3 Key Tips for Maximizing Your Chances of Landing a New Job
By Jordan Warshafsky
Partner, Ashton Tweed, Ltd.
In a previous feature article, I gave three tips to help job seekers differentiate themselves from their competition. This month, I provide three additional job-hunting tips that are key to success in today’s tough career market.
- Think positive.
It’s a fact of life that there have been a lot of jobs lost in the life sciences sector in the past two years, and many skilled professionals are out there looking for jobs. But regardless of how frustrated you may feel about your current situation – especially if you’ve been job-hunting for an extended time – you still need to continually project a positive, optimistic attitude. You have to always be on and always be up. This holds true for every contact you have, especially with prospective employers – from the three-line email, to a phone interview, to an actual interview. Remember, nobody likes a sourpuss!
As you head into an interview, be sure to leave any negative feelings at the doorstep. And although it may seem obvious, you should also never speak badly about a previous employer. As I always say, don’t burn bridges, even if they deserve to be burned. You will always be on the losing side of that issue. Highlighting the negative about another company may make prospective employers wonder if you’ll have the same kind of issues at their company, too.
- Network, network, network!
Networking is vital to landing a job. Many job openings are never advertised or posted through employment firms, but rather filled through networking and word-of-mouth recommendations. Networking involves developing a list of contacts – people you’ve met through business contacts, in social situations, as well as neighbors and family. The people in your network may be the source of job leads, have information about a certain company or connect you with other people who could help. Don’t discount a chance to expand your network, since you never know who someone knows, where he or she has worked before, or where he or she will work next.
There are many facets to networking, including keeping in contact with your network through phone calls and social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Face-to-face meetings, however, are typically the most valuable way to network. Attending life sciences conferences and networking meetings gives you the chance to meet many professionals in your business. Take the opportunity to introduce yourself to other event attendees, give a quick “elevator pitch” about yourself, exchange business cards, and ask to connect in the future to talk more. Think of these networking connections as sales calls, and keep focusing on getting the next meeting until you get the “sale” – a job.
- Emphasize the quantitative, not the qualitative.
We’ve talked about the value of differentiating yourself from the competition. An important way to make your individual accomplishments stand out to a potential employer is to quantify your contributions to your previous employers’ bottom line. Many people’s qualitative job descriptions all sound the same. Using numbers and data to tell how you’ve improved sales or positively impacted budgets, however, will help set you apart from others vying for the same position.
Certainly, the qualitative aspects of your past employment are also important. Qualitative information helps let prospective employers determine if you have the necessary skill set and will fit in well with their corporate culture. In the end, it’s all about the numbers and improving shareholder value. So whether you demonstrate an increase in sales, or more drugs approved in a certain period of time, or money saved, be sure to show how you can bring measurable results to a prospective employer.
Watch for additional job-seeking advice in future issues of Ashton Tweed Connection. And if you have any job-hunting tips that you’ve found valuable, please share them by emailing me. |
