Successful Job Seekers Share Their Best Secrets

A recent 2015 Successful Job Seekers study by DeVry University found some pretty surprising information about successful job seekers. The good news is that it validates all the advice we’ve been giving you on this blog. The bad news is that all that advice requires some — dun, dun, dun — work. Job seeking ain’t easy! Here are some of the most interesting bits of information pulled from the report, which involved interviewing more than 500 professionals across multiple career paths in March of 2015.

1. Applying to fewer, more targeted jobs is better.
Fifty percent of those involved in the study applied to five jobs or fewer. Two-thirds applied to 10 jobs or fewer. That means your time is better spend finding positions that are in line with your experience and your wishes than blasting out your resume to anything and everything online. The candidates in this study felt about 75% qualified for each position they applied for, and one-third went on to interview for more than half of the positions they applied for.

2. Networking will pay off.
In this study, almost 70 percent of job seekers reached out to a contact person to find out more information about the open position. Even if you understand everything about the position, establishing this personal connection can make you stand out from other job seekers.

3. Customization is key.
About the same number of job seekers included keywords pulled from the exact job listing as skills on their résumés. Those skills are listed their for a reason, and when you recognize that it will only help you. Tailor each résumé and cover letter to each position. It takes more time but it’s so worth it!

4. Be prepared for that interview.
Most of the respondents in this study prepared for an interview by researching the company online and half of them spent time brainstorming specific examples of how their experiences matches the job description and the company. Here’s another example of customization paying off!

5. Block off time every day — but not all day.
About half of the job seekers in this study spent less than one hour per day while the other half spent three hours per day. The younger seekers (aged 18-26) seemed to spend more time than those over age 41. But either way, the majority of the participants kept detailed reports on which jobs they had applied for and many wrote up weekly to-do lists.

Read the rest of the study here.

Image via kate hiscock/Flickr.