learning project: job hunting
Currently learning how I can stand out and make myself more marketable. It's fun. So what have I been doing in my job hunt?
Here's a summary:
did the 7 day job search challenge after signing up for an email newsletter from someone I found on LinkedIn.
through this email challenge, I learned how to create my elevator pitch, how to revise my resume, how to craft a cover letter specific to the job description using an effective template, how to create a better LinkedIn profile, and how to find my UVP or "Unique Value Proposition."
crafted an edtech specific resume and cover letter.
created a broader resume and cover letter for the role I want [one that did not specify edtech/hospitality/travel etc.] and one where I can plug in the industry-specific keywords when it is time to send it.
learned how to tailor these resumes to each specific job.
uploaded said resumes to job boards. Emailed the edtech specific one to companies under the education umbrella.
signed up for Flexjobs, Ziprecruiter, Linkedin, Jobspresso, Jobgether, WellFound, We Work Remotely, edtechjobs.io, Himalayas, Swooped, Skip, edtech.com, EdSurge.
created and refined the email alerts on these job boards.
on #writingday, I crafted emails and direct messages [emails and direct messages notifying the hiring manager/recruiter I applied, others notifying them of my general interest in a specific role within their company even if they are not actively hiring]
on #connectionday, I sent those same emails and direct messages.
based on my very fast research on what this industry wants right now, I crafted a pitch for why I am a good choice specifically for edtech, based on my personality, experience, and knowledge. This is something I'm most proud of writing.
saved an edtech specific job board on Notion which I found on LinkedIn. I've also decided not to add any new job boards as its a lot to sign up and create a profile.
from my favorite blogs and publications, I took a ton of notes on the sustainable mobility industry, MaaS or mobility-as-a-service, as well as noted down the most interesting startups offering electric, low-emission, or shared mobility products and services. I'm very interested in planet-friendly transport which helps people spend less time in single-occupancy vehicles! Ultimately, though, I've decided to not exclusively target the mobility industry like I originally planned. But I confidently know the research I did do will be useful in the future in some way.
In order for my network to notice, I reposted #edtech and #jobsearching LinkedIn posts from my feed complete with my personal comments.
perfected my LinkedIn and Ziprecruiter headline and "about me" section.
I refined my LinkedIn feed to focus on edtech/elearning/education/VR companies as well as people in those companies. Only followed the most interesting top voices, people, newsletters, and groups. As of right now, I've decided to broaden my search again [going after not only edtech, but also hospitality, travel, airlines, SaaS] because my ultimate goal as an entry-level worker is to acquire experience. I just realized that! Being able to persuade, actively listen, offer solutions, and practice my conversational skills within any semi-interesting job is enough for me. I don't need to work at my first choice.
narrowed down job roles and possibilities.
took notes on ChatGPT prompts. I was using ChatGPT A LOT. I wanted clarity on definitions and help in deciding certain sales roles, tips on linking my experience, personality, and knowledge with the jobs I was researching, help parsing out my Highland Ability Battery assessment results, know the easiest role to transition into, and tips on how to write pitches, direct messages, and emails better.
after writing out my Unique Value Proposition or UVP, I plugged it in my LinkedIn, in my pitches/direct messages/emails, and in my profiles.
on #connectionday, I applied to jobs on Swooped, Ziprecruiter, and LinkedIn.
found the contact information of companies.
re-read my Highland Ability Battery assessment results/reports and took notes. I also wrote two blog posts on it.
started a sales course on Coursera through Hubspot Academy.
read companies' "about us" pages and took notes.
read a lot of articles on sales on the Coursera blog which I saved to Instapaper.
wrote down how the job I'm doing now can translate to what I will be doing.
I've decided to change up my strategy and practice essentialism within this job hunt context. Here is an episode for understanding the approach.
I'm also in the midst of re-evaluating LinkedIn too. I don't like the feeling of being on there, the same feeling I get when being on social media. I abhor the infinite feed, the act of scrolling, how there are 100+ applicants for the same job.
This fascinating article also doesn't help its case. So, I'm taking a break from it for two weeks while still applying to open roles and communicate with hiring managers and people in the company directly, sans social media.