“Are you familiar with Govinda?”
If you’re a Bollywood fan, you’ll know that Govinda plays some of the absolute cheapest, most cringe-inducing roles in Bollywood. You’ll never see a Govinda movie that will actually make you think, “That can happen. That plot point seems reasonable.”
With that being said, you have to admire Govinda for his dance moves. Take this video for example:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr_CO73AxnI
In this video, Govinda keeps interrupting a girl who’s simply trying to hang out with her friends. He keeps jumping in her face, screaming about how his pants, shirt, and even his handkerchief are “sexy.” The girl ends up extremely irritated and resorts to violence.
Unfortunately, some job seekers are like Govinda.
They think that if they scream loudly enough on their resume about everything that’s “sexy” about their candidacy, they’ll get what they want. These Govindas don’t optimize their efforts. They aren’t strategic. Instead, they keep stuffing their resumes with as many keywords as possible so they can apply to as many roles as possible, sometimes even using the same resume to apply to two very different roles.
Don’t worry if you’ve been a Govinda. This article will show you how to turn your job search completely around.
Govindas dump everything they’ve done in their resumes without doing much research.
“This is who I am. Find me a job that matches what I’ve done. I don’t care much about your needs.” — A Govinda’s resume.
We have seen how self-centered a Govinda can be.
Some job seekers carry themselves almost the same way. They:
– Send out mass “copy-paste” LinkedIn InMails advertising all their skills and abilities, without any regard for hiring needs.
– Get in touch with their old connections only to shove their resume under their noses.
– Visit career fairs only to pass their resume out.
– Post their resume to as many job boards as possible.
– Load their LinkedIn profiles with all the keywords that remotely link to their area of expertise.
– Summarize all the activities they’ve conducted in the past in their cover letter.
What’s the common ingredient in all the actions above?
If you answered “selfishness,” you’re sort of on the right track. That’s the 5-cent answer though.
What’s the million-dollar answer?
Govindas do everything in bulk! They shove business cards into as many hands as possible, apply to as many jobs as possible, and expand their LinkedIn network to as many people as possible.
The opposite of “bulk” here, at least, is PRECISION.
Here are the alternatives to the Govinda approach to job searching:
Instead of…
… sending out “copy-paste” InMails advertising your various skills and abilities…
… send out InMails that ask questions.
Instead of…
… getting in touch with their old connections only to shove your resume under their noses, asking for leads…
… get in touch with old connections and ask them about the projects they are working on.
Instead of…
… visiting career fairs only to pass your resume out…
… visit career fairs to learn more about what projects companies are working on.
Instead of…
… posting your resume to as many job boards as possible…
… apply to jobs strategically.
Instead of…
… loading your LinkedIn profiles with all the keywords that remotely link to their area of expertise…
… make sure your LinkedIn profile reads well to a human being.
Instead of…
… summarizing all the activities you’ve conducted in the past in both your resume and cover letter…
… include accomplishments that match your target company’s requirements.
You don’t have to do all of these things at once. Start with just one or two. You’ll still see results pretty fast.
Why does this work?
First, when you apply in bulk, you don’t get a chance to focus or strategize. You don’t get an opportunity to review your conversations and think about how you can improve the process further. Second, when you launch a focused, precise job search, you set yourself up to be the most significant thing every organization needs – a problem solver who tackles the challenges an organization is facing. Check out my resume cheat sheet to help you put together a focused resume for the positions you’re interested in. Submit your information below to receive it:
Just keep in mind -- you're a human, not a robot. Ask questions and think about how you can solve them, and more importantly, build relationships. If you’re looking for some guidance on how to network your way to a dream job, check out this networking course specifically designed to reach out to people strategically without appearing needy or wasting your time.
Looking for more tips for your job hunt? Check out these links:
- Why Are You Not Hearing Back From HR – A Seasoned Recruiter Spills The Beans
- 5 Ways To Figure Out A Company’s Culture
- We Talked to 38 Recruiters and Here Is How They Shortlist Applicants.
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