Job hunts are relentless. You feel like you’re just one face among many on LinkedIn. Every time you click "Apply," it's like trying to outshout everyone in a crowded room. You've got a great resume, years of experience, a well-written cover letter. But it all seems to get lost in the noise.

You spend hours on your resume, making it perfect. But it feels like it just gets tossed into a pile. It feels like no one's listening. You're shouting into a void. 

You check your inbox and you get yet another “Unfortunately, after further consideration we have decided not to progress your application.” And you feel your heart sink further. The tone in these emails is almost too sanitized for such devastating content.

We've all felt it. The endless waiting after sending a job application, the excitement with every phone ping, the letdown when it's not the call you were hoping for. The silence hurts. All your effort might go unnoticed.

How long can you take this? How much rejection can you handle? Are you feeling worn out by the job market? How much more can you take before you break?

I know. It feels like you’ve done all you can. You’ve had your resumes professionally edited. You’ve sent out messages everywhere on LinkedIn and applied to every single job even remotely related to your role. What more can you do? 

The Conventional Route to Discontent

That’s because most of us take a very passive approach to job hunting. Ever notice how job hunting usually goes like this?

• Hunt through boring job ads that all seem the same
• Show up at networking events, hoping for the best
• Drop your standards bit by bit
• Give your resume a quick update
• Shotgun your resume everywhere, hoping something sticks
• Go into interviews without a game plan, answering with the usual stuff
• Grab the first offer, even if it's not what you really want

It’s not your fault. We were never taught any different. It’s the only way we know.

I’ll be honest with you and say I’ve also done the same at the beginning of my career. But I made the jump from being a project manager to b2b sales with no prior experience. I made a tough leap, but I knew I wanted a different challenge. And I went about and got it. 

It’s weird that we can bring so much rigor to our sales process. But we treat job hunting as a passive pursuit. Shotgun applying for jobs is like waiting for a deal to drop in your lap. It can happen. Sometimes. If we’re really lucky. 

We’re sales professionals. Going out there and being active is in our blood. We can take rejection better than anyone. So why don’t we approach job hunting the way we approach deals?

If we did that, job hunting would look more like this.

Targeted Engagement

1. Identify Your Ideal Companies: Research and select companies that align with your skills, values, and career goals.
2. Create Personalized Content: Tailor your cover letters, resumes, and LinkedIn messages specifically for these companies.
3. Leverage Your Network: Reach out to contacts who might introduce you to decision-makers in your chosen companies.
4. Create Irresistible Outreach: Most outreach e-mails are uninspiring. (Like most b2b outreach e-mails strangely?) They are “me” centric and ask contacts for time with no tangible value.

Take this one I got the other day.

“I’m interested in speaking with you about the positions you are hiring for. I wanted to know more about the role. Are you available to talk tomorrow at 9:30am?”

This is what it sounds like to me. I didn’t bother to research your company at all, but could you talk to me and let me tell you how awesome I am? It puts the burden on me and I’ve got a pool of candidates here.

How do we create irresistible outreach?

We often bring careful planning and strategy to closing a sale, carefully crafting each step of the process. So why not apply the same rigor to your job search? 

Research the Company

• Understand Their Strategy: What's their market positioning? How do they approach their target audience? What makes them unique?
• Identify Potential Customers: Who are they targeting? What problems are they solving for these customers? Align your skills to these needs.
• Analyze Their Products and Services: Know their offerings inside and out. Understand how you can be an asset in selling or improving them.

Build a Tailored Outreach Program

• Create Personalized Demos: Using Demoboost, you can craft engaging demos that resonate with their products and solutions. Show them you're not just another applicant; you're a strategic thinker who understands their business.
• Connect with Hiring Managers: Research and engage with the right people within the organization. Use social media and your network to find connections.
• Showcase Your Understanding: Your outreach should reflect your deep understanding of their business, customers, and market strategy.

How would using a tool like Demoboost change our outreach? Imagine getting an outreach like this:

“Hi Hiring Manager, saw that you’re hiring sales engineers for your company. From the outside, I’m sensing that your strategic initiatives for next year include moving more customers from on-premise to your SaaS platform. Seems like the burst in remote working has been a driver for your market. This is a short 3 min demo of how I would showcase your company’s products. What’s the best way to get my application reviewed by a member of your team?”

Will that set you apart from the rest?

Conclusion

Job hunting doesn't have to be a passive pursuit, waiting for an opportunity to fall into your lap. It's time to take control and approach it with the same precision and passion as you would a major sales deal. Research, engage, personalize, and present yourself as the unique solution they've been looking for.