Mastering Job Applications

I hear the same story from job seekers: "I’ve applied to 100+ jobs and don't hear back." You've been taught incorrectly. Applying for as many roles as possible won’t land you the job you want. It's a mistake. By sending generic applications to lots of companies: ❌ You Don't Stand Out ↳ Employers can tell when a CV isn’t tailored. ❌ You Overlook Networking ↳ Personalised connections beat online applications. ❌ You Burn Out ↳ Spending hours applying to every role drains energy. Instead, focus on fewer, high-impact actions: 1️⃣ Target Your Dream Companies ↳ Pick 15 companies across 3 industries that excite you. 2️⃣ Tailor Every Application ↳ Use the JD to customise your CV & LinkedIn ↳ Show how your experience matches their needs. 3️⃣ Network Strategically ↳ Connect with hiring managers, recruiters & employees. ↳ Send personalised LinkedIn requests like: Hi [Name], I admire the work you’re doing at [Company]. I’m exploring roles in [field] and would love to hear about your experience! 4️⃣ Track Your Efforts. ↳ Use excel to monitor applications, follow-ups & responses. 5️⃣ Leverage LinkedIn ↳ Optimise your profile, show results & post content. ↳ A strong personal brand makes you more visible to recruiters. Employers notice effort. Stand out by: - Doing research - Tailoring applications - Building relationships My clients have used these strategies to land roles at companies like Google, TikTok & Deloitte. Stop applying to everything. Start applying intentionally. Quality beats quantity in the job search - every time. Do you agree? Comment below ⬇️ Repost ♻️ to help other job seekers. Follow Dan Mian for more.

Making a career change? Your resume needs a different strategy. A traditional resume approach will not be enough if you are pivoting to a new role or industry. You need to connect the dots for the employer — clearly, strategically, and intentionally. No hiring manager is going to guess how your experience fits. You must show them. Here are 3 strategies for a career change resume that gets attention: 1. Research and Align Your Resume to the Target Job Study the job posting. Know the skills, keywords, and needs of the role. Highlight experiences that match. Cut what doesn’t. Speak their language, not yours. If you are moving from being a baker to a project manager, shift industry speak like "delivered cookies for six major events" to something like "planned and delivered 6 projects on time and on budget". 2. Spotlight Transferable Skills Identify the common ground between your past work and the target role. For example, if you are moving from Finance Director to Nonprofit Executive Director, emphasize leadership, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement, not just financial skills. Match their job description needs with your real examples of success. 3. Only Share What the Employer Will Value The top third of your resume is prime real estate—make it count. Create a clear headline that signals your intent. Build a skills section tied directly to the new role. Shape every bullet point to emphasize relevant skills, using a structure like: "Skill: Result/Impact." Bonus Tips: Use a combination resume format: put important skills and achievements first, followed by your work history. Focus less on job titles and more on proving your readiness for the new role. Key takeaway: Be truthful and authentic, but strategic. Don’t expect the employer to "figure it out." Make the connection clear. #resume #careerchange #jobsearch

Ageism is rampant in the job search right now. I’ve received more requests for help from older job seekers than ever before. Here’s a strategy that’s been working for them: Proactively Handle The Objection. Ageism is the result of bias, which is an awful thing. Instead of letting the hiring team sit with assumptions and unanswered questions, tackle them head on. Here’s how: 1. Make a list of all the reason why your age / experience might be viewed as a "downside" by a company. For example, the cost of hiring you vs. a younger applicant or capabilities with newer platforms and methods. 2. For each “objection,” draft an answer for how you’d handle it. Here’s an example: Objection - We’re not sure if you’re up to speed on industry technology Your Response - I recent got certified in [Technology] and I’m currently taking courses on [Platform A] and [Platform B] 3. Take each of your responses and weave them into a cohesive story. It could start with, “You might look at my background and see somebody who is [Insert Objection 1], [Insert Objection 2], and [Insert Objection 3].” Then incorporate those responses into your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, networking conversations, and interviews. When you’re proactive about objections, they’re far easier to overcome.

⬇️ Employers do—and should—care about large gaps in employment. Since they invest major time and resources in screening, onboarding, and training new employees, companies must be selective about who they hire. www.TheInterviewology.com 📄They may wonder what you were doing while unemployed and whether you're trying to hide something. If you have gaps in your resume, hiring managers want to know the “why” behind that period of unemployment. 🚨More importantly, they want to be sure your absence from the workforce doesn’t imply behavioral patterns or attitudes that might make you a risky hire. 🧐What is considered a big gap in employment? According to Indeed.com, any break over six months is considered significant.   ➡️How to answer “Why is there a gap on your resume?”     🔵 Be honest. It can be tempting to conceal gaps in your work history when you’re trying to present yourself in the best light possible to employers. But lying on your resume is never a good idea. Since they review so many of them, hiring managers are skilled at spotting inconsistencies and other red flags on resumes. Most verify work history and may even perform background checks.     🔵 Explain employment gaps in your cover letter. In general, there's no dedicated place on your resume to detail the reasons you were out of work for an extended period. This is where your cover letter comes in handy. Address resume gaps proactively by calling them out in your cover letter. Summarize the reasons for your hiatus—one or two straightforward sentences will do.     🔵 Highlight what you did accomplish while out of work. You may have been out of the workforce for a bit—but that doesn't mean you sat around twiddling your thumbs. If you took on any unpaid roles or noteworthy projects during that period, be sure to say so on your resume. This shows you stayed active and engaged even though you weren’t formally in the workplace. Volunteer or caregiver roles should be listed on your resume just like a paying job. 📌For example:     ◦    You volunteered for your community food bank.     ◦    You went back to finish your degree.     ◦    You brushed up on your technology skills by taking a course.     ◦    You were the sole caregiver to an ailing family member.     ◦    You pursued a side project important to you.     ◦    You traveled extensively and explored new cultures. 🎯Consider any transferable skills or perspectives you gained and how they make you a stronger candidate for the job. For instance, maybe you came up with a successful fundraising idea for a charity you volunteer for. Or you managed the event committee at your church and gained valuable leadership skills. Don’t hesitate to think outside of the box! #interview #employmentgap #howtoanswerinterviewquestions #resume #jobsearch #careertips #unemployed

Don’t Just List Tasks—Showcase Your Value on Your CV Your CV should not be a list of the jobs you’ve held—it should demonstrate the unique impact you’ve made throughout your career. Yet, so many CVs end up being little more than task lists. Take a look at this. 👉 Instead of saying, “Managed social media accounts,” Say, “Increased social media engagement by 45% in six months through targeted campaigns.” See how one focuses on tasks and the other highlights results? Employers want to see the value you bring, not just what you were told to do. A Client’s Success Story: I recently worked with a client who was in marketing. Her CV initially read like a job description: “Created email campaigns” and “Collaborated with sales teams.” While this is great for using key works and incorporating the job description, it just doesn't have any impact. We reframed her experience to focus on results: ✅ “Launched email campaigns that boosted open rates by 25%, contributing to a 15% increase in sales leads.” ✅ “Developed cross-departmental strategies with sales, resulting in a streamlined funnel and increased conversion rates by 10%.” The result? Not only did her CV stand out, but it led to interviews where she could discuss her real contributions. Here are some ways you can showcase value on your CV: 1️⃣ Use numbers, percentages, or metrics to quantify your achievements. 2️⃣ Highlight the outcomes and benefits of your work, not just the actions. 3️⃣ Start bullet points with strong action verbs like boosted, increased, reduced, streamlined, or led. Make it clear why you’re the one who can deliver results. www.joanneleecoaching.com 👉🏻Employers - let us know in the comments what you are looking for on a CV in 2025. #cvwriting #careercoaching #careerdevelopment #jobsearchtips

200 applicants! Grr 🤬 There are hundreds of people applying for YOUR job! Firstly, that number you see on LinkedIn, showing you how many people have applied, is a load of baloney. Many of them won’t be eligible to work in the UK, nor will they meet ANY of the job requirements. I know this because I used to post jobs on LinkedIn, and was overwhelmed with applications from people I could never help. Secondly, there are several things you can do to optimise your application to stand out from the crowd. [For the obvious things like tailoring your CV and optimising your LinkedIn profile to go my previous posts on my profile page.] Do this as well: 1. Turn on ‘open to work’ visible for recruiters. And if it’s been on for a while, turn it off and on again so recruiters get notified of a ‘new’ candidate becoming available.     2. Connect with the person responsible for hiring AND the decision maker, ie the talent/resourcing person AND the Head of / Director of the department you’re applying to.     3. Connect with people who might refer you into the organisation - ie peers in the comms or marketing teams. Network like you would in person. Get curious. Find out about them, the company and their pain points. Ask for a referral once you’ve built a relationship.     4. Personalise your connection request, based on what you know about them or their company. Something like “I really admire what you’ve been doing at xx / your post about yy and would love to connect” (use language that sounds genuine to you).     5. Engage with their posts on LinkedIn. Leave an intelligent comment that demonstrates your expertise and keeps the conversation going. Please don’t use AI to do this.     6. If LinkedIn gives you the option of ‘easy apply’, put in the extra effort of finding the job on the company’s website and applying that way. There will be fewer applicants.     7. Write a cover letter, including your insights about the company and your enthusiasm for working there. Make the focus how you can solve their problems. Don’t just repeat what you say on your CV. Please don’t use AI to do this. Follow up. Be proactive. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. Visit my website for a load of free resources for job seekers: https://lnkd.in/dng7GcwN Click on my bell 🔔 at the top of my profile to get notifications so you don’t miss any more tips for job seekers.

Job Seekers, are you leveraging LinkedIn Company pages in your search? Most job seekers don’t use this simple strategy, but I've seen it make a big difference in making the right connections. Here’s what I recommend: ✅ Start with your target company list (20–30 companies you'd love to work for). ✅ Visit each company’s LinkedIn page. ✅ Follow them and start meaningfully interacting with their content — not just “Great post,” but adding your insights, advice, or questions. ✅ Check who you’re already connected to inside the company — and who’s just 1–2 degrees away. ✅ Reach out to those people with thoughtful messages based on shared industry interests. ✅ Click the “I’m Interested” button in the company’s About section. This flags your profile to recruiters and gives your application a spotlight. ✅ Explore the Employee Trending Content section to find active employees you can start engaging with This is a smart, proactive way to: - Build connections - Start real conversations - Open the door to potential employee referrals If you’re serious about landing a role at one of your dream companies, this should be part of your weekly job search routine. Have you used any of these strategies? What’s worked for you? #LinkedInTopVoices #LITrendingTopics #Networking

This is one of the most important things I’ve learned about resumes, and most don’t do it. Not doing this can hurt your chances of getting an interview 👇 Your resume 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 a description of what you are 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 for. Your resume 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 a collection of your 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 to the job you are applying for! Here's a simple example: A Project Manager's resume that describes what they are 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 for looks like this: - Delivered the project on time and within budget. - Communicated updates regularly to all stakeholders. This is a terrible way to "stand out" - In this example, every Project Manager is responsible for delivering projects on time and budget, and for communicating with stakeholders. In other words, there's nothing 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 about this person's resume. Your resume has to show: - Evidence that you have the experience they are looking for (Tailored resume) - Evidence of the value you bring to the team (Your past accomplishments) To write a resume that 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭, here’s what you should do 👇 Write 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, not what you were responsible for : - What did you do? - What was the impact? - How did you accomplish it? Use the “𝐗 + 𝐘 + 𝐙” formula to write accomplishments: “Accomplished [𝐗] as measured by [𝐘], by doing [𝐙]” 🛑 Instead of writing: “Delivered a project on time and budget” ✅ Write this: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 [𝐗]: “Launched ____ project” 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 [𝐘]: “1 month ahead of schedule and increasing ROI by Z%” 𝐁𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 [𝐙]: “, by creating a new communication process that allowed low and medium risk tickets to be pre-appproved, reducing friction during development” Together X + Y + Z: “Launched ___ project 1 month ahead of schedule and increasing ROI by Z%, , by creating a new communication process that allowed low and medium risk tickets to be pre-appproved, reducing friction during development” 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 help you show that you have the experience companies look for in 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 of a project that had impact to customers, your team or the organization. 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 your 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 to the job you are applying to will increase your chances of getting an interview. Adding more colors, graphs and random keywords will not. A few extra tips as you go through your accomplishments: 1. Not every accomplishment will have a number (impact). It’s ok, try to have as many as possible. 2. Accomplishments tailored to the job you are applying to >>>> accomplishments you believe are the most important. 3. You can skip the XYZ formula and instead write them as: Verb in past tense + what you did + the impact it had. ------ 🚀 Need help with your resume or Product Management interviews? Check out my comment below for THE BEST resources 👇 #productmangement #resume

GAPS in your resume? Don't panic. 😨 You CAN tackle this head-on in your next interview → and come out on top! How? By being honest, strategic, and confident in your value. Here are my TOP TIPS: 🟢 Be honest and upfront → Trying to hide a gap will only backfire → Proactively address it in your cover letter and interview 🟢 Frame it as a learning experience → Highlight skills you gained (like time management or empathy) → Show how the experience helped you grow and gain perspective 🟢 Focus on the present → Emphasize your current skills and readiness to contribute → Project confidence and enthusiasm about the opportunity 🟢 Have a clear narrative → Practice explaining the gap succinctly and positively → Keep the focus on your qualifications and fit for the role 🟢 Provide references → Offer contacts who can vouch for your character and abilities → This helps mitigate any concerns about the gap Remember: Your career path doesn't have to be linear to be impressive. A resume gap is just one piece of your story, by framing it thoughtfully and focusing on your strengths, you can turn it into an asset. So don't let a gap hold you back. Walk into that interview room with your head held high, ready to sell your unique story. ✌

If you're an international student who just graduated, this post is for you. I came to the US on an academic and athletic scholarship at 18. I’ve been on an F-1 visa, done the whole STEM OPT thing, and built my career from scratch here. No family, no connections, no favors. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: You can’t afford to move like everyone else. Most students start figuring things out after graduation. For international students, that’s already too late... So here’s what I’d be doing right now if I were you: 1. Get clear on the companies that will even consider you. Use tools like MyVisaJobs or H1BGrader. Cross-reference with LinkedIn filters (E-Verify, visa sponsorship) and stop wasting time on dead ends. 2. Make your LinkedIn undeniable. Your profile should do three things: → Tell your story → Prove your skills → Make someone want to message you If it doesn’t, fix it. 3. Treat DMs like applications. I've never seen someone get hired because of a "Hi, can you refer me?" message. I have seen it happen after thoughtful, well-timed outreach rooted in value. 4. Document, don’t perform. Show the work. Post the project. Share the lesson you just learned. Visibility > perfection. 5. Track everything. Build reliable systems. If you’re serious, treat your job search like a job. Know your timelines. Know your next step. The most dangerous place to be on OPT is passive. It’s tough. I know. I’ve lived it. But the ones who win are the ones who move different. #InternationalStudents #JobSearchTips #OPT #STEMOPT #CareerAdvice #DataScienceCareers #LinkedInTips #EarlyCareer #VisaSponsorship #WorkInTheUS #H1B #Graduation2025 #LinkedInNews