Please do not call and tell me you have applied to 500 jobs!
Yes, it happened. A student just wrote to tell me they had applied to 599 jobs and still did not land one. Let me be crystal clear. I do not want anyone to apply to 500 jobs. Why? While it may feel oddly satisfying to blindly apply to so many jobs, the odds are not good that you will find a job by just hitting the "submit button" on your computer.
The job search is your most important research project. I invite everyone to read my earlier blogs about the myriad steps one should pursue in securing a job. One needs to go on offense and take affirmative steps to find a job. Sitting at a computer and just applying to jobs online is just playing defense and is too inactive an approach to take in today's competitive job market.
So, instead of wasting your time applying to 500 jobs, take the time to make every application count. You will need to "warm up" every application. Rather than making a cold contact applying crazily to every opening, use available resources and tools to connect with employers.
How do you turn cold contacts into warm contacts? Try the following approach:
- LinkedIn - Make sure to use all available features. Join relevant groups, find alumni working at places that interest you. If you do not know how to take advantage of all available features, take the time to watch some of its instructive videos. Send invites and connection requests to everyone in your groups. GW has hundreds of thousands of alumni on LinkedIn.
- Leadership Connect - GW students have 24/7 access to this amazing tool. You can find email addresses of people working on Capitol Hill, in corporations, associations, etc. An advanced search will show GW contacts working at key places. Reach out to them and request an informational meeting. If you want to learn how to use it, write to GSPM's assigned librarian, Dr. David Ettinger, at dettingr@gwu.edu.
- GW Career Connect - Check out my blog from last month. GW recently unveiled this great tool designed to connect alumni, students, and professors. Visit careerconnect.gwu.edu.
- Google - When all else fails, just Google it! Somewhat frequently, students will write to me asking for information that is easily findable online. Try not to be one of those people. I will wonder about your ability to do the job.
Make every job application count. Look to connect the dots by finding someone within an organization that interests you to connect with. Ask for help. You may be pleasantly surprised by how willing some people are to help you. You never know until you try.
Please, please, please do not apply for 500 jobs unless you plan to take the time to try to "warm up" each and every one of those applications. And, I thank you in advance for preserving my sanity and not making me crazy and ruining my day.
Margaret “Mag” Gottlieb is the Career Director at the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University. Connect with Mag on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-gottlieb-1457753/ or contact via email: mag@gwu.edu
