6 Common FAQs from Jobseekers: Answers to Help You Prepare for & Dive Into the Job Search

How Hired Helps: Ask Me Anything: Pathrise

Jobseekers asked and we answered! Hired teamed up with partner, Pathrise, an online program for tech professionals, to bring jobseekers an AMA-style discussion that addressed their FAQs about the job search. Hired’s Sophia Koehl from the Partnerships Team and Nate Becker from the Candidate Experience Team joined Morgan Beatty, a Pathrise Career Mentor to share their expert advice. 

Keep reading for answers to questions you may have as a jobseeker. Scroll down to watch the full discussion. 

FAQ #1: When is the best time to look for a new job opportunity?

Nate

If you have a Hired account, submit your profile and go live to companies approximately 30 days before your desired start date. This is quite optimistic but it is an ideal scenario. Following this, make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile are uploaded and up-to-date. 

FAQ #2: How do I get started networking on LinkedIn? Do I need to be more active before starting? 

Morgan

While you don’t have to be very active before starting, we recommend you have at least 100 connections. You want to give the impression that you know people. If you’re looking for people to connect with, start with your university, previous employers, and family and friends. They will be able to help you in your network and your search before you start posting. 

Is it good to be active? Most definitely. Do you have to start from scratch and write your own post? No, you can simply re-share articles relevant to your industry. This will showcase your passion for joining that industry. Don’t forget to follow companies you admire so you can keep up with the content you’re interested in. 

Nate

You can also set your profile status to “open to work” to show you are actively exploring opportunities.

Connect your LinkedIn to your Hired profile to show you are intentionally looking and are ready to start a new role. This also makes it easier for companies to corroborate your experience. They love to do that! 

Note: The Hired platform is a closed, curated marketplace in contrast to a public platform like LinkedIn. On Hired you cannot browse roles, search companies, or apply to positions. We work the other way around. Once your Hired profile goes live, we match you to available roles and suggest you for good fits. Then, our companies reach out to you to request an interview. From here, you can accept or decline based on your feelings toward the company, location, pay, etc.

FAQ #4: How do I know if I’m taking the right approach for the role I am seeking?

Nate

Be mindful of the role you are seeking. Lay out a story of yourself you can frame on paper. If you are a Software Engineer, highlight your hard skills, technical skills, and tech stack as opposed to the soft skills. Keep a finger on the pulse of where your industry is going by considering:

• What are the hot skills? 
• What are the trends?
• What are you seeing when you look at job descriptions?
• What can you add to your skillset to be more competitive? 
• What certifications would benefit you? 
• What skills do others in the industry have? 

Related: Discover the latest trends and most in-demand skills for Software Engineers in Hired’s State of Software Engineers report.

Morgan

Remember, don’t just chase skills because they are popular. Cross reference it with what you have a genuine interest in. Find the sweet spot and then upskill based on that. Your skills are not just for show — it is far more meaningful to develop what you need. 

FAQ #5: Should I apply for a job when I only meet part of the requirements listed? 

Morgan

We’ve probably all asked ourselves this as jobseekers, right? Millennials, especially, face imposter syndrome but don’t let it hit you here. If you meet at least 50% of the requirements, apply!

When you reach the interview phase, the hiring manager wants to see if you can do the work. If you can get your skills and stories connected to that, who’s to say they would not hire you? Don’t doubt yourself. This is an especially important question to address because great candidates often don’t apply because of self doubt. 

Nate

If there are requirements you don’t meet, you can address them and point to transferable skills. You can say, “I accomplished this in the past and that would work here” or “I also do this —  have you considered how that could be beneficial to the role?” 

This is also an opportunity to upskill again. If the requirements you don’t meet involve something you are interested in, explore ways to get certified or trained in those areas. At Hired, we have partnerships with organizations that specialize in helping jobseekers upskill and develop hard skills. Take advantage of these resources to broaden expertise, especially when you repeatedly come across a job skill in your search. That’s your cue to take action and look to our partners for some help.

Related: 

• Coding Bootcamps & Non-Traditional Education for Tech Talent
• Partner Spotlight – Blockchain Training Alliance
• SitePoint: A Learning Platform for Developers & Designers of All Levels

FAQ #6: Should I wait until I’m in the country I want to work in to apply to positions in my field?

Morgan

The most important aspect when thinking about location is being prepared to speak about the sponsorship. This includes knowing what you need to live and work in that country. Know specifically what you need before you begin your application process. Then, you will know what to say when a recruiter or hiring manager calls you. 

Nate

If you are prepared to speak on this, it’s crucial to act quickly — don’t wait. On your Hired profile, you can indicate your current location in addition to cities you’re interested in working in. 

Even if you are seeking remote work, you would list your current location but be able to indicate you are searching for remote work in a particular time zone. With this, you can target companies looking to hire remote workers in another country and time zone. When we match you on the platform, companies are aware of this.

Go in understanding you will probably receive less interest than you would after you relocating. It’s important to not wait just in case you’re missing out on a great company that can support your needs and can work with you before you move. 

Sophia

The Hired platform is effective for getting candidates hired both locally and globally. Take advantage of the features that allow you to list out (in order) the cities you are willing to relocate to, and your preferred working hours and time zone.

Related: Should I Stay or Should I Go? Workers Explore Relocation to Improve Quality of Life, Pay

How to increase the chances of getting your Hired profile approved and showcasing your skills to employers

Nate

On Hired we see mid-level and senior-level talent achieving the most success based on the demand right now, as opposed to entry-level candidates. The platform caters to what active employers are looking for, meaning a smaller pool of skill sets are in demand on Hired as opposed to a public platform like LinkedIn. You’ll notice a more curated list of career path options to select from when you create your Hired profile. 

When a particular area is not listed there and you find yourself having to click “other,” you will not go live on the platform. This means we currently don’t offer that skill set.

We are focused on Software Engineers, Product Managers, DevOps, and QA as we see high demand for these areas. Be mindful that Software Engineering has the highest demand — it is like our bread and butter. 

If you didn’t go live and you selected Data Analytics or QA, for example, there may simply be less demand for those skill sets at the moment. Resubmit your profile every 2 to 3 months to check if demand increased.

A helpful tip is to focus your profile. We see a lot of folks list any employment they have ever had. However, if you’re targeting a specific field, keep it exclusive to full-time roles in that skillset. Hired does not support hybrid profiles so tailor your profile around a specific focus.

For entry-level job seekers, you may fall below the two-year threshold that the platform accommodates. Make sure to keep your profile up-to-date with new opportunities or explore one of our partnerships, like a General Assembly to develop your experience. General Assembly graduates do go live on the Hired platform with less experience but still earn attention from employers.

Related: Want More Interviews and Better Matches? 5 Key Tips!

Have more questions about the job search? Ask us! Register for our next AMA discussion or check out Hired’s other virtual candidate events.

Ready to launch your job search? Let’s go! Learn how Hired works, complete a free profile, and let employers find you!

Watch the full discussion here.