Public Health Insight

Back to the Basics of Job Searching: Identifying Your Target Job and Understanding the Applicant Tracking System

August 17, 2021 Public Health Insight
Public Health Insight
Back to the Basics of Job Searching: Identifying Your Target Job and Understanding the Applicant Tracking System
Show Notes Transcript

Could your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile be ruining your chances of getting job interviews? The answer is likely yes, but there’s no need to panic. Job searching is both an art and a science that often leaves many people frustrated as they look to start or continue their careers. The most effective job search strategies involve getting organized for the process and identifying job opportunities that match your interests and qualifications. But where does the job search process begin and where does it end? 

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we’ve invited Kamara Toffolo, Resume Writer, LinkedIn Consultant, and Job Search Strategist, to talk about:

  • The differences between job searching before and during the pandemic;
  • Developing a strategy before applying for job openings;
  • Identifying a target role or job that best suits your strengths and interests; and
  • Misconceptions of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Podcast Guests

Podcast Hosts

References for Our Discussion 

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Music Credits

The following tracks were used to produce this podcast episode:

Gordon:

Could you a resume cover letter or LinkedIn profile, be ruining your chances of getting job interviews? The answer is likely yes, but there's no need to panic job searching is both an art and a science that often leaves many people frustrated as they look to start or continue their careers. The most effective job search strategies involve getting organized for the process and identifying job opportunities that match your interests and qualifications. But where does the job search process begin? And where does it end in the next four episodes? We'll be speaking with a special guests who will be sharing some tips and best practices you can use to write better resumes and cover letters and some tricks you can use to optimize your LinkedIn profiles.

Sully:

this is the public health insight podcast.

Gordon:

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the public health insight podcast career series. My name is Gordon, and I'll be your host for this episode, along with fellow co-host Leshaun and a very, very, very special guest

Ben:

before we move on is important to note that the views expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent any of the organizations we work for or affiliated with.

Gordon:

Camaro Toffolo is a resume writer, LinkedIn consultant and job search strategist who helps her clients worldwide dare to do work differently. Kamare has worked with high achieving professionals from Canada, the United States, the UK, Australia, Japan, India, UAE, and Brazil on and on and on, and was recognized as a LinkedIn top voice. In 2020, she has been featured in major media, including Forbes, business, insider, Inc, Wharton school, business, radio, and LinkedIn news amongst others. Please welcome to the public health insight podcasts, Camaro Toffolo Camaro. Welcome.

Kamara:

Thank you

Gordon:

Some people are in their undergraduate studies. Some people are graduate students. We have some recent graduates. There's also some early and experienced career professionals who are working in the fields of public health, global health, healthcare, and some other fields as well. Uh, so there are some unique experiences, uh, in the way these groups, uh, naturally would undertake a job. But despite all this, uh, despite these different goals, there's one common question on everyone's mind and that's ultimately, how can I land a job during this pandemic? Uh, so Camaro, can we use those same job search strategies we were using before the pandemic, uh, to get a job during the pen?

Kamara:

Well, it depends. Um, if your job search strategy pre pandemic, as well as post or within the pandemic included both applying to roles online, as well as actively networking, if that was included, then yes, you can use the same strategy. If that wasn't included, then we'll need to take another look at our strategy. But, um, yeah, absolutely. The, when we're talking about job search strategy there too big things, we need to make sure we're doing, we need to make sure we're applying for jobs online. They're posted online for a reason. And simultaneously we want to make sure that we're actively networking and learning about our safe field profession.

Gordon:

And just to follow up on jobs posted online. I know there was a myth going around that most jobs are not posted. Is that the case?

Kamara:

I think that's really referring to the hidden job market, which exists, but it's my thing with the hidden job market is how do you measure something? That's here. Like, how, how do you measure sometimes you hear like 80% of jobs aren't posting on, like, how do you know it's hidden? So, um, yeah, so that's sort of a myth and certainly we don't have any accurate stats on that. Uh, it all relies on self-reporting across the board. Uh, so, um, I would say largely, you're going to see most jobs posted online where they're not posted online, are those very senior roles, like, um, when you're getting into the C-suite and executive level, those are going through, um, private, uh, executive search firms and they're, they're not going to broadcast it everywhere because they want to make sure that they're getting the best, uh, and they're going out to, to grab it themselves. Um, so that's where we might see that it's not posted.

Leshawn:

Fantastic. So Camaro one of the. Even Gordon mentioned too, at the beginning of this introduction is that everyone's looking to get a job, right. But if landing a target job is at the end of the process, what should we be doing at the beginning of the process before we even start applying to any openings?

Kamara:

Before you start applying to any openings before you start writing your resume, before you start changing your LinkedIn profile, you need to identify what that target job is. Everything we do in our job search is informed by and shaped by what we've identified as our target job. So, um, a lot of, uh, job seekers feel that they need to hit the job search market before anything, uh, before they identify their target job. And it's actually the other way around. We want to be very clear on what that target is. So we, we can go after it in a targeted way.

Gordon:

So, what you're saying is not to just jump in and figure it out on the fly.

Kamara:

Exactly.

Gordon:

Interesting.

Leshawn:

you know, you don't want to waste time, right. Is that the kind of reasoning people should use? Just, I just want to get into it.

Kamara:

I think that's, that's what people are worried about is they're wasting time. They want to take action. I'm all for action. Absolutely. Uh, but unfortunately you will be wasting more time if you just start applying with what you think is a general resume, uh, where a recruiter will be, will read it and be able to figure out where you fit in an organization. So, um, that it doesn't work like that. We need to be telling the recruiters where we fit. Uh, and that's why the target job is so important to have identified. And that with the target job, that will, excuse me, make sure that we are making the most of our time and optimizing our jobs.

Gordon:

Awesome. So before we end up preparing this resume, these cover letters and submitting a job application. How can we know which specific roles, uh, in the field that we're interested in suits us.

Kamara:

So career clarity can be achieved in many different ways. And I'm not here to say any one way works better than another way. Um, but, uh, so I'll just throw out a few examples of what might help. Uh, so of course we can. If we wanted to invest the time and money, we can work with a career clarity coach who will take us through the process of really narrowing down what is a great fit for us. Uh, if we don't have, um, access to a career clarity coach, then, uh, there are certainly a lot of books that we can do a lot of DIY, and we can go through things like strengths finders to understand where our strengths are, as well as go through certain, um, uh, surveys to help us identify where we most want to apply those strengths. So, um, a book that I really like to recommend is you map, uh, and it's a book that I, uh, I contributed to in the resume writing section. And, uh, it takes you through kind of a DIY guide, almost like adventure of career clarity, and it recommends a variety of different tools and they all come together, uh, to help you identify what your best suited for them, what your target role might.

Gordon:

I still struggle with that to a certain extent. You're giving almost permission. Not that we need permission to take a step back, identify, you know, maybe with at least better greater detail what we want to do and to shape our, our application in that, in that way. So now that we, when we have an application, we have a resume ready, everything's ready to go. Uh, we submit it to whatever job posting we're interested in applying for, uh, to assist them that is known as the applicant tracking system. Uh, that seems to be a bit of a black box, a lot of freaks, a lot of people out. Uh, so I was wondering if you could demystify this a little bit. Sure. A little bit about what the intended purpose of this system is and how it actually works in practice.

Kamara:

Definitely. And I'm glad you used the word demystify because there's a lot of demystifying that needs to happen when it comes to what's. Um, Freshfields in my field and recruiters are sharing about the applicant tracking system. Um, so we, the applicant tracking system or ATS is basically software that isn't very sophisticated. I will also preface it with that, um, that recruiters and folks in hiring and, and all throughout the hiring life cycle used to. Project manage basically your application and you as a candidate so they can see, you know, where your application is, who has it. Um, what's what the status of it is. Have you gone for an interview? It's really an, I can't take credit for this term. Um, this is one of my colleagues who, uh, who used this term where identify this term. It's really a digital filing cabinet. It's a digital filing cabinet of your application and you as a candidate. And so it's not a robot. It's not AI, it's not, um, chewing up and spitting out resumes. In fact, it does a very poor job of reading resumes. Um, and that's why most recruiters, I shouldn't say most recruiters, good recruiters read their resumes. They don't rely on the applicant tracking system to filter through anything. Uh, or to properly do any sort of ranking or prioritization. They read resumes as they come in. Uh, and they make decisions based on what they're reading. So the applicant tracking system, isn't something to actually fear it's, it's simply not as sophisticated as, as, um, certain marketers have made it seem.

Gordon:

Interesting. So it's basically like a portal where stuff goes for it to be sorted almost later by the actual human reviewer reader in a sense.

Kamara:

Yeah. It's where resumes are deposited, but, um, they're not really handled in any way. That's where the human comes in the recruiter to do their work.

Gordon:

Right. And then that system is not necessarily making any hiring decisions.

Kamara:

No, definitely not. They ha they are inherently flawed. Uh, and so it's a scary proposition when you, uh, when a good recruiter would ever rely on it. Um, it's just, it's not, that's just not in their, in their, uh, in their hiring process because they know that there are too many issues that could come into play that would prevent them from hiring the right person.

Gordon:

Right. And then the last point that I wanted to make is so making sure our resumes and cover letters are filled with keywords is not going to do us any favors in terms of this applicant tracking system.

Kamara:

Right. So keywords are. Helpful in the sense that it shows you, or you use them to show that you understand the role. So one of the biggest complaints from recruiters and people in hiring is that candidates are job seekers are just jamming a metric keywords. And because they were in the job posting, but not giving any context to them, not backing them up as like, these are skills I have and these, this is how I've used them. Um, so that's the keywords aren't really going to win you. Any points just in isolation, where they become useful is when you are integrating them into showing that you are qualified for a role. So, uh, using a keyword as, as a skill that you've identified that you have, and then backing that skill in your resume by showing how you've applied it and what you've achieved through the application of that skill.

Sully:

You have just heard part one of Gordon and LeShan's conversation with Camaro to fellow resume writer, LinkedIn consultant, and job search strategist about the importance of identifying your target job before you begin your job search process and some common misconceptions of the applicant tracking system. Join us in the next episode as Camaro shares her expert tips and tricks and best practices you can use. To create resumes that will impress potential employers. Thank you for listening to the public health and say podcast, you would go to space for informative conversations, inspiring community action. If you enjoy our content, I would like to stay up to date, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, to learn more about our community initiatives and how you can support us. Visit our website@thepublicofinsight.com joined the Phi community and let's make public.