In partnership with

Intro

There are many ways to apply for jobs nowadays, and they are not all created equal. Some are more convenient, resulting in more competition. Others take more time and effort with no promise of success.

With this market being the most competitive I’ve ever experienced, I thought I’d share my opinion on the best and worst ways to apply for a job. It’s a bit of a shorter post today, but let’s go.

👍 The Best Ways

Getting Referred

Think about this in terms of making new friends. It’s obviously not the same, but if a close friend of yours tells you they thing you’ll get along with someone, you’re probably more likely to give it a shot.

It works the same when it comes to job referrals. Being referred to a role by an employee at the company will increase your odds of getting a job (or at least an interview) exponentially, as it builds trust from the beginning.

Networking (Informational Interviews, Events, Social Media)

The thing about networking is that you should go into it with no expectations. If you treat networking like simply talking to a friend or colleague, it takes the pressure off. Conversations should be natural as opposed to sterile and dry, but that’s easier said than done, especially if you aren’t someone who thrives in social situations.

If you’re not one who just has friends at FAANG companies, networking (over time) is a great way to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet.

Applying Directly

Applying directly via a company site is better than using job boards, shows initiative, and will go through the official company channels. You’re not dealing with a third-party job board or recruiter, you’re going directly to the source.

If you’re able to identify the hiring manager for the role, figuring out their email (this is pretty easy) or reaching out on LinkedIn with a personal note can go a long way.

⚠️ Neutral/Mixed Effectiveness

LinkedIn Easy Apply

LinkedIn makes it insanely easy (pun intended) to apply to jobs posted on their board with Ease Apply. The benefit is that it’s easy to apply to a large number of jobs using your LinkedIn profile, resume, and contact info.

The cons are that everyone on LinkedIn can do this, meaning your competition will be much higher, and it will use the same resume for every role, which is not the best practice and can make it harder to stand out.

Job Boards (Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter)

I’ve personally never had success using these job boards, but that isn’t to say that they aren’t effective. They are used both by internal company recruiters as well as third-party recruiters.

In my experience, some of the job postings seem less targeted or downright incorrect, and outdated. I’m not the biggest fan of these boards, but I would love to hear your success story if you have one.

🚫 Worst Way to Apply

Mass Applying with a Generic Resume/Cover Letter

I think we can all agree that this is the worst way to apply to jobs, especially multiple at a time. Using a generic resume/cover letter will most likely result in quick rejections. The lack of targeting for specific roles makes it obvious that it’s general and can make it feel impersonal (if you get passed the applicant tracking system, that is).

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: tailoring your resume to each job is annoying af, but it’ll help.

Nick Cuda is a Senior Product Designer with over 10 years of experience working at early-stage startups and large companies with millions of customers. This is his story, duh duh. www.nickcuda.design

Open Roles