t let anyone tell you differently, man or woman. (And welcome! Any reader of Copyblogger is a friend of mine!)

  4. G’Day Jennifer,
    I tell my clients that the purpose of the job ad is to attract the ideal candidate and to deter everyone else from applying. I also suggest that they never, ever ask for written applications, including emails . Written applications are the single greatest source of poor staff selection decisions.

    In selection, the face to face interview is a privilege not a right. It should be granted only to those applicants who’ve demonstrated they can do the job. You can’t tell what people can do merely by talking to them.

    If you attract hordes of candidates in response to your job ad, you’ve probably written a lousy ad

    Incidentally, your advice to applicants is spot on. Far to many candidates seem to believe that cobbling together some sort of resume entitles them to be considered as a serious applicant. It doesn’t.

    Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

    Make sure you have fun

    Regards

    Leon

    • That’s a great point, Leon! Most businesses don’t take the time (or don’t know how) to write a really effective ad. I should have given credit to Ramit for his selection method as well. Great to see you here!

  5. “don’t wait until you want or need to find a new job to implement that advice. It will never work. You should start practicing those qualities in the job you have TODAY.”

    You were right, Jen. This is a gem!

    Right along the lines of the axiom: “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”

    I have seen this principle successfully implemented in the last 2 years by a friend of mine.

    He started out in a job that hired him and low-balled him on a salary because they could (the economy had tanked). But, within a few months, he moved to another position making about 10K more. A few months later, and with added skills and experience from that position, he took another position in another state with a Sears subsidiary. He doubled his income from the first (low-ball) position.

    He is currently getting calls at his desk from recruiters wanting to hire him away for again double what he’s making now.

    Granted, this is not typical…but goes to show what is possible. If you “show initiative, be creative and work hard”.

    Your post is dead-on, as usual! Great work.

    • Love that story! I have a similar one. At one of the places I worked, I was part of the group selecting interns. The one we chose turned out to be so great, we offered her a full time job when the internship was over. Then we moved her up several pay grades when our long time financial person retired. Then, we sent her to London to fix the office her, fulfilling one of her life long dreams.

      You’re absolutely right. Those results aren’t typical, because they’re the result of atypical work.

      Glad you liked the post!

  6. We have tried to get this type of thinking across to our young adult kids. They can’t just send in a resume or fill out an application. You must connect on Facebook and Twitter with the proposed company, as well as Linkedin. You have to do something that makes you stand out, short of stalking, lol!
    Great advice!
    Bernice
    Learning to turn work OFF

    • I think it’s even harder with young adults because they often don’t have the work confidence yet to step outside the norms. I will say it’s not just how you contact the company you want to work for, but what you say and how you say it. One of the best attributes we can cultivate in our children is confidence. If you have suggestions, I’d love to hear them. Our daughter is almost 4 and I feel it’s the best gift I can give her.

        • On
        • April 17, 2011 at 10:36 pm
        • Margo
        • Said...

        Great post– but I’m wondering, for applications that don’t require such extensive work and are very general (read: not well written) what do you recommend to stand out? I’m a young adult, who recently graduated from college, and don’t have a lot of experience in any field. After 7 months of searching, I’m starting to think I’m unemployable!

        • Margo,
          This is going to sound counter-intuitive, so bear with me. If a job application doesn’t ask for that kind of work, it’s your job to deliver it anyway. That’s the only way to really stand out. It’s tricky though. First, you can only do that with so many companies. So you have to be crystal clear on what you want and why you’re the right person for that job. That’s why I harp on figuring out exactly what you want to do in your career. It’s not just to make you happy (although that’s a nice end result), it’s a crucial part of the process of getting hired. Too many people come off as wanting “a job, any job,” which is a real turnoff to most employers. Just imagine that someone wanted to date you, but they just wanted a girlfriend, any girlfriend. See what I mean? So you should only be targeting 1-3 companies with very specific job titles.

          There are a couple of ways to stand out.
          1) An informational interview
          2) Asking to do free work, or providing free work as a “sample.”

          For the informational interview, get the contact information of someone who works in those companies in the area you’re interested in. Tell them you’re working on a project or thinking of changing careers or whatever you want, and then use that time to discuss your ideas. The key here is to ask really good questions, which showcase your depth of knowledge and ability to think creatively. This conversation can lead to an interview, whether or not they have a current job opening.

          For the free work, you need to find what your said company is doing right and where they could use help. Then approach someone in the company and say, “I love what you’re doing here, but I couldn’t help but notice you could use help with x.” You’ve got to be super organized and smart here. The tone is important. Then offer to help them for free, as a way of providing a sample of your work. Solve a problem they either couldn’t fix or didn’t know they needed to fix, and I can almost guarantee you’ll get a job offer.

          This is a TON of work. But it’s also more likely to work, assuming you’ve done all the right pre-work, knowing what you want and whether you’re honestly a good fit for the job. Which technique you use depends on the industry as well. It’s harder to do free work as a chemist, let’s say, than it is for someone in marketing.

          Hope that helps! And if you implement it, let me know how it goes!

  7. Jen—

    About your post—including ALL of the comments—one word:

    Evernote.

    Oh…

    There’s a second word:

    Thanks!

    • Thanks to you too, Charles. Glad the post was so helpful!

    • On
    • April 6, 2011 at 4:41 pm
    • Daria
    • Said...

    I love having the debrief on what you should do. For me, there are two areas that would be helpful to extend beyond this:

    1) How to personalize your resume to stand out from a crowd.

    2) How to ask for an interview for a position that hasn’t been identified as being needed yet. :)

    • Great questions, Daria. You got it. I’ll put those posts in the queue. It’s interesting. This post hasn’t generated a lot of comments, relatively speaking, but the ones that have come through have been particularly good. I’m sure you’re not the only one wondering that!

  9. Everytime I have been hired in the last 5 years have come from following the advice you shared here.

    One of my favorites was a project Microsoft was hiring for. After submitting my resume I was excited when I heard they were interested in me. I was to attend a group interview and all I was told was to prepare a demonstration using technology.

    At the time Vista had recently been released so I planned to demonstrate Vista and all the new features it established. My competition presented, wind up radios, usb sticks, a flash light. Pretty underwhelming stuff.

    I was the only one hired in Phoenix and it was an amazing opportunity. I can’t recommend enough the suggestions you share here.

    • Great example, Bryce! Thanks for sharing that and for corroborating with another real life example. I keep thinking it’s like seat belts: people just need to see it and hear it until they believe it.

  10. Hi, Jen, I’m back.

    Great, great post.

    Look, here’s what we did when trying to get my (then 22) year old wife into a selling job where she’d be – by far – the youngest.

    First, we keep getting the “almost” vibe from the sales managers. So close, yet…

    So what did we do? We went to our past customers and write brief scripts for them. They then left messages for 3 managers: the director of sales, the hiring manager and the HR Director.

    We had them flooded, “We don’t know why you haven’t hired Heather, but here’s my experience.”

    Each manager got 7+ messages. Out of 30 applicants, she got the job. And out of the 12 people that started, she was the last to leave the company, and she’d pulled in the most sales.

    • Chris,

      I love this story so much, I can’t even begin to tell you. Now THAT’S what I’m talking about! Hive fives to you and your wife. I’m an ardent fan.

  11. Thanks for the tips Jen. Very useful for me as most if not all my jobs has been referred through somebody I knew. Also very helpful for young people getting started without job experience.

    • Thanks, Irene! My hope is that people will stop thinking it’s impossible to get a job simply because of the economic positions. Harder, maybe, but certainly not impossible. Talent is even more important when budgets are tight!

  12. Very detailed and informative post. I’ve spent most of my life in academia/research, where it’s all number of pubs and who you know, with some vision and synthesis of your different studies into a research program. I think the business world is very different as it’s about what you can do for the employer, rather than your vision, I think. i always try to read job ads carefully and figure out what problem they’re hiring this person to solve. Ads for clinical jobs in big institutions tend to be very wordy with a lot of pro forma info that has to be in there. It’s hard to figure out what they want just from reading it. i think part of digging your well iin advance s networking with targeted colleagues so you can get more of an inside scoop on what they want.

  13. Jen, I’d like to share with your readers a link to writing a killer resume, the kind search professionals are paid thousands to write for high-level clients. I used this resource (from The Pathfinder by Nicholas Lore) a few years back; I sent out 6 resumes and received 4 interviews. One interview offer came within 10 minutes of e-mailing the resume.

    I agree that precise targeting and overwhelming force get the job won!

    Here’s the link:
    http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resumes.html

    • Thanks, Susan. I’m a huge fan of the Rockport Institute and am not surprised at all by your results. I keep telling people: it’s not a numbers game, it’s an excellence game.

      Thanks for adding your story!