I'm a Career Change Expert — This is the Advice I'm Giving People Who Want to Find a Job in 2021

Over the past decade as a Career Transition Consultant, I’ve guided job seekers through the new era of job seeking. Resumes have shifted in style, interviewing is mostly over video conferencing and applying is no longer in person.

For job seekers, this new process can make them feel as if they’re alone on an island — or even that they’ve become irrelevant in the workplace. Fear and insecurity around the job search are normal responses for any job seeker, and these feelings tend to be more overwhelming for those individuals who are more advanced in their careers. These job seekers may not have had to search for a job during the digital age of ATS, AI and building an online brand presence. Here are 5 quick tips to help you navigate your job search digitally in a sea of rough waters.

1. Be confident.

As a job seeker, you need to remember that you have skills you need. Don’t worry if your resume or your application isn’t perfect — it’s more important that they’re found and read by the hiring manager. In the world of video interviewing, you’ll want to be extra prepared. When you prepare properly and don’t try to “wing it,” your confidence will naturally come across in your tone, inflection and selection of words when you answer the questions.

2. Customize each application. 

Each online job application needs to be customized to the job advertised. Failure to understand the skills needed will result in your application landing in the dreaded “black hole.” A great tool to use is Jobscan to optimize your resume. Jobscan is a web service that helps job seekers land more interviews by using AI to analyze one’s resume or LinkedIn profile against any job description.

3. Create an accomplishment-based resume. 

Resume objective statements have been replaced by summary statements that focus on your experience. Your resume only needs to highlight the last 12 to 18 years of your work history. Focus on both quantitative and qualitative results. Remember to add in your core area of expertise (e.g. project management, general ledger, SaaS) as well as any technical skills (Salesforce, Zoom, Java) that you might have.

4. Leverage Your Network. 

When connecting with your network, it’s important not to outright ask for a job. Schedule an informational meeting first to ask for advice on targeted companies and roles. After this meeting, you can probe as to whether you should reskill with a certification, or even ask for a referral for a job posted at their company.

5. Leverage Job Search Sites. 

Your goal on career sites is to create an “All Star” status profile with key skills and accomplishments. Remember to follow your targeted companies and engage on these sites by liking, commenting, and sharing relevant posts and articles. If you can, tag employees at targeted companies where and when it feels natural and appropriate.

To thrive during a digital job search, you need tenacity to find inlets to your targeted companies by using all the tools at your disposal. Be confident, present yourself well online and connect and engage with your network. Remember: people hire people.

Reneé is a client-focused Career Services Consultant as well as a workshop and webinar facilitator. She brings over 10 years’ experience providing career transition coaching to executives, senior managers and individual contributors.