How to Apply for a Job in 2023

If you’ve been on the job hunt, like me, you might have noticed how competitive the market is. Filling out a job application alone isn’t going to cut it anymore. This is because when applying to a job today, you’re up against hundreds and hundreds of applicants, many of which are just as qualified.

So, how do you make your application stand out?

Well, over the last two months I’ve identified a few ways that have helped me get my foot in the door for several interview processes.

Don’t Wait to Apply

If you find a job you’re interested in, try not to delay applying to it. I’ve noticed the when a job goes up on LinkedIn, hundreds of people hit that apply button within a few hours. Granted, LinkedIn doesn’t have a way to actually see the exact number of people that did end up going through the whole application submission process, but it does give you an idea of how competitive a job can be and how many people are potentially interested in it.

Because of this, I try to apply to positions the day they're posted and no later than 3-4 days after it goes up. I found that jobs I applied for that had been posted more than a week are already in the process of interviewing a group of selected candidates, and anyone that applies after that threshold are a little too late to the processes. Also, many positions are so overwhelmed with applicants that recruiters and hiring managers end up having to close the application within a week or so just so they can go through the large group of people that have already applied.

To avoid being too late to the application party, I’m on job boards daily. If there are specific companies I’m interested in, I check their on LinkedIn job listings and their website's careers page daily as well. Don’t get too comfortable if you set up notifications for certain job titles or descriptions. Those often are too slow at alerting you and then you miss the opportunity to be within that initial group of applicants.

Avoid "Easy Apply" Job Postings on LinkedIn

Some jobs listed on LinkedIn offer the Easy Apply feature, which pulls your information directly from your LinkedIn profile and any uploaded resume. Although it seems more convenient than a regular job application, do not use these! These make the process far more competitive because more people apply due to the ease of pressing a few buttons. Also, the only information that the feature is able to pull is from your LinkedIn account, which likely isn’t personalized for the position. This makes it harder to match the job’s listed skills and job description making your profile more likely to be cast aside if specific certain keywords aren’t listed.

Instead, if there is an Easy Apply option, go straight to that company’s career page on their website and apply through there. It may take longer, but trust me, in the long run, you’re more likely to move forward.

Your Resume Format and Content Matters

Are Colorful, Branded Templates All They’re Cracked Up to Be?

Did you use a fun, colorful Canva template for your resume? If the answer is yes, you might want to consider switching it up. I initially had a resume that focused on showcasing my personal brand with specific colors, fonts and even a headshot. I thought this resume option was great as a marketing and communications professional. However, when using it, I noticed I wasn’t getting very many responses or opportunities to interview, even for just phone screenings despite the fact that I was qualified for positions.

I started following and researching resume recommendations from recruiting content creators and one thing continue to pop up – don’t use the pretty resume templates. Instead, go back to the standard, old template that you can easily build on Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Why is this important? Well, because recruiting professionals are dealing with so many applicants right now, it’s easier for them to glance through a resume with a standard template. Instead of having to search through a colorful, uniquely designed resume with a fun bio, large headshot and funny fonts, a simple resume format allows a talent acquisition professional to immediately find the important information they need to gauge whether or not you're qualified for the next step of the application process.

Additionally, due to the sheer volume of applicants, many organizations use AI tools and recruiting platforms that select qualified resumes. The Canva-like templates make it more difficult for these tools to identify the key words and skills associated with a job description. The simplified template makes it easier for these types of automated systems to find the specific things the recruiter is looking for.

Personalize Your Resume for Every Job… Yes, Every Single One

I know it’s tedious, but this is so important. Using the exact resume over and over again without catering it specifically to a job description can cause you to miss out on opportunities and interview processes.

Best tips to personalize your resume? Here are my three go-to’s:

• One: Rearrange the order of your listed skills and bullets of responsibilities based on which are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. For example, say you’re applying for a social media role and one of your last positions was a digital marketing specialist. You had social media-related responsibilities in that position, but you also managed email marketing campaigns, website management and SEO strategy. Those are great skill sets to include, but make sure your social media responsibilities appear first under that position’s experience section.

• Two: Use the skills listed on the LinkedIn job listing and add them to your resume/application. At the top of a job listing, just above the apply button and the actual job description, LinkedIn has a feature that lists specific skills recruiters are looking for candidates to have. Use these keywords in your resume, cover letter and skills section of an application.

• Three: Have your resume content mirror the job description. Use the same verbage used in the job description within your resume. You may have the same skills or experience listed already, but worded differently. Do not leave it as is! Adjust the writing to resemble descriptions in the job post.

Network Your Way to Your First Interview

It’s not impossible, but I’ve found it very difficult to even get a phone screening for jobs I’ve applied for without having some sort of connection within the organization. Networking with people that work for the organization is a great way to get a referral or have someone push your resume forward to the recruiter or hiring manager.

How do you find those connections or what happens if you don’t have any connections? And what’s the best way to reach out to people about a job you’re interested in? Continue reading for my networking best practices.

Who to Reach Out to

For organizations that you’ve applied to or are interested in joining you need to find your connections or make connections with individuals that work there. Here are a few ways to identify the people you should be reaching out to.

• Find the company’s LinkedIn page and go through its people. Are there people you are already connected with that work for that company? If yes, reach out to them. Ask them for a quick informational interview and let them know what job you’re interested in applying to and see if you can use them as a referral on your application.

• Not directly connected to anyone at the company? No problem! Find the employees that you share mutual connections with. Can a friend of yours introduce you to someone at that company? I often would reach out to my LinkedIn connections, former colleagues or friends to see if they could introduce me to anyone they knew at organizations I was interested in.

• Check out fellow college alumni. I know the university I graduated from is big on networking and I found that anytime I reach out out to someone and mentioned I was also a Miami grad, the person was almost always willing to schedule an informational interview, offer to be a referral or help me get my resume in front of a hiring manager or recruiter for the position I applied for.

• Reach out to the listed recruiters or managers hiring for the position. Some recruiters/managers will list themselves as the person hiring on the LinkedIn job posting. You should be personally reaching out to these individuals and sharing why you think you’d be a great fit for the position. If a recruiter or hiring manager isn’t listed, then it’s always a good idea to go through the company’s listed people on their company page and try to identify the recruiter/hiring manager. To do this, filter for the recruiter in the title and go through the listed employees. Some recruiters will have certain positions or departments that they are responsible for on their own LinkedIn profiles. Or if you look through their LinkedIn activity, they often share the job posting of positions they are hiring for.

• Find people on the team or in the department you’re looking to join. Go through the employees listed on the organization’s LinkedIn people page and find some people on the team. For example, when I apply for a marketing role, I use the filter feature for people with “marketing” in their title. I can then see who I can reach out to to learn more about the team, the position and gain some insight on the role I wouldn’t have had.

How to Reach Out to People

So you’ve found a list of people you’d like to reach out to, now how do you do it? My first rule of thumb is to do your best to reach out via email for the people you don’t know personally. This can be tricky because you likely won’t know those people’s email addresses. Something I do to solve for this is Google the company’s email format to get an idea of what it could be. The second thing I do is add a variety of potential email addresses as BCCs. There are typically a few standard formats for corporate email addresses so you can assume that one of them will potentially be right.

For hiring managers and recruiters make sure you give a sentence introduction, what position you applied for then provide a few points on why you think you’re a great fit for the role. Make sure to include your resume and let them know that you’d love the opportunity to share more about your experience.

When reaching out to people who aren’t directly hiring for the role, use this opportunity to try and learn more about the company. Let them know you’d recently applied for a role and that you’d be interested in learning more about the team, company culture, etc. Then you can ask if they’re available for an informational interview.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully these tips and tricks help you avoid an empty inbox. These are also suggestions based on my own experiences and what I’ve seen work for me in the last few months. If you have any advice to add, feel free to let everyone know below!