Are you frustrated because you’re not getting the job interviews you deserve? Have you submitted your resume or online application to plenty of positions, but you’re only hearing crickets?

If so, stick around, because I have 5 practical tips to help you land almost any job interview.

If we’ve never met before, I’m Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career Club on Facebook, and here, I share simple solutions to help you build a business or launch a career you love.

The Ultimate Guide to Surviving your Job Search

Don’t let your job search get you down. Get your FREE Ultimate Guide to Surviving Your Job Search here!

Before we jump into how you can land a job interview, let me start by saying that I know how frustrating it can be to submit an online application that goes nowhere or to pass a resume along to a friend only to hear nothing back for weeks. Over the years, I’ve quickly learned that getting invited to an interview comes down to getting noticed by the right people. So let’s talk about that! 

Tip #1 – Clean up Your Social Media Profiles 

According to a survey done by SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management), 84% of organizations use social media to find talent. Your social media profiles can be a huge asset to your career search, but you need to make sure you clean them up before you begin your career search. Here’s a few actions steps you can take today: 

Check Privacy Settings 

Although it is important to stay visible enough for employers to find you, it is equally important that you do not expose too much information. Hiring managers like to see some profile details, such as work history, education, special skills, and location. Meanwhile, it may be best that you keep friends, photos, and other aspects of your timeline private. 

Delete Inappropriate Photos and Remove Unnecessary Status Updates 

A good rule of thumb is to remove anything that you don’t want your future employers to know about or that puts you in a bad light. This includes photos that show you participating in less-than-ideal activities. Remember to also remove inappropriate photos you are tagged in. It may avoid hurt feelings if you let friends and family members know social media is playing a large role in your job search process. Status updates or mentions that are questionable or inappropriate should also be deleted. This includes posts or comments you’ve made that contain profanity.

You could even go as far as to clean up posts with poor grammar and/or punctuation. Just remember that employers look for candidates that conduct themselves with dignity appropriate to the work environment.

Update Introduction and About Sections

While you are cleaning up your social medias, take the time to update your introduction and about sections, as they will be the first place employer look to gain more insight about you. Make sure these sections properly showcase your strengths and demonstrate your professionalism. These sections should reflect your best-written content and highlight your in-demand skills, industry experience, and characteristics that make you unique.

Also, consider including a link to your LinkedIn profile and/or a digital portfolio.

Tip #2 – Revitalize Your LinkedIn Profile

A high-quality LinkedIn profile is a must for business professionals. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 500 million members, and this number keeps growing. According to Adweek, 87% of recruiters are now using LinkedIn as a hiring tool. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your online resume and one of the quickest ways to reach potential employers. Make sure it is up to date and optimized for keyword searches. To make sure your LinkedIn profile is in tiptop shape, check out the rest of my blog!

Tip #3 – Get Your Career Documents in Order

Make sure your resume and cover letter are top notch. 

When it comes to your resume, you only have 6 seconds to grab the attention of your potential employer. 

One of the best ways to make your resume stand out is to include a personal branding statement at the top of your resume just below your name and contact information. For more information on how to create the perfect personal branding statement, check out this video and post I made just for you. 

Also, make sure you have a good solid list of references. Include in a separate document a list of at least 3 professionals that can vouch for your awesomeness. 

Tip #4 – Conduct Informational Interviews

This tip for me has worked time and time again. In fact, I was hired for one of my teaching positions because of an informational interview.

Here’s the story:

After my oldest son was born, I knew I wanted to transition from my full-time corporate position into a position that allowed more flexibility.

Because I loved teaching, I approached a department chair at a national university in my area. He agreed to do a quick 15-minute, informational interview with me.

I knew I wasn’t qualified for the position, but I asked him…

“What can I do now so that, in one year, I can teach in your department?”

Well, 1 hour later, I was offered a teaching position and was in a classroom teaching just 4 weeks after that.

The department chair told me that my resume would have never made it past the applicant tracking software system they had in place. On his desk he had over 200 resumes printed out. The candidates in his pool had come from schools like Harvard, MIT, and Yale.

That wasn’t me. I attended a state university.

But because I showed initiative and a willingness to do what it took to get the job done, he hired me on the spot. 

Tip 5: Network, Network, Network

I saved this tip for the very last because it is the most important and is pivotal to helping you get an interview. 

Think of networking as relationship building. These relationships lead to referrals, and many businesses today hire individuals based on recommendations by current employees. 

The reason organizations hire by referral is because it costs less, is faster, lowers the turnover rate, and produces overall higher-quality employees.

You need to begin cultivating long-lasting relationships now. 

Here are a couple actions steps you can take today:

• Start reaching out to people who you believe can assist you in getting an interview. These can be past or present classmates or teachers and professors, family members you haven’t spoken to in awhile, or acquaintances you know through your spouse. They might also be individuals you go to church with or that are in the same community organizations as you.
• Find people who work in an industry similar to yours and connect with them.
• Don’t forget to include anyone you’ve met recently that you’ve had a professional conversation with about your career path.
• Use private email or direct message features in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to send your contact a message. Let them know exactly what you are looking for and how they can help you. For example, are you hoping for an informational interview or would you like to receive a notification if they hear of a job posting? Attach your resume to the message and express thanks to them for taking time to assist you in getting an interview.
• Finally, be patient with the process. It doesn’t hurt to get to know the person better while you are exploring career opportunities.

The Ultimate Guide to Surviving your Job Search

Don’t let your job search get you down. Get your FREE Ultimate Guide to Surviving Your Job Search here!