Next Job, Best Job

A Headhunter’s 11 Strategies To Get Hired Now

If you’re struggling to find work in an uncertain job market, Next Job, Best Job by headhunter Rob Barnett delivers game changing strategies to get you hired now. For readers at any phase of a career, Barnett saves you months of wasted time surfing random job postings and uploading resumes into oblivion. His new process gives you the end-to-end tools to find the work you want.

With humor, compassion, and a healthy dose of tough love, Barnett covers everything from the essentials of a modern job search to ageism, ghosting, navigating LinkedIn and Zoom, and mastering the voodoo of social media.

“This generous and useful book strips away the shame and fear from a job search and can help you get past the resume and see a better way forward.”

Seth Godin, bestselling author of This is Marketing

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A Conversation with Rob Barnett

Why is today’s job market facing total transformation?

All of our personal and professional lives were turned upside down. Most companies hiring now have too many candidates applying for every open job. You need a whole new game plan to market yourself with your most compelling pitch about what you’ll deliver as an agent of change in your first 100 days on the job.

What search practices work best in this new normal?

Forget about uploading cold resumes and standard cover letters. You have to do investigative work to find people who get you past the gatekeepers. You need direct contact with the top decision-makers. Do more homework than any other candidate before the first interview. Pack the cover letter with more specifics about the company and what you bring to the job now; don’t just summarize your resume.

How can anyone define their North Star (and identify their best opportunities)?

We take every client through a three-step process to identify and pursue their true North Star. Life is too short to be wasted on the wrong path. The job you want in your heart is yoursif you possess the right superpowers to meet the requirements – and if you have enough evidence to prove you have the experience.

What common mistakes do people make in their job searches?

You’ve got to make your pitch less about your past and more about the present and future needs of the company you pursue. Drop all the standard robotic language about your “proven track record of success” and your “dedicated history of excellence.”
Replace these typical mistakes with specific insights and responses that address the requirements in the job description. Instead of letting the company know you’re “thrilled” and “excited about the opportunity,” offer bold ideas to make sure you stand out.

How can anyone sharpen their resume or LinkedIn profile?

Great oral and written communication skills are a given. Instead of stating the obvious, make sure your valuable resume real estate and LinkedIn profile shine brighter. Replace old fashioned blah blah with concise, specific achievements listed under each job. Position yourself clearly, with a career title that leaves no doubt what job you would fill. This North Star on top of your resume and LinkedIn profile is much more important than
your street address.

What top survival tools do you recommend after a sudden job loss?

The first step to getting the next, best job is to heal your pain with purpose. Sudden unemployment can create dangerous emotional and psychological suffering without critical survival tools. I recommend committing to a daily full schedule on your calendar to stay on track. Don’t go it alone. Deputize people you trust to boost confidence, banish doubt, get your endorphins flowing, and cultivate the A-list contacts you need now.

How can job seekers create a winning professional brand?

The only person stopping you from successfully selling your best professional brand is you. Define your career title. Claim your North Star. During a job search, replace all personal posting with professional content that boosts your brand and builds your network.

How can social media increase your hire-ability?

It’s highly likely that your next boss will be a human being. Therefore, it’s equally likely that this person is on social media todayjust like you. Imagine you have direct access and act accordingly. Be relevant, smart, experienced, timely, interactive, professional, engaging and concise. Don’t be weird, angry, boastful, petty, political, or all over the road. Stay in your lane and build a reliable professional voice.

How can a job search tribe help its members?

We’ve all experienced our fair share of isolation during COVID. Even in the best of times, a job search can become a painfully lonely place. Find a group of like-minded pros committed to regular weekly check-ins where you trade meaningful leads and contacts, refine each other’s pitches, commit to staying sane, and socializing to stay human.

What methods can reduce ghosting and increase response rates by employers?

We teach our clients to be ghost killers by getting past the gatekeepers into direct contact with the ultimate decision-makers. Hiring managers listen most to people they trust. Avoid the ice-cold chill of being ghosted. Replace the time you spend uploading cold resumes with making every direct connection possible with the boss: on social media, through mutual contacts, and with short unique emails containing valuable content. Don’t ask for informational interviews. Wait until there’s a real job posted, then pounce. Finally, create leverage with credible alternatives and ask for a response within a specific time frame.