I am one of those who lost his job in 2020 due to the economic crisis following the pandemic. It is more challenging than ever to find a new job when millions of people are losing jobs every month worldwide because competition for fewer jobs is getting harsher due to more people looking for jobs in the market.

Therefore, it is tougher to stand out from the crowd. Here are some humbles pieces of advice that may help you land a job you love despite the global catastrophe.

First, let me spell a few words to be realistic.

The next Davos Summit, which is postponed from January 2021 to summer 2021, will focus on an eye-opening theme — The Great Reset. Because the pandemic and the economic crisis in 2020 is very different from the 2008 and 2001 crises. Many analysts are comparing it to the Great Depression in 1929.

In these unprecedented times, the way we do business and live is subject to a massive change many people are not aware of yet. Therefore, please stick to your job if you have one. It is quite likely that this crisis will follow a large U pattern. If the global reset happens, then we can even miss today.

Here we go.

1. PREPARATION

It is key to get what you want.

• BE RESILIENT — It is not the end of the world, no matter how hard it is to lose your job. You have lost the battle but not the war. The game will go on as long as you breathe. Don’t personalize losing your job and regret. Learn from this process, understand what you could have done better if you had another chance, and develop an improvement plan for yourself. Stand up and continue the journey.
• CUT COSTS — Define what is a must and what is a need in your life and cut your expenses. Get rid of fixed costs and make then variable. For example, a mortgage is a fixed cost while renting a house is variable. Question if you need more than a car or not. Find ways to last longer with your cash.
• FIND OUT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT AS A JOB — Do you want to work in the corporate world or in a similar company or run your own business? Wanna be self-employed and make your side hustle your day job? If you want to stay in the corporate game, which roles do you want to go after? What are the transferrable skills that will make you eligible to apply for these roles you want?
• WHERE DO YOU WANT TO WORK? Clarify your destination and your readiness to relocate. Are there any places you never want to move to?
• COMP&BEN EXPECTATIONS? What is your salary expectation and benefits you are aiming ti get in your next job? Know if before they ask.

2. RESUME

Prepare a 2-page resume that will represent your skills, knowledge, abilities, experiences, and gifts. Many headhunters ask for 2 pages, but i met may others who prefer a long resume that will tell more about you. Start with a 2-page resume first.

IMPORTANT — Your resume must be like a magnet to draw attention to make people stop and take time to review your profile.

• FEW RULES ABOUT THE RESUME — Make it detailed enough but avoid any excess information. Make it simple enough to let no room for the headhunter to make a guess about what you write. Make sure you run a spell-check using software like Grammarly. Use a lean and easy-to-read format that will not bother the reader. Use formal language.
• CONTACT DETAILS — Your first name and last name, telephone number, e-mail, home address, and LinkedIn profile URL are good enough. There is no need to add a picture in the U.S. and avoid any excess information about your diversity. It is best to keep a neutral profile.
• RESUME HEADING — Name your resume. Ex: Supply Chain Executive or Quality Auditor, or Financial Controller, etc. This is what headhunters will look for after reading your contact details.
• ABOUT — Make sure to add a few sentences in your resume that summarizes your background and add key skills under that paragraph. The key skills must represent several areas of expertise. Ex: lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Project Management, Financial Auditing, Market Intelligence, Strategic Planning, etc.
• EXPERIENCES — This part must list your work experience from the last one to the first one. Write the company name and show it from your employment dates. You may want to write a sentence to explain the company. Add the role/s you held in that company and your S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound) achievements. Don’t explain what you do. Instead, write what you achieved, how you made a difference, what made you successful. Use powerful words such as led, managed, executed, etc. Don’t start with I managed xyz… Instead, write Managed xyz.. It is enough to add the major achievements in this section. Let a veil of mystery stay for the headhunter call and learn more about you.
• EDUCATION — Add your bachelor’s degree and higher education. If you do not have a university education, it is OK to add your high-school. In the U.S., foreigners who come from a different country may call a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in different English terms. One headhunter told me that I need to make my resume as simple as possible to avoid the headhunter to make any assumptions.
• SKILLS — Add any specific skills. This part is different from the key skills in the ABOUT section at the beginning of the resume. Add any technical skills that will help you stand from the crowd.
• PUBLICATIONS and CERTIFICATION — Add anything special that will show how different you are from the others in the competition. If you have written and published a book, this is the place to show it. If you have any licenses, add them.

3. LINKEDIN

Among many job search platforms, LinkedIn stands out from the rest. It has become a popular channel for those who are looking for a new job. Once your resume is complete, create a LinkedIn profile unless you’ve got one.

IMPORTANT — Use all sections of LinkedIn to increase your chances. You must become a magnet of attraction to get people to visit your profile.

• PERSONAL PHOTO & BACKGROUND PICTURE — Add a good picture of yourself and avoid using an informal picture, one that you shot during a party. Make sure it is a good looking, professional photo. The background picture is something that the outplacement company told me to do. It gives your style to your LinkedIn profile.
• I advise switching to Premium on LinkedIn. It will give your priceless tools and opportunities and will pay back the extra investment.
• Make sure that your last employer and the university appears in the right next to your name.
• Remember how you named your resume and added key skills. Similarly, under your name on LinkedIn, add what your key areas of expertise are. For example, I wrote the following — Operations Management | Supply Chain Optimization | Lean Manufacturing | Leadership Development. Please note that the separation between each expertise is for SEO optimization. So you better use them well. Add 3–5 areas of expertise that will speak for you when someone looks at your profile.
• Add OPEN TO WORK below your picture. I heard that this is an indicator for some headhunters that you are serious in your job search. I disagree, but you better leave no room for a second thought.
• Update your URL address to show https://www.linkedin.com/in/namesurname/ It is easier to read and remember than a URL consisting of meaningless letters and numbers.
• Your number of connections appears under your name. The more connections you have, the better. When headhunters find your name, if you are 1st or 2nd level familiar with someone they know in their network, they may subconsciously tend to spend more time reviewing your resume. Therefore, every day spend time connecting with new people, especially people from your last employer/s.
• Set your preferences under the OPEN TO WORK section in terms of 5 places you want to relocate and etc.
• Make sure you fill in the ABOUT section on LinkedIn. That is where the headhunters look like one of the first things. You may copy and paste the about section from your resume to your LinkedIn profile.
• Under the FEATURED section, you may add some of your videos to capture more attention.
• Stay active in LinkedIn by sharing posts you like and even better by writing new articles that show your level of expertise. It is best to write daily to stay active and appear on top of the list so that people will show interest in visiting your profile and be charmed with your skills, knowledge, abilities, gifts, and experiences.
• EXPERIENCE — The rules are the same as I explained above in the RESUME section in this story. Write SMART achievements and leave no room for the reader to be the best candidate for that role. If you have any videos that can speak better than words for your success stories, make sure you add them too.
• EDUCATION — Same as above. If you have any videos that can speak better than words for your success stories, make sure you add them too.
• LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS — If you have any videos that can speak better than words for your success stories, make sure you add them too.
• VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE — Your life is more than your work life. Make sure to add any volunteer experiences because many employers nowadays want someone better than robots with souls. If you have any videos that can speak better than words for your success stories, make sure you add them too.
• SKILLS & ENDORSEMENTS — Ask people that worked in the last 10 years to endorse you for your skills. That makes a difference and lets the headhunters where your skills and areas of expertise lie.
• RECOMMENDATIONS — This part is essential. Ask people to write recommendations for you. Ask them to be specific enough to let the viewers understand your skills, knowledge, abilities, experiences, and gifts.
• ACCOMPLISHMENTS — If you have any publications, books, etc., this is the right place to show them.

4. NETWORKING

Your skills, knowledge, abilities, experience, and gifts do not really matter in a vast pool of talented people. More than WHAT you did and HOW well you achieved them, it is more critical to become VISIBLE and present yourself. Please remember that both in the U.S. and globally, 80% of the job market is hidden, meaning that most of the jobs in the market do not appear anywhere on the internet. Instead, it goes through networking and follows word of mouth. So, spend as much time as you put into sending resumes to networking,

Looking for a job, especially in these unprecedented times, is hard but not impossible. Still, many companies are hiring people. There are still companies growing even during the crisis. Try to stand out from the crowd with wise moves ad tactics.

I am sure I missed some useful tactics too and would be happy to hear them.

Stay safe, keep your morale high. These hard times will pass.

With love,

Kenan Kolday

PS — You may refer to my LinkedIn profile if you want. I had the luxury of working with some headhunters and modify my profile to suit their needs. So, I welcome the chance to share my experience with you.

SCHOOL OF WISDOM
A new age started on March 2020. I call it the Age of Sages. Homo-Sapiens consciousness is not enough to make the world…schoolofwisdom.substack.com