The book for hiring managers I’ve seen referenced most often is Who. If you’re not sure what “resources” to look at, that’s probably a good starting point.
“Apply too often rather than not often enough”: I often tell people this, because:
Some people tend to underestimate their qualifications or suitability. You might be one of them!
(What JJ said about getting practice)
Even if you don’t get the job, you might get a referral to other jobs if you do well during the process (I was hired this way, and I’ve helped at least one other person get hired this way)
EA-aligned orgs are generally quite open to feedback; if you find a specific process confusing or overly time-consuming, you can tell the org this; I think they’ll be much more likely than most orgs to make changes in response (improving the experience for other applicants)
I’m not sure about the “application drafting” approach, but I recommend something similar: If a job interests you, look at an org’s website (or LinkedIn) to find people who have that job or similar jobs. Look at what they did earlier in their careers. Consider sending a brief, polite email with a question or two, or asking for a quick call. Sometimes, people will just give you great advice for free.
And even if no one responds, you’ve still gotten a much better sense for how these career paths operate in the real world (which isn’t always as restrictive as the stories we tell ourselves about getting a job).
I haven’t read “Who” but it is on my list. Manager Tools is another great resource for me. Here is their podcast series How To Scan A Resume.
They make if very clear how small things in your resume that might need a little bit of effort from the reviewer can mean you get rejected. Make the reviewers life as easy as possible.
I’m never to sure how to phrase the “application drafting” idea. “Drafting” is probably too strong for what I mean but I do mean more than just reading over an application form. Maybe “sketch” is a better term.
Writing it down in some way is important as it makes it much more salient. Doing this a year or two out lets you sketch what your CV will look like given your current path. Considering opportunities that may be available to you over the next couple of years and sketching variations of your CV as if you had already done them to get an idea which options you are most excited about or are most useful.
We certainly do have restrictive stories about getting jobs. Apparently about 25% of early career and about 50% of later career jobs are found through networking not applying to open jobs. I personally have worked for 5 different business through networking not applying.
I thought this was a great Shortform post!
The book for hiring managers I’ve seen referenced most often is Who. If you’re not sure what “resources” to look at, that’s probably a good starting point.
“Apply too often rather than not often enough”: I often tell people this, because:
Some people tend to underestimate their qualifications or suitability. You might be one of them!
(What JJ said about getting practice)
Even if you don’t get the job, you might get a referral to other jobs if you do well during the process (I was hired this way, and I’ve helped at least one other person get hired this way)
EA-aligned orgs are generally quite open to feedback; if you find a specific process confusing or overly time-consuming, you can tell the org this; I think they’ll be much more likely than most orgs to make changes in response (improving the experience for other applicants)
I’m not sure about the “application drafting” approach, but I recommend something similar: If a job interests you, look at an org’s website (or LinkedIn) to find people who have that job or similar jobs. Look at what they did earlier in their careers. Consider sending a brief, polite email with a question or two, or asking for a quick call. Sometimes, people will just give you great advice for free.
And even if no one responds, you’ve still gotten a much better sense for how these career paths operate in the real world (which isn’t always as restrictive as the stories we tell ourselves about getting a job).
I haven’t read “Who” but it is on my list. Manager Tools is another great resource for me. Here is their podcast series How To Scan A Resume.
They make if very clear how small things in your resume that might need a little bit of effort from the reviewer can mean you get rejected. Make the reviewers life as easy as possible.
I’m never to sure how to phrase the “application drafting” idea. “Drafting” is probably too strong for what I mean but I do mean more than just reading over an application form. Maybe “sketch” is a better term.
Writing it down in some way is important as it makes it much more salient. Doing this a year or two out lets you sketch what your CV will look like given your current path. Considering opportunities that may be available to you over the next couple of years and sketching variations of your CV as if you had already done them to get an idea which options you are most excited about or are most useful.
We certainly do have restrictive stories about getting jobs. Apparently about 25% of early career and about 50% of later career jobs are found through networking not applying to open jobs. I personally have worked for 5 different business through networking not applying.