Job Search: Know your numbers

I’ve just had a conversation with someone who has been conducting their job search for some time and has yet to have any success. It was difficult to diagnose where the problem in their process lies because their activities have been somewhat haphazard. They haven’t kept track of the results they’ve been getting at each stage for the journey. This means that they have no real data to draw on and analyse.

In this short blog, I’ll offer some ideas for a process, the data that needs to be collected, which should help you know where you’re doing well, and where there needs to be improvement.

We want to start by creating a series of actions that progressively lead onto the next stage, or to the point when we get rejected as a candidate. We diligently keep track of numbers and percentages so we can see how well we’re doing during the process. There may be certain points where the numbers dip below expectations and that’s the point where we need to target for remedial action. Here are some key crunch points to think about.

Creating Leads and getting interviews

In many ways, this is just like a sales process and as a skilled salesperson who has to generate leads, we have to get interviews. There are, in my view, seven channels to be used, which include:

• Asking your network for help

• Online applications,

• Informing recruiters that you’re an active candidate, and so on.

All of these activities need to be tracked so that you know exactly how productive each is. This allows you to spot points for improvement. For example, if you have made hundreds of online applications and have very low numbers of first interviews, then it follows that your CV and other key steps in the application process (such as cover letters) are not getting through the algorithms or are simply not impressing the people reviewing them. Start by making improvements there. It may be that there’s simply a mismatch between your CV and the job specs - something that can be easily remedied.

Collecting data from your interviews

There are a number of different types of interviews that will typically run in some sort of sequence. Usually, the process begins with initial screening and then moves on to meeting the person you’d be reporting to. During these interviews, the firm will seek to gauge your competencies, potential cultural fit, consensus building and so on. Perhaps towards the end of the process, you’ll have an opportunity to meet with the senior leadership team.

Of course, the order isn’t straightforward or consistent, so we have to be flexible in how we collate our data. The other consideration is that if you’re operating in relatively low numbers, there may be insufficient data from which to draw any worthwhile conclusions. That said, do your best to collect relevant data at each stage as this can still be useful for reviewing impact and effectiveness.

• Track the number of first interviews you have

• Track the number of second interviews you have, and what percentage that is of the total number of first interviews

• You should also categorise the types of interviews you’d have, and look at the numbers from this perspective

This analysis should allow you to begin to see where the sticking points are. For example, you might find that you do well to get through the early / screening interviews and you have a high percentage of second interviews. However, when you meet your future direct report, there seems to be a sharp fall off in the numbers. This will give you a clear indication of where your remedial work needs to be done.

Equally, it might be that you do really well through the entire process but don’t have success in interviews with the senior leadership team. This could be for a number of reasons, not least, a disconnect between what the hiring team wants and what the senior leaders are looking for. Or, it might be that you’re not articulating your value offer in a way that aligns with their vision for the business. 

Reviewing the process

There are some other things I’d suggest to help with the process.

• Create a spreadsheet to track all your interview-generating activities and collect the numbers for each activity. This will allow you to see exactly where you’ve been focussing your energies and you can see precisely the number of interviews that each activity has produced. 

• Chart all interviews from the first to the fifth or sixth, or whatever is required. Find a way to characterise the ‘type’ of interview as well - you’ll need that to spot patterns. Note the numbers and percentages that led to the next stage. 

• Do some self-diagnosis of your interview performance. What questions came up, how well did you handle them, where did you do well, and where do you think you could’ve done better, etc.

• Get some feedback from your interviewers, should the process come to a close without an offer. Some might be reluctant to give you anything beyond generalised fluff, but getting specific feedback is obviously very useful. It might be that you were not the right fit for whatever reason. The most valuable feedback will be around anything that you can do about the way you present yourself and your value offer. 

By creating a job search process, tracking your numbers and monitoring your performance, you’ll be in a much better position to find where you are underperforming at critical points. You can now can get to work to find the solutions instead of blindly guessing and hoping for the best outcome.

If you’re dissatisfied with the results of your current job search, let’s talk and see if we can help.