The Waiting Game: How to Handle the Job Search Process

It’s no secret how painstaking the job search can be — especially now. It can get demoralizing at times, facing rejections and stressing about your professional future. While rejections can be hard to take, sometimes utter silence from a company can take more of a toll.

Don’t let it get the best of you. Here are some best practices on what to do to tackle that radio silence and increase the rate that you hear back from companies.

Proactively Apply for Jobs

We’ve all been there. You’re desperately trying to find your next gig, scrolling through LinkedIn’s job postings for hours. It’s tiring and methodical to continuously tailor your resume and go through the formal job application process on different companies’ websites.

Or you’ve used LinkedIn’s “Easy Apply” option, simply clicking a button and boom — you applied for a position in a matter of seconds. It may be an easy and convenient way to apply to a high volume of jobs, but blindly clicking that button and expecting to land an interview isn’t always realistic. The same can be said for just sending in your resume on company websites, sitting back, and expecting a response.

Instead, be proactive. Reach out to someone at the company you just applied to and try to make a connection. Look at alumni from your university, mutual LinkedIn connections, anything in common at all with an employee to make a connection.

And if you can’t find any alums or mutual connections, there’s no harm in reaching out to the hiring manager or department leader if you know who they are. Make sure your LinkedIn note or email is professional, to the point, and states that you’d like to talk to them more about the open role, and what makes you qualified and the right fit.

Doing these things won’t guarantee you will get an interview or even a response from that company. But they’ll increase your chances of doing so and make your name stand out from the loads of applications they receive.

Stay Positive Through the Silence

Even if you diligently make connections and keep in touch, there’s still a chance you won’t even get the dreaded rejection email. It can be stressful waiting around, wondering if you made enough of an impression to get an interview. At that point, you’d almost rather get rejected just so you know and can move along in your job search process.

It’s easier said than done, but don’t let that get to you. It’s completely normal to face rejection and be ghosted during the job hunt. Everyone has dealt with that, especially today’s world where technology yields far more applications per job opening and in a job market that’s full of candidates waiting for their next opportunity. That’s especially true now during the pandemic, where employees faced numerous layoffs. Now you may be competing for a role with candidates who are sometimes overqualified for a role, vying for that same opportunity.

If it does get to you a bit, however, there’s no shame in taking a day off applying for jobs to rest, recharge, and take care of your mental health.

Once you’re ready to get back on the grind, start off with some self-reflection. Really take the time to think about your resume, portfolio, and job application process. What are you doing that hasn’t worked yet, and how can you make the necessary changes to make yourself stand out? And if you have someone you trust to give you some pointers along the way, that can be all the more helpful. This takes the monotony out of the application process and makes it more personal, producing the results you desire.

There’s No Shame in Asking for Help

Getting assistance from family, friends and former colleagues can be beneficial, but chances are they aren’t experts in the hiring process.

That’s where Addison Group comes in.

Servicing 25 locations and some of the largest industries nationwide, we’re here to make your life easier. Take some weight off your shoulders and gain a partner in the job hunt who cares about your success just as much as you do. Our recruiters will hear your needs and make the connections necessary to land you your dream job.

Reach out to one of our experts to get started with an Addison Group professional today!