Job Search Strategy Guide: 3 Steps to Secure Your Next Role in 2024

Hey there 👋

Job search these days is a mess.

With new layoffs being announced every day, each one with higher numbers than the previous, it is a volatile market.

If anyone believes that their job is secure, you might want to check again.

It’s good to have the confidence, but being ready for the next move never harmed anyone.

Finding a job is a job in itself.

The skills required to land the role are different than those required to actually fulfill the duties of that role.

Today, I am trying to simplify this for you.

If you are looking out, here are the three things that you should do to land a job in this difficult market

I recommend to follow these in this sequence:

Step 1 - Polish your resume

You may not have revisited your resume in years, maybe you never needed it.

But it’s time.

Building your resume is a high-leverage activity.

This will significantly influence your job search.

Do this mindfully with patience.

A lot of advice out there about resumes creates more doubts than it clarifies.

In these two posts, I clarify common concerns along with templates.

Step 2 - Outreach on LinkedIn

It may feel like the most daunting task to do - asking people for support.

You may be an introvert or just feeling awkward to reach out to that old college acquaintance just for this.

According to some studies, referrals account for 30% - 50% of all new employees. In fact, a candidate who is invited for an interview has a 40% higher probability of being recruited than other prospective employees. 

Take the plunge and write the message that will help you get the much-needed referral.

But don’t be lazy about it.

Here is a step-by-step guide to getting referrals👇

Step 3 - Build a portfolio

To take your job search a notch higher and stand out from the crowd, my strong recommendation is to build a product portfolio.

There are a lot of details that cannot be covered in a resume.

If you believe that there is more to your work, or the process that you have applied in your past projects can drive results in your next assignment - you need a better place to showcase your work.

This is your portfolio.

Without complicating things, it can be something as simple as a presentation, where you clearly show what you have achieved and how you did it.

This can take some time to build if you are starting from scratch.

If your resume is ready, I wouldn't recommend waiting to apply for jobs until your portfolio is built and refined.

You can start applying without a portfolio and once you have it ready, you can use it in subsequent applications.

I share a portfolio template that helped me land interviews with companies like Google, Agoda, and startups from Dubai

Step 4 - Revise your outreach on LinkedIn with a Portfolio and personalized case studies for the roles you are applying for.

Once you have the portfolio, link it to your resume.

Add this document, to all applications, that have the option to submit additional documents.

Beyond this, a sure-shot way to get potential employers coming to you is to do a personalized outreach with a case study about THEIR product.

This case study could be a product teardown you create after using the product. Sometimes, the products you're applying to work on may not be available to you. In such cases look for public data on forums like G2, Capterra, or a sentiment analysis of the public reviews available on Play Store or App Store.

Sharing a sample case study for your reference.

Such a case study where you are talking about their product, something that is interesting to THEM will show that

• You are genuinely interested in adding value

• A trailer of how you can add value

A well-done job here can get you the interview straight away and also favor you throughout the process.

Your work has preceded you and it is a good thing.

…Before you go, here is an announcement

I am hosting a Live resume roast on 23rd August, 7 PM IST (6.30 AM PDT) with HelloPM (the most thriving PM Community that helps you become a confident Product Manager)

In this event, I will go through anonymized resumes i.e Name, contact details, Company name, etc blurred.

I will review them like a hiring manager - the way I have reviewed resumes for 10+ years when hiring for various roles.

I will share the first impressions that the resume gives about the candidate, will this be shortlisted for a given job - if yes, why, if no - why not? and share specific actions on what you can do to fix it.

Here is how you can participate

• Submit anonymized resumes for live review

• See your resume from the hiring manager's perspective

• Free to attend, with or without submission

• Privacy respected - all resumes anonymized

• Recording available for registrants

  Bonus - When you register, you also get access to:

• ATS complaint resume templates that get shortlisted by MAANG companies

• AI prompts to help you write your story better

• Resume tips and tricks to help you improve your resume.

Improve your resume today!

Register now using this link 

I answer the most common FAQs about this event here.

🤗How can I help?

I have helped 200+ people land their dream roles through resume review and interview preparation.

If you are not getting interview calls for relevant roles, your resume may be the missing link.

To know what specific changes should you make to increase interview calls, you may book my resume roast service using the link below.👇

If you need help preparing for upcoming interviews or carve out your strategy to get more interview calls for the roles you desire, book a 1:1 call here 👇

If you have any questions, reply to this email and I will be happy to help.

I will see you next week.

All the Best

Aditi