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by Roshi
(Northern Virginia)

Hello
I would like to say thank you for your kindness.

I am 34 years old and have a brilliant 10 years of experience in sales and marketing and customer management for pharmaceutical companies. Accordingly, I have fixed my resume and also cover letter, then sent them to an agency for double check, to make sure there are perfect.

I have been applying for a month but for some reason, I have not had any call from any position. I am so disappointed and I do not know what was the reason.

I would like to ask you to help me. Someone told me that I have to find a connection but I don't have any! Please help me.

Sincerely,
Roshi

Answer:

Hi Roshi,

With 10 years of experience in sales, marketing, and customer management, you are certainly very talented and marketable.

If you have only been applying for jobs for a month, it is too early to be disappointed. A job search can easily take several months.

Set a goal. If you are unemployed, spend 8 hours per day looking for a job. If you are currently working, perhaps you can spend 3 hours per day. Your job search results will be based on the time you put into it.

Here are a few tips that you can use to help with your job search.

Make sure that your resume and cover letter are a direct match to the positions that you are applying for.

For each job that you apply for, tailor your resume and cover letter to reflect the same qualifications that are listed in the job description.

Set your resume and the job description side by side. Read each line on the job description and make sure that your resume reflects your experience or skills that can be applied to each requirement.

Don't copy the job description. Use your own words to describe your specific accomplishments.

For example:

Let' say that the first item in the job description states that you are required to meet a monthly sales quota. Look at your resume and make sure that your resume shows that you have met or exceeded sales quotas in a previous position.

Use numbers to measure results. For example: Exceeded monthly sales quota by 15% and led team to the top sales district in the country.

Repeat this for each requirement in the job description.

Diversify your job search and use a variety of different strategies.

Are you relying solely on the internet to look for job opportunities? If so, use multiple strategies to look for jobs as all open positions are not posted on the internet.

By using multiple strategies, you will find a larger number of open position, which results in more options to choose from.

Click here for a variety of job search strategies.

Are you applying for enough jobs?

Keep in mind that in some cases, a recruiter can receive hundreds, or even thousands of applications for one position. Depending on how deep in the "pile" your resume is, it may not even be seen.

To increase your chances of being found, apply for jobs every day. The more you apply, the more likely you are to receive a call.

My recommendation is that you apply for at least 10 jobs per day and make at least one connection every day through networking.

The number of job that you apply for is more of a factor than how long you have been applying.

Applying for 50 jobs in two weeks will bring results much faster than applying for 50 jobs in 60 days. Constantly look for job opportunities and apply for as many jobs as you can.

I hope this information guides you in the right direction to improve your job search. Please use the comments section to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.


Sincerely,
Victoria E.