Forrest Clements’ Post

Do this every week during your job search: ✏️ Write down & celebrate your wins. 🎉 ESPECIALLY the small ones. Many job seekers measure their success only by the end goal: Getting an offer. But with such a high bar to clear, your gauge of progress becomes one-dimensional: ❌ I still don't have a job.  ❌ I still don't have a job.  ❌ I still don't have a job. As weeks turn into months, you feel like a failure in your search, because you haven't achieved that goal yet. We need to STOP thinking of getting a job like a task you can just check off a to-do list. Getting a job is a process that's broken up into dozens or even hundreds of little actions. And accomplishing any of these, is a step in the right direction. Just like a long-term project, job searches take time. There are delays.  There are setbacks.  Things don't go as planned. Tracking your progress is vital to maintain momentum & morale. Lower your threshold of what "counts" as a win. ✅ I updated my LinkedIn headline!  ✅ I researched a target company! ✅ I sent three outreach messages!  ✅ One of them replied!  ✅ I drafted one interview response! Write it all down, and celebrate the hard work you're putting in. You're making progress TOWARD your goal.  You CAN do this. You ARE doing this. This is how I start every coaching session with my clients: Tell me your recent wins. No matter how small. Job searching is an arduous journey. Even if you're not quite to your destination, Even it it seems far off, Celebrating your wins helps you see how far you've come. What were your job search wins this week? 

Hot take: Job application bots are bad for job seekers, employers, and the future of hiring. Here's why: Platforms like LoopCV & LazyApply let you upload a resume, add desired job titles, and mass apply for jobs that meet the criteria. They can apply to hundreds or even thousands of jobs PER DAY. Applying for jobs is a huge pain, so seems like a great hack, right? The 2 problems I see for job seekers are: 1) You pay to go all in on the LOWEST ROI channel to find a job (i.e. cold applications). Studies show the vast majority of applicants (75%) use online applications to find jobs with a 2% chance to land an interview (not even an offer). Only 7% of applicants use networking & referrals to apply for jobs, yet over 40% of hires come through referrals. Application bots are brute forcing your way to that 2% chance at an interview. Yes, you’ll get interviews with enough volume, but... 2) You lose a lot of control over what companies you target. Your job & where you work have a BIG impact on your daily life, career trajectory, financial wellbeing, and mental health, for potentially YEARS to come. Is that REALLY something you trust a bot to decide for you? To use an analogy, compare job searching to online dating. Application bots are like AI tools on Tinder that automatically swipe left or right on thousands of potential matches and handle initial DM intros. Wouldn't you want a LOT more of a say in who you might go on a date with or maybe start a long-term relationship with? Job seekers should take up agency in their search vs. ceding control to bots. Fewer, more selective applications with high emphasis on company research and networking vs. is MUCH better than mass applications. For employers, application bots lead to more apps per position, period. Ask literally any recruiter and they'll tell you: they're seeing more applicants now than they ever have. This is true today even as these tools are not yet widely adopted. As more job seekers turn to bots, recruiting teams will be BURIED beneath an avalanche of automated applications, with less ability to sift through the noise to find quality hires. It will be harder for companies to find great candidates. It will be harder great candidates to get noticed. In time, companies may supplement or even replace their recruiting teams with automated tools of their own. The virtual filing cabinet ATS platforms used today will give way to true "AI-recruiters" that review, select, and possibly even interview applicants. We'll have successfully removed all humans from the process of hiring humans. And that is, to be quite honest, terrifying. I get it, job searching sucks and takes a lot of time. But tools like these will make things worse for EVERYONE in the long run, not better. Job seekers, what are your thoughts on application bots? Have you used them? Have they been helpful? Recruiting teams, how are you responding to the rise of application bots?

Don't wait until you have an interview SCHEDULED to start your interview prep. Interviewing is a VITAL job search skill. Yet many job seekers spend less than an hour preparing for an interview or just "wing it" with.. varying results. Waiting to prepare until the day before an interview is like waiting to study until the night before an exam. Sure, it can work occasionally, but it's rarely the most effective way to succeed. Unlike exams, interviews often have a lot of the same questions or families of questions. Virtually every interview begins with some version of "Tell me about yourself." There's NO reason why you shouldn't have a response written and ready to go! One of the best ways to prepare for interviews is to start building a library of stories for some of the most common behavioral questions. Draft stories about things like: A time you succeeded A time you failed A time you worked on a team A time you worked with a difficult person A time you made a process better A time you led a project A time you researched something A time you learned a new skill A time you overcame an obstacle Try to use the CAR format which is Challenge, Action, Result, putting the most emphasis on the A and the R. Once you're armed with a repository of 10-12 stories, you'll be equipped to answer a wide range of behavioral questions and their iterations. And even better, instead of spending the time after getting an interview scheduled on writing these stories from scratch, You're researching the company and your interviewers and TAILORING your stories to this specific company. I know it can feel odd to practice interview responses before you have an interview lined up, but trust me, the interviews will come eventually. And when they do, it can often be very quickly: "the team would like to interview you, does Friday work?" The last thing you want is to be scrambling the night before. Make preparation part of your process LONG before you get the interview invitation. When do you typically prepare for interviews? How much time do you spend?

Are in-person networking events still worth it? Or has Zoom rendered them obsolete? While they can feel a bit old-school in today's virtual, post-COVID world, events are still a great way to build new relationships. There's something magical about face-to-face interactions that's hard to fully replicate over Zoom or email. Events make a fantastic "angle" for cold outreach. All of a sudden you have something in common that you can talk to about with a stranger. And particularly for job seekers who thrive in live, in-person settings, events are a wonderful change of pace from online networking. Here are 5 tips for maximizing an in-person networking event: 1) See Who's Attending Make sure to review the list of who will be there before you go and make a plan of who you want to prioritize connecting with. Many events have a public guest list where you can see who's RSVP'd. If it's an event with employers or vendors, see which ones you'd most like to work with. Take note of which speakers or panelists you most want to pay attention to or try to connect with afterwards. 2) Get People's Names Get people's full names (and better yet, email addresses) so you can connect with them on LI afterwards and/or email later. You can also just connect with people on LinkedIn then and there. LinkedIn even has a QR feature that makes this easier: If you're on the mobile app, tap the search bar at the top and you'll see a QR code icon in the top right hand corner. Tap this, and it will open a QR code that goes right to your profile so someone else can scan it. 3) Quality Over Quantity I prefer making several really good connections/conversations vs. a bunch of shallow ones. Leaving an event with 2-3 awesome contacts who will remember you and want to help you is much better than a stack of 30 random business cards. Spend your time wisely. 4) Follow Up Afterwards Once you get home, send intros, connection requests, follow ups, etc. afterwards to those you'd like to connect with and stay in touch with. Thank them for their time and willingness to chat, and you can make separate asks for other conversations or advice, etc. 5) Use the Event as a Connection Point For those you didn't get a chance to chat with in person, but were at the event, this can be a nice angle to leverage afterwards. Mention that you saw them on the attendee list but weren't able to connect, what did you think of so-and-so's session, etc.? You can try a similar angle for speakers–mention that you heard their talk and really resonated with [thing they shared]. Take these strategies with you to the next in-person networking event you go to, and see what connections you can create. What are some of your networking event best practices?

Want to read more? Try these 3 things to reinvigorate your reading habit: 1) Put down books you're not into One of my biggest blockers to sustaining a reading habit was getting stuck on books I didn't really like. They'd sit next to my bed, go with me on trips, occasionally opened and then quickly set down, and the habit would grind to a halt. If you're not into the book, release yourself from the pressure of needing to FINISH it. Put it back on the shelf and instead... 2) Reread books you LOVE This one has been a *gamechanger* for me. For some reason, there's this idea out there that rereading books you've already read is a waste. After all, there are so many books! Why reread? But I've come to discover that, for building the HABIT of reading, rereading (especially fiction) is a FANTASTIC way to get yourself back into it. When rereading, you're not reading for comprehension, but for enjoyment. When you already know the story, instead of trying to follow key plot points, you can savor all the little details, the memorable moments, the character development, etc. This year, I've gone back and reread some old fantasy and sci-fi favorites from my youth and early adulthood and found myself DEVOURING these books in days or even hours. Suddenly, I'm filling time that might have often been spent just mindlessly scrolling with something more engaging and enriching. I'm reestablishing a habit that had gone dormant and doing so in a way that's FUN. It's gotten me to WANT to read again and made it easier to introduce new books too. Which leads to... 3) Have multiple types of books going at once Pair different genres: e.g. a fiction book and a non-fiction book. Or something familiar and something new. Having OPTIONS makes it much easier to switch books if you're not feeling one when you sit down to read (vs. switching to your phone). If I'm feeling too sleepy to give the American history book I'm in the middle of the attention it needs, I'll switch to the fast-paced fantasy series I've read before. Or if I'm feeling especially curious and ready to learn, I'll pick up the neuroscience book I'm currently fascinated by. Having multiple things going also helps prevent your reading habit from stalling once you finish a book and are trying to get into the next one. Audiobooks are also an excellent way to mix things up and give yourself additional reading options for when you're in different contexts or moods. Reading is such a vital habit to maintain, but in today's digital age of social media and short attention spans, it can be so easy to let it slip. I've at times gone months or even years without reading consistently. But these 3 tips have helped me reestablish this habit this year, and I'm so glad for it. What are your best practices for reinvigorating or maintaining your habit of reading?

Should your resume have a summary section? My answer is YES, but there's a very specific way I encourage my clients to write them. Here are my resume summary dos and don'ts: DON'T: ❌ Use a plain header. "Professional Summary" makes your resume seem generic and unspecific. ❌ Write a paragraph. Putting a big wall of text at the very top of your resume is a great way to immediately lose your reader's attention. ❌ Write an "objective" statement. They're a relic from an era before online applications. You applied for the job, didn't you? That alone communicates your objective. ❌ Use buzzwords. Literally everyone is a "hard-working, detail oriented, results-driven, self-starter with a proven track record." Ditch the clichés! ❌ Only list responsibilities, competencies, or areas of expertise. Focusing only on tasks or "job description language" doesn't tell your reader if you are good at your job or not! DO: ✅ Use a specific header. Examples like "Product Manager Summary" or "Data Analysis Summary." Tailor it for each role you apply to! ✅ Write 3-5 bullet points. Bullets are MUCH easier to consume for your reader. Keep each one to no more than 2 lines of text. ✅ Frame your experience around how you add value. Your first bullet should summarize who you are as a professional and what you do that helps companies. ✅ Focus on specific accomplishments from throughout your career. Share several case studies of major projects or examples of your biggest wins. This is your "greatest hits" or "highlight reel" section! ✅ Quantify your results. Weave in numerical data that gives your reader a sense of the scope of your work. How much? How many? How effective? A strong summary section draws your reader in, grants qualification checks in their mind, and ensures your best work doesn't get missed, even if they only read the first third of your document. It also makes tailoring your resume much easier as you can focus primarily on updating your summary section for each position. What other resume summary section best practices do you stick to?

Can we please stop calling other humans "desperate"? Every human needs to pay their rent. Every human needs health coverage. Every human needs to care for themselves & their family. There's nothing wrong with someone trying their hardest to get a job to pay for these necessities. And NEEDING a job shouldn't have any bearing on ones fit for the role. If they can do the job and would be a good fit It shouldn't matter if they're "desperate." Let's normalize that people need jobs to live. And some people have had a hard time finding one. That doesn't mean you shouldn't hire them. Most are still just as capable and qualified as those who haven't had as hard a time. To hiring managers and others who aren't "desperate": You can't fully understand another's situation. You can't fully understand what someone's going through. Don't assume. Don't discount. And to all the "desperate" job seekers out there: Don't let anyone shame you for trying to get a job. Don't be afraid to ask for what you need. Do what you need to do. What are your thoughts on the "desperate" label? 

Do you know the most agonizing part of job searching? The SILENCE. You apply for a job and don't hear back. You adjust your resume and don't hear back. You email a hiring manager and don't hear back. You send a connection request and don't hear back. You complete an interview round and don't hear back. You send a follow up message and still don't hear back. Job seekers take dozens or even hundreds of little actions each week. Rarely (if ever) do you get any indication of if each action was successful or not, if it was the right thing to do or not. This makes it INCREDIBLY difficult to know if you're on the right track. Honestly, I can't think of any other common activity that has such an erratic and empty feedback loop, can you? Eventually, you start filling in the blanks with your own assumptions. And usually, you assume the worst. They must not have liked me.  Dang, my resume didn't beat the ATS. My experience isn't good enough, I guess. So much for networking, they didn't respond. I probably said something dumb in the interview. That follow up must have made me look desperate. The reality is: there are a million different reasons you may not have heard back, and most of them have nothing to do with you. Hiring is a hot mess right now, the job market is brutal. Recruiters are buried by a skyrocketing number of applicants.  Companies are slower to hire while layoffs make things worse.  Inboxes are flooded, even the diligent miss emails on a good day.  Choosing between multiple highly qualified candidates is really difficult.  Follow ups don't always yield a response, and sadly, that's just how it goes. As hard as this is to do in the moment, it's critical that job seekers learn to not take silence personally, or read too much into it, especially right now. You probably won't hear back.  You're probably going to get ghosted at some point. You probably won't get a response for most of your messages.  You probably will get a few rejections without any actual feedback. To be clear, I'm not saying any of this is okay. Silence in the job search SUCKS, and I hate that this has become an all-too familiar experience for so many job seekers right now. However, reminding yourself that: You're not alone.  It's not your fault. You're making progress.  You ARE on the right track. You will get a response soon. This season won't last forever. Can be immensely helpful when navigating the long and lonely job search road. Every day, I walk this road with other job seekers, and I do my best to remind them of these things, to encourage them during their search, and know how to respond to the lack of response. I know it's rough out there right now, but don't assume you're doing something wrong. Take care of yourself and give yourself grace, even in the midst of the silence. It's only a matter of time before one of your leads converts. That silence will soon be broken by joy.

Do you have a virtual job interview coming up? Here's a 5-step cheat sheet for setting up your space & screen (video below!): 1) Choose a space Pick a room that's quiet and distraction-free, where you won't be interrupted by kids, pets, housemates, etc. Make sure your background is neutral and avoid virtual backgrounds, which can be distracting. 2) Camera position Position yourself and your laptop so your camera is right at eye level. If needed, consider putting your laptop on a stand or stack of books. 3) Lighting The brightest light source in the room should be in front of you. Don't sit with your back to a window or bright lamp. A monitor-mounted light can be a nice investment. 4) Screen setup Try to look directly at the camera as much as you can! Avoid using secondary monitors. Consider shrinking your Zoom window so you can put it directly underneath your webcam, and put your notes on the same screen. 5) Test it out! Record yourself giving an elevator pitch and watch it back. See how your audio, lighting, camera positioning, etc. looks and sounds before the day of your interview. Taking these extra setup steps can help ensure you look and sound GREAT for your next virtual interview. What are some of your virtual interview setup best practices?

Here's how to research a company in just 5 minutes. Pick a company you're interested in. Open up these tabs in your browser: Their main website Their social media accounts Their Crunchbase page (or similar)  Their employees page in LinkedIn Their leadership team page Their Glassdoor page Start with their website and socials. Spend a minute or two scanning these and learning what you can about their product, their customers, their tone, their vibe. What do they do and who is their customer? What's the one-sentence, tl;dr version? Next, check out their Crunchbase page (or other company news/insights sites). Jot down some company facts such as: Headcount Location Founding date  Revenue/funding stage  Notable news headlines (acquisitions, new products, layoffs, etc.) Next, click though some employee profiles on LinkedIn, especially in your target department. Do they seem like people you'd like to work with? Do you feel like you'd belong? How does their experience or background compare to yours? How long have people worked there? Are there lots of new hires or long-tenured folks? Do people seem to get promoted regularly? Who? How often? Which people would you most like to connect with to learn more? Now take a look at the leadership team, especially the CEO and whichever C-level executive your job function reports up to. What is their experience, their background, their vibe? How long have they been there? Do you connect with them? Do you trust them? Are there women in leadership?  Are there people of color in leadership? Are they active on LinkedIn? Do they have any talks, interviews, articles, etc. that you can review later in more depth? Finally for Glassdoor, take note of the average salary for your target role, then skim a few company reviews. Ignore 1 star and 5 star reviews. What patterns do you notice in things people like? What about what people don't like? As you go through each of these tabs, take notes (or at least mental notes). Bookmark stuff you want to dig into more. Pay attention to your emotional state as you research. Are you getting more excited and energized as you read? That's a good sign! Are you getting anxious or bored? That might be telling as well. Finally, what questions do you still have? What else do you need to learn more about to know if you'd enjoy working there? What things will you only be able to learn by talking to someone there? Company research is SO important to the job search, yet most job seekers neglect it. Better research means better applications, better interviews, and better company fit. Start framing the beginning of your research process with these steps. You can learn a LOT in even just 5 minutes. What other company research tips would you share?