Words Of Wisdom From 31 People With Valuable Job Hunting Tips

Here are some ways to make your job-seeking affair a smoother one

May

• Published in Interesting
• August 28, 2022

So you're looking for a new job. Maybe you got laid off, maybe you quit, or maybe you're just ready for a change. Whatever the reason, finding a new job is tough.

With all the correspondence you need to do, the applications, resumes, and cover letters you need to submit, and the nerve-wracking interviews, everything feels like a full-time job. Despite reading countless articles that could help you, the job-searching affair can be tiring.

Plus, no matter what field you're in, the job market is competitive. With more and more people graduating from college and looking for work, the competition is only getting fiercer.

This is why you probably want to give up at some point. But you need to push through.

Or else, who's gonna pay those bills? All you need is patience.

Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day, and your dream job won't come knocking on your door overnight. So don't get discouraged.

The perfect job for you is out there, you just have to keep looking. And when you find it, it'll all be worth it.

And while you're at it, it won't hurt to read more tips from people who've been at it before. Here are some of the best tips we collected from Reddit.

1. Don't work too fast when you start a new job.

For people starting a new job. If a task typically takes someone ~3.5 hours and you can get it done in 1 hour, don't turn your task in right away - wait about an hour. If your manager(s) discover how productive you really are, they will quickly overwork you without proper compensation.

2. Never volunteer information

Keep your mouth shut, and don't volunteer information.

I had a phone interview scheduled this morning, but accidentally slept through it. When I got up and saw that I missed it, I had the desperate urge to call and offer up excuses, in the hope that maybe, just maybe, they'd be understanding and give me another chance.

Instead, all I did was apologize and ask if we could reschedule. That's it, one sentence, no additional information, no explanation or excuse as to why I missed the first interview.

They replied within 20 minutes, apologizing to ME, saying it was probably their fault, that they'd been having trouble with their computer system for days, and of course I could reschedule, was I available that afternoon?

Don't ever volunteer information, kids. You never know what information the other party has, and you can always give information if asked for it later.

3. Your dream company isn't always the best company

Don't be fooled by the "working for a dream company" ideology. You'll be much better off with an amazing boss at an average company who champions your work, allows you to develop mastery in your field, and gives you autonomy.

4. What you need to prioritize

Your company didn’t know you existed before you applied and won’t notice you when you’re gone. Take care of yourself.

5. A job interview works both ways.

Rememeber, at a job interview, YOU are also interviewing the company. Ask more questions, don’t settle so quickly because it might not be for you after all

6. Job descriptions tend to look complicated, but once you get in, you'll find the tasks doable.

Job descriptions are usually written to sound more complicated and high profile than the jobs really are. Don’t let the way it is written intimidate or deter you from applying to a job you think you can do.

7. An interview starts the moment you step into the office.

Interview starts immediately.

Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first 5 minutes after he entered the building. He was dismissive to the receptionist. She greeted him and he barely made eye contact. She tried to engage him in conversation. Again, no eye contact, no interest in speaking with her. What the candidate did not realize was that the "receptionist" was actually the hiring manager.

She called him back to the conference room and explained how every single person on our team is valuable and worthy of respect. Due to his interaction with the "receptionist," the hiring manager did not feel he was a good fit. Thank you for your time but the interview is over.

Be nice to everyone in the building.

Edited to add: it wasn't just lack of eye contact. He was openly rude and treated her like she was beneath him. When he thought he was talking to the decision maker, personality totally changed. Suddenly he was friendly, open, relaxed. So I don't think this was a case of social anxiety.

The position is a client facing position where being warm, approachable, outgoing is critical.

8. Accept the glass of water to allow yourself time to think of an answer.

During a job interview, if offered a glass of water, accept it. That way when you get asked a difficult question you can take a sip for some extra seconds before answering.

9. COVID response is something you need to know

From here on out, make "What was your company's COVID response?" a standard interview question.

I work in software. My whole company has been working from home for the past two months, and performing at 100%. Now management is forcing us all to come back into the office on June 1st, for no discernible reason.

I don't want to work for a company that cares so little about the health of employees and their families, ever again. I'll be looking for something new as soon as it's practical, and I will definitely be asking prospective employers this.

10. Beware of companies that are always hiring.

If they’re “always hiring,” just know that they also always firing.

And having people quit.

11. How companies deceive applicants

Employers put "entry level" in job titles to trick applicants into accepting less pay. If the "entry level" job requires you to have significant experience, demand more than starting pay.

12. Ask this question before the interview wraps up.

When it comes time for the “do you have any questions for us?” part of a job interview, always ask why the position has opened up. This might help you get an idea of what kind of environment you’ll be going into.

13. Zoom tips

For those of you who are interviewing on Zoom, these tips helped me get three job offers.

Raise your camera to eye level or slightly higher. I prop my laptop up on a couple books. This keeps your gaze from pointing down. Eye contact is important, even on a video conference.

Create a brief doc outlining key points you want them to know about you (including a "tell me about yourself" intro) and several questions you have for them.

Open the doc on your computer, and launch Zoom in a small window at the top center of your screen above this doc. Doing this keeps your eyes focused on the top of the screen while they are talking, making you appear more engaged than if you were looking, say, at the bottom left corner at the person talking. And having your notes just below just in case helps to calm nerves and keeps your thoughts clear.

14. How to best answer a common interview question

When a job interviewer asks, "What's your biggest weakness?", interpret the question in practical terms rather than in terms of personality faults.

"Sometimes I let people take advantage of me", or "I take criticism personally" are bad answers. "I'm too honest" or "I work too hard", even if they believe you, make you sound like you'll be irritating to be around or you'll burn out.

Instead, say something like, "My biggest weakness with regards to this job is, I have no experience with [company's database platform]" or "I don't have much knowledge about [single specific aspect of job] yet, so it would take me some time to learn."

These are real weaknesses that are relevant to the job, but they're also fixable things that you'll correct soon after being hired. Personality flaws are not (and they're also none of the interviewer's business).

15. Company hopping is the key to success.

Loyalty to your company only rewards the company. Hopping companies is the best way to increase your salary, don't sit there hoping for a raise. Apply to other jobs, get a better offer and use it to leverage a raise or take the offer.

You'd be surprised how many people nearly double their salaries just by applying for jobs.

16. Never badmouth a previous company.

DO NOT badmouth your current company during an interview, even if the interviewer asks why you're looking to leave.

It seems like common sense, but I keep seeing it happen again and again. My partner and I are both hiring for highly sought after jobs, and we keep running into candidates who use the interview to badmouth their current job, talk about how dumb they think their current manager is, or how the work is beneath them. DO NOT DO IT.

Here are some general vague responses you can use if you get asked that question. Really, any responses is acceptable, so long as you're professional:

• My company is great, but I think I'm ready for the next step in my career.

• As things have changed at my company, so has the role, and I think I need something that will be a better fit.

• I think I do very good work in my current role, and I think this job would compensate better for my efforts.

• I'm not looking to leave my current company, but when I heard about this role coming open, I knew I had to take the opportunity.

17. Aim for the salary you think you deserve.

Don't be afraid to ask for the salary you want/deserve.

I just finished the loooooong process of being interviewed for a new position at a new place of work. In the final meeting with the hiring manager, I was told the range they were looking at for the offer, and the upper-end was what I was making at my previous job (which I would be leaving to take the new role).

I decided to be transparent and tell the hiring manager that. I then said I would feel more comfortable with 7k more. Inside I was SO nervous that they'd pull the rug from under my feet, say I was being greedy (in more professional terms), and wave goodbye. Instead, they said it would be a stretch, but they'd see what they could do.

Came back the next day with the offer I was hoping for! To top it off, they said they appreciated my transparency which is why they went to bat for me.

Never be afraid to ask if you feel it's fair and you're deserving.

18. The word "rockstar" is a red flag.

Do not fall for jobs asking for 'Rockstars' that’s code for underpaid, overworked and unappreciated.

19. Note down previous challenges so that you'll do better.

Any time you successfully solve a problem, handle a difficult situation, etc., write it down and use it in future job interviews.

This is for anyone who may job-hop to increase their salary. Or for those who are generally afraid of "Tell me about a time when you..."-style questions in job interviews.

We all have those days where something out of the ordinary happens and you have to deal with it somehow some way. Instead of just doing it and talking about it later (or worse, forgetting it the next day), write down the entire scenario and how you successfully handled it on a Word document so you don't forget it.

This way you'll be much more prepared and it'll give you a bit of a leg up against other job seekers.

20. Distance is a factor.

When deciding on a new job, don't underestimate the importance of its distance from your house. Sometimes a bad job can be made worse by a long commute home and vice versa.

21. Look for something else if you hear these lines.

22. Fake Glassdoor reviews

When you check a company’s Glassdoor, pay attention to the date of the reviews. If you notice a lot of good reviews in a short time frame, that means HR sent out a bulletin to internal employees to write artificially inflated reviews for the company.

23. Go for it!

When you meet most of the qualifications for a job but they require prior experience, apply anyway.

Many employers will be willing to overlook the lack of prior experience if they like you.

24. Tips for interns.

Beware the "Intern Trap". Don't take a job as a X Intern at a company that doesn't have anyone who can do X.

Interning should be a process of learning a craft while you help to contribute to the overall institutional goals.

If a company is advertising for an intern position, but doesn't have anyone who does that job, then they are probably just trying to pay someone less for a job that they want someone to be able to do. Traditionally, these are jobs that young people are adept at, but older people may not have the skills to perform.

For example, they probably need/want a Social Media Manager, not a Social Media Intern, but they want to pay less, hence the title. If you interview for a position like this, ask who at the company you will be learning from. If they don't have someone senior in the role, they may be willing to offer a mentor in other valuable skills - a senior marketing manager, for example.

Consider negotiating a title that reflects what you will be learning, not just what you will be contributing. This will help you develop your resume and, well, hopefully learn new skills. Also consider negotiating a title change and salary adjustment to reflect that title. "It seems that you don't have anyone at the company in a position to mentor a Social Media Intern and that what you really need is a Social Media Manager. I'm happy to take that role, at the junior level, and prove my worth to the company."

Really take a look at the learning on offer and what it's worth to you - if they're paying you $20k less a year, then your mentorship better be up to that value. You can save yourself a lot of wasted time and money by avoiding this "Intern Trap".

EDIT: To be clear, some internships are genuine where you trade your work for real on the job learning (and a small paycheque). These should have someone on staff who is responsible to the intern - an actual mentor - or there should be a clear trade of skills/experience for your work and time. These are not the "Intern Traps" I intended to warn about. Nor am I talking about internships or practicums related to an educational course of study.

I'm talking to job seekers looking for a job who might be undervaluing their skills, potentially negotiating with a company that is trying to take advantage of the applicant.

In Canada, where I'm from, unpaid internships are (now) illegal, though were prevalent early in my career. These privilege people who have enough resources and support to be able to give their time and labour away without financial compensation and disadvantage people who can't afford to work for free because they have bills to pay.

EDIT 2: A lot of people are reading this post as anti-internship. It is not intended to be! I am very pro-internship. This is a tip to ask in the interview to determine if what is on offer is, indeed, an internship or if it is a lowball play for your skills and labour. Just know what you are getting into by asking about the mentorship, training, and skills that they plan for you to learn. If they don't have a plan, they might be exploitative. If you had a great internship experience, great! Lucky you! And thanks for sharing these experiences. It's great to know some people have made the best of their situations, or, indeed had a good experience with a company that does internships right.

25. Even exes can destroy your opportunities.

Before ending a serious relationship, change 100% of all of your Passwords and remove your account info / auto login on ALL devices

I'm in the midst of hiring which is no small thing in this COVID world. I had one applicant who stood head and shoulders above the rest, she was exactly what my org was looking for.

Unfortunately, during the interview process she informed us via email she was no longer interested in the opportunity. So, we moved on to our 2nd pick candidate.

Fast Forward 2 weeks. I get a call from the applicant wondering if we had found someone and expressing interest in the job... I told her that she said she wasn't interested and I showed her the email she sent us. Apparently, she didn't send the email.

She had recently broken up with her boyfriend during her applying for this job and he "hacked" into all her accounts and fucked her life up. He deleted all of her social media and also sent us a false email saying she was no longer interested in the job.

Unfortunately, we hired someone so that opportunity is lost to her forever.

If you are in serious relationship then your partner has all of your passwords. They do. It is ridiculously easy to get someone's passwords if you have access to their phone or computer. It is to your advantage to just assume someone you are serious with has all your passwords. BEfore you break up with them you need to change all, yes ALL, of your passwords.

It is amazing how evil and vindictive people can be when they are heartbroken. Even so-called "nice" people can have a moment of temporary insanity after a break up and torch your whole life if they have the chance.

Don't give them that chance. Change your passwords

26. Team building isn't what you'd expect it to be.

No matter how much your workplace pushes "team building" and "family culture" - remember, they're not your friends and it's still a workplace.

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. I work for a small business who put huge emphasis on everyone being friends and building a strong team, but it just means it hurts more when someone inevitably stabs you in the back. I'm not saying go around and be a dick to people for no reason, but it's better to build relationships outside of work or in places where there aren't any politics or power imbalances.

27. Take keywords from the job description and use it

When applying for jobs (especially to large organizations), look through the job description and add any keywords they use to your resume as frequently as possible to get your application through HR.

I've learned this heuristically over the last couple of months. I'd love comments from anyone who works in HR hiring or similar fields that can either corroborate or refute this theory.

HR is the first line of defense for hiring at most large organizations, but HR people aren't all that great at judging qualifications for specific jobs (e.g. A person with a Master's in HR doesn't know what makes for a good nuclear safety inspector). This leads them to filter out resumes using keywords and jargon as an indicator of abilities. Paid resume development tools have figured this out. They essentially populate your resume with the keywords that they've found effective at getting interviews, but you can do this yourself if you know your industry well and research the job.

28. PDF over docx

When you submit a resume to a potential employer, submit it as a PDF, not a Word doc

I actually judge the potential of the candidate by how they format their resume (typos? grammar? formatting? style?). If you format it as a PDF, I see your resume how you want me to see it. If you have it as a Word document, margins, fonts, etc may be lost or adjusted when I open it.

Ensure you show me your best self by converting it to a PDF.

And please... proof read it. Give it to a friend or family member to proof read it thoroughly. I will likely not recommend you for interviewing if you have poor grammar or obvious typos. I assume you are providing me a sample of your work when I look at your resume. It shows either that you don't care or aren't detail oriented when you have typos and I assume I can expect the same if I hire you.

Edit: There is a lot of conversation about Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and how they can vomit on PDFs. So, please be aware of this when submitting to systems that may utilize this.

29. Signs you'll be overworked and underpaid

If an employer says you have to treat an entry level job as more than just a job to be successful, that's key for you'll be overworked and underpaid.

30. Don't be the first to say the number.

Never tell the recruiter how much money you make and never be the first to give a number

A lot of recruiters will ask what salary you are interested in, partly to see if you are within their budget but also this is a huge opportunity for you to sell yourself short, especially if you don't fully understand the scope of the role yet.

Instead, say something like "I think I would need to hear a bit more about the scope of this role and expectations before discussing compensation for it. Can we revisit this discussion after I have had a chance to talk with the team and determine whether I am a good fit?" - they might immediately ask you what else you want to know about the role here so be prepared.

Recruiters will frequently ask how much you currently make as well, again, partly to see if you fall within their range and again a huge opportunity for them to take advantage of you. I would recommend never answering this. Instead say something like:

"I would prefer not to disclose that at this point in the process. I would prefer to have a more comprehensive salary based on my skills, what I can offer to the team, and company benefits. Is there a certain budget that you had in mind?"

This does a few different things. For one, the recruiter doesn't know what you make now - so if your current compensation is below their range, they cant just offer you the minimum or even attempt to match your current salary. You're also asking their budget range to get a better idea of what this company is comfortable offering as well as their benefit package. Most companies will let you know what their benefits early on in the hiring process.

TL;DR Don't tell the recruiter your salary! It might be way below what they were going to offer you in the first place and will immediately minimize your negotiation attempts!

31. Don't settle for less.

If a company reaches out to you about a position and they attempt to give you a lower salary than you expected. Always ask if there are any other positions that will meet your salary requirements.

I was in a phone interview and was given a salary way below my range. I was speaking to the regional manager about why my desired salary was what it was and I expressed I would be willing to negotiate a higher position to meet my desired salary. He happily let me know he would discuss with his team about a solution to this problem not even an hour later they went ahead and offered me a higher position with 30% more pay.

To clarify I ended up with my desired salary plus 30%. Well it looks like I made it to the front page boyos thanks for the fake internet points I will cherish them forever!

If you're on the hunt for a new job, you know it's tough out there.

It seems like every company is looking for someone with 10 years of experience, and you're lucky if you have five. But don't give up!

There are plenty of companies that are willing to give people a chance, especially if they can show they have what it takes. And when you find the right job – the one that makes your heart sing – go for it with all you’ve got!

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